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| Walter M. Runyan - age 3 |
Wednesday's child is full of woe.
Last week I posted a photo of the family of Jesse C. and Lena (Hudelson) Runyan but there was one child missing from that group, their first born, their only son Walter. Walter was born May 5, 1912 and while he was still living with his family in 1920, by 1930 he was institutionalized as an epileptic. What a heartbreak for his parents.
Before the turn of the century, epileptics were seen as a menace to society and were segregated from the rest of the population in asylums for the insane and later in institutions like the "Epileptic Village" of Newcastle, Indiana. By the 1950s there were medical advancements in the treatment of the disease and segregation ended.
In the 1930 census there were over 425 males listed in Epileptic Village, along with my mother's paternal first cousin Walter. It is interesting to note that the various sections of the village were called by numbered "colonies", a term also used for leper populations. The photo below is cropped from a damaged postcard and shows colony 2 of Epileptic Village.
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| Colony No. 2 - Epileptic Village, New Castle, Indiana |
Walter died on Wednesday, October 15, 1958.
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It is indeed sad. I'm sure families didn't know what to do when a seizure occurred, and there were probably many myths and superstitions surrounding epilepsy. Your comparison of Epileptic Village to leper colonies is quite interesting and revealing.
ReplyDeleteAnd not only that Wendy, families kept these things hushed up back then. I remember my mother telling me Walter had epilepsy but it was obvious she knew very little and that no one talked about it. The 1930 census and ensuing research after I realized there were over 400 men in this institution, was eye opening.
DeleteAnother fascinating glimpse into our medical history, not particularly pretty is it? Interesting piece Lisa. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteOh Carol...you don't want me on that soapbox! Medical history, and present medical hokus pokus is a pet peeve of mine. I'm glad you found this interesting, I certainly learned from the research that came with this post.
DeletePrecious photo of Walter, so innocent and unaware of what lay ahead. Not only was it sad about the illness and the Village, but the fact he was an only son. Smart idea using the damaged postcard to show the Colony...very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI know Barbara, what a sweet child he looked to be! Mom always talked so fondly of her uncle Jess, Walter's father. I know Jess must have been devastated over being separated from his only son.
ReplyDeleteTough, tough information for us to absorb but so well presented, Lisa. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan and it sure is tough information to absorb. I have a sister-in-law with epilepsy and my husband has an employee with it that he's had to fire a few times for not taking his medicine, something he wouldn't know until the guy would have a seizure on the job, once on a rooftop! My husband has had most of his employees for many years and they all learned to recognize the signs of a seizure coming on in their friend and always tried to take measures to get him somewhere safe quickly. I can imagine how frightening it must have been to have this happen over and over again with a beloved family member with no medical way to control it. Now I find myself wondering if this segregation of epileptics was mandatory or voluntary. That is something I would like to know.
DeleteOh Lisa, what a post! Such a dear child! I don't know the answer to your last question-was segregation mandatory. I do know there was sometimes great shame in the family because of it, even though it was something that was no one's "fault," it's simply genetics.
ReplyDeleteI have epilepsy, controlled, and I thank God daily for the medical advances that allow me to be so. My older sister also has it, and she, too is controlled now for many years. Another family member also had it.
But in talking with my mom, when my sister was first diagnosed, my mother was racked with guilt for years thinking it was something she had done "wrong" in her pregnancy that caused this. The stupid doctors never thought to explain the genetics end of it to my parents so they would understand.