Fatal Accidental Drowning in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, 1880-1939.

Drowning is currently the second leading cause of injury-related death for children 1-4 years of age in the United States and is the leading cause of death worldwide for boys ages 5-14 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it as a public health threat and advocates for reducing drowning deaths by understanding geographical, cultural, and societal risk factors. To these three we added a fourth: historical studies.

Myocarditis in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, 1880-1939.

From 1920 to 1940 in Minnehaha County there was an apparent striking increase in the incidence of fatal myocarditis and chronic myocarditis. Based on an analysis of the interment records of the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, word frequency studies in two prominent American medical journals and a general review of related medical publications, we explore this increase.