Health in England (16th–18th c.) Children and youth in early
modern England (1500-1800) were subject to many diseases and
physical hardships. From the great epidemic diseases of bubonic
plague and smallpox, to more common illnesses such as measles
and influenza that still afflict children today, sickness put
children and youth at great risk. With no knowledge of bacteria
or antibiotics, and surgery performed without anesthesia or even
hand washing, there were few remedies for childhood illnesses
beyond a nourishing diet and keeping the patient warm. Even
surviving an illness could have permanent consequences, for
example, scarlet fever left many children blind and deaf, and
measles could cause severe scarring and facial bone loss. One
measurement of health in early modern England is revealed in the
statistics of the number of deaths kept by church parishes. From
these records historians have gleaned that infant mortality
(death during the first year of life) was approximately 140 out
of 1000 live births. The