For Medicinal Purposes: Health and Wellness at a Turn of the Century Boarding House

Exponential industrial growth at the end of the 19th century made way for the rapid expansion of the industrial complex in urban America. Despite creating a wealth of jobs and some measure of prosperity, th is boom brought about an abundance of pollution, residential overcrowding, and excessive workdays, all of which contribut-ed to an ideal environment for illness and disease. East St. Louis was no exception. A thriving livestock market and manufacturing district provided a bounty of both employment and health hazards. In living situations like multi-occupant housing, this phenomenon could be exacerbated due to the number of inhabitants or the diversity of the occupant's lifestyles. From 2009 to 2012 ISAS conducted excava-tions for the New Mississippi River Bridge Project in East St. Louis. This paper will examine the medicinal evidence, excavated from 5 privies on a lot associated with a boarding house, in order to better understand maladies afflicting the occupants and potentially the city at large.