During most of the Victorian era, people--including doctors--knew very little about the causes of disease. Health was a challenge because for most of the 19th century, people understand about germs. People had no idea why they became ill, and often, medicine was no more than guesswork. If a serious illness did not cause death, often some of the "remedies" might!

Frequently, people drank from the same unwashed cup which others had used. They did not take baths very often, and when settlers traveled, they typically slept on dirty sheets where many others had slept, or else they shared a bed. Settlers were ignorant as to what part cleanliness played in good health, and they knew nothing of the fact that germs thrive in dirty places.

In the first part of the 19th century, people generally believed that bathing too often removed protective oils from a person's skin, leaving them open to disease. If a person was ill, sunlight and fresh air were not allowed into their room. It was felt that cold, fresh air made people sicker. Sick people were told to stay in bed, not realizing how important it was for recovery to actually get a little exercise.

People believed that diseases traveled through the air, in the water, and underground. They associated sicknesses with "miasma" (a noxious or unpleasant vapor), and doctors carried scented sticks which supposedly kept the miasma from reaching the nose and entering the body.

The most common methods of treatment used by 19th-century doctors were:

1) Bleeding (phlebotomy)

2) Blistering

3) Plastering

4) Amputation

5) Purging, Vomiting, and Sweating.

In the very early 1800s, apothecaries were considered doctors. While their main responsibility was to prepare medicines and remedies for patients, the apothecary did, in fact, also treat patients, dress wounds, and perform minor surgeries--as well as amputations. Apothecaries also practiced heroic medicine, such as bleeding, (leeches were kept at the apothecary shop), and blistering. Apothecaries were not as knowledgeable as doctors, but then again, they charged less for their services, as well.

No schools existed to train apothecaries. Those who wished to become an apothecary learned the trade as an apothecary's apprentice.

During the Victorian era, no one used the word, "pregnant", and the term, "expecting" would never have been used in mixed company. Once a pregnant woman began to show, she never went out socially. Many women did not leave the house at all during the last trimester of the pregnancy, however, a small few seemed to innately understand the need for exercise during pregnancy, and they made a point of getting out for a walk--but usually it was only around her home or garden, and often, only after dark.