February 9, 1941 (Sunday)

EDNA IS QUITE WORRIED

---

Fine day.

Called Dr. Wedel again this

morning. He advised taking

Henry to hospital for

examination by Dr. P.L.

Thompson and X Ray.

Hank and I took him to

hospital this P.M.

Dr. Thompson examined

him — has room 212.

Red, Helen + Dean here for

supper also Alice, Stanley

and kiddies. Had pan-

cake supper.

Quite worried about

Henry's condition — wonder

what the out come

will be.

---

Edna and Hank take Henry to the hospital at the recommendation of Dr. Wedel.

After an examination and X-rays, they head home, leaving Henry in room 212. He will remain there for several weeks.

Henry's illness was newsworthy. It made the February 13, 1941 edition of the Lowell Ledger.

Gone With the Wind also made the Bowne Bugle news section of the Ledger.

It's 1941 and the film was released in 1939. Nearly two years later, what made seeing the movie worth noting in the news?

From the initial release of Gone With the Wind in December of '39 through July of 1940, the movie was only shown in a limited number of theaters. According to several articles I read, ticket prices were nearly double the price of a regular ticket.

It wasn't until 1941 that Gone With the Wind experienced a general release. Even then, it was only available for a limited amount of days at any given theater. By that time, it had already won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

If you lived in rural American in February of 1941, getting to see Gone With the Wind was definitely newsworthy.

February 8, 1941 (Saturday)

HENRY HAD RATHER A BAD DAY

---

Henry had rather a

bad day — so sick and

nauseated all day.

Had a nervous chill

this A.M. — sleeping most

of time this P.M. and

early evening.

Rec'd a box of fruit

from L.A.S. delivered by

Floyd Flynn.

Dean staying all night.

---

Henry is still not feeling all that well but Edna received a nice fruit basket and her grandson Dean is staying all night.

Henry's sister Jennie Pardee has been ill as well. She just returned home after a month-long stay in the hospital. I have had a few people inquire about her illness. While Edna noted in her journals that Jen had metabolism tests and an operation, she was no more specific than that. So, I did a little more digging and found a small news article

The Lowell Ledger for February 6, 1941 reported that Jennie Pardee was in Blodgett hospital recovering from a goiter operation.

I had my answer. Jen had a thyroidectomy for a Goiter.

Unlike today, news was not instantaneous in 1941. On the day this edition of the Ledger was published, Jennie actually came home from the hospital.

Before the 1920s, iodine deficiency was common in the Great Lakes, Appalachian, and Northwestern U.S. regions and in most of Canada. Prevention of iodine deficiency by the introduction of iodized salt has virtually eliminated iodine deficiency and the so-called “goiter belt” in these areas (1).

Michigan became the first state to sell iodized salt at grocery stores (2).

Morton Salt Company Ad Circa 1925

In 1922, David Murray Cowie, a pediatrician at the University of Michigan was working to address the goiter endemic. After reading a report from Switzerland about adding iodine to salt packages, Cowie spent two years meeting with salt manufacturers in Michigan explaining the medical and public health benefits of doing so. On May 1, 1924, the first boxes of iodized salt appeared on grocers’ shelves all over the state (3).

February 7, 1941 (Friday)

HOUSE PRETTY COLD

---

Henry awakened at 5 o'clock

feeling fine having no

soreness. Up and around

the house part of time.

I swept, dusted + mopped

Jen's house. Jen feeling

pretty good.

Dr. came again

this morning and also

to-night.

Dr. said we might

go home - so we came

home.

House pretty cold.

---

I am having a hard time following Edna's timeline in this journal entry. She said Henry was up at 5. She spent the night at Jen's so unless Henry told her got up at 5 AM, I think Henry, given the "big dose of morphine" he received yesterday, slept most of the day and got up at 5 PM.

It sounds like Edna spent most of the day at Jen's. She swept and dusted and mopped. And she was there when the doctor called in the morning and the evening.

She didn't hesitate to head home when Dr. Wedel suggested that would be okay. She was probably worried about Henry. When she got home, the house was pretty cold. Henry may have told Edna he was feeling pretty good but he wasn't feeling well enough to keep the furnace running.

I think when Edna wrote "House pretty cold" she understood that Henry wasn't feeling fine.