I was just Google-ing the National to get a better description of it and this link was one of the first to pop up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hotel_disease

I know, I know its from Wikipedia but some of the references seem legitimate.

It is very possible for guests to have become ill from hotels.Today,you can catch whatever is "out there",from-Hotels-Airplanes-Crusies-Etc

Thanks Lindsey. I had never heard this. We can blame a lot on Buchanan but probably not that.

Thanks, Lindsey!

A facinating subject which I had never considered! I would have to think that this was some sort of problem with bacteria (unknown of at the time of course) - foods were unclean; preparation was typically unclean - bathroom facilities were unsanitary at best - so a lot of reasons for this problem. I would imagine that a lot of this went on in the Victorian era....

(03-06-2013 05:13 PM)Rsmyth Wrote:  Thanks Lindsey. I had never heard this. We can blame a lot on Buchanan but probably not that.

I don't know about that Rich, I think James Buchanan made alot of people sick.

I read about the National Hotel disease years ago and asked my D.C. expert, Joan Chaconas, about it. She told me just about the same thing as Wiki does here. They never did find the cause, but modern people tend to believe it was caused by food contamination.

Early Salmonella....

It really is amazing there were not more cases of mass outbreaks.

Agreed, Jim!

A lot of deaths were probably due to such, but in the mid-19th Century, folk simply didn't know about bacteriological diseases. I bet a lot of what was described as "wasting disease" was actually caused by pure out and out contamination and filth....they simply didn't know and had no way of knowing.....

Technology marches on!

Reminds me of the modern "Legionaire's Disease."

I thought of the same thing, Bill. Wasn't that later determined to be caused by contaminated air ducts or mold?

Betty: absolutely. I'm a member of the American Legion-but I steer clear of hotels!

(03-07-2013 07:21 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Agreed, Jim!

A lot of deaths were probably due to such, but in the mid-19th Century, folk simply didn't know about bacteriological diseases. I bet a lot of what was described as "wasting disease" was actually caused by pure out and out contamination and filth....they simply didn't know and had no way of knowing.....

Technology marches on!

Think about "Tavern fare". It was what they had on hand and out. No modern refrigeration. Alot of smoked meats. You had better hope that the tavern might be busy. One never knew how long something would be sitting out.

I'm ancient, I know, but growing up in the 50s and 60s, I remember food care that would curl some people's hair today. Pies were put in pie safes, not in refrigerators; ham was covered up, but could sit on the kitchen counter or in that same pie safe waiting for the next dinner (or ham sandwiches); same with turkey or chicken; stuffing went inside the chicken or turkey for baking and stayed there until all dug out with leftovers the next day or so - unrefrigerated; a big pot of homemade stew didn't always fit into the fridge. I was shocked the first time a friend of mine yelled at me because my homemade coconut snowball cake wasn't refrigerated; potato salad was made with homemade dressing and then taken on picnics. Have I made you sick yet?

I am the product of a great-grandmother's cooking habits, and she lived well into her seventies throughout most of the 19th century. Her daughter inherited those cooking habits and lived to be 91, and my mother inherited those cooking habits and lived to be 94. They also ate anything they wanted. My grandmother was never inside a hospital as a patient. My mother had me at age 28, and the next time she went to the hospital was when she was 79. My medical history is none of your business, but I do okay.

Sorry for going against modern thinking, but... Yes, I refrigerate my ham, turkey, stuffing, and potato salad - but that coconut cake still sits under its cover on my kitchen counter, when and if I make it.

Laurie, I grew up in that same era and recall the exact same things regarding food care. Fridges were often tiny back then and the freezer compartments were hardly big enough to hold three aluminum ice trays, much less a frozen TV dinner package!

I remember the first time I saw someone put an iced tea pitcher in the fridge. I thought that was so strange.

It's a miracle we survived, but if you make any of that coconut cake, I swear I'll be happy to demolish an unrefrigerated slab of it the next day or so.

--Jim