The Epiphany

It’s about 10:26PM and I just finished looking into pneumonia. I found a pretty exciting quiz on pneumonia for all you nerds out there who like this kind of quiz stuff. You can take it after you get some information from my blog, or you can just take it either if you feel like it, you are a genius, or you're a narcissist (I know all you people are out there somewhere). Anyway, to go back to the serious stuff, Dalia has only a single type of pneumonia caused by a bacteria that the doctor mentioned in Joshua’s diary. There are a variety of others caused by bacteria such as Haemophilis influenza or Mycoplasma pneumoniae, but pneumonia can also be caused by viruses, protists, or some other gross micro-organisms such as moulds. Also, rare types of pneumonia can be caused by inhaling vomit, for example. Eww.

It makes sense that Dalia would contract pneumonia I guess… after all, small infants are usually at risk for this sickness and she also lives in a crowded, dirty area which increases the risk dramatically. Also, the elderly, people who have AIDS, people who are big on alcohol, people who smoke, people who have had bad medical history, or if you have had exposure to certain chemicals are largely at risk of this disease. If you avoid these things, and wash your hands often, and perhaps get a vaccine, then you should easily be able to prevent getting pneumonia. However, Dalia was unable to avoid the things that that made her sick back then. And it’s not as if there were any pneumonia vaccines just being given to people in the ghettos. Besides, pneumococcal vaccines didn’t come around until about 2005 seemingly.

I also looked up some treatment options for Dalia, just in case Joshua can’t get a hold of the treatment. I have discovered that there really is nothing she could do. Basically, she would have to get a hold of the treatment, which is an antibiotic. The others include acupuncture, aromatherapy, eating healthier and changing diet to incorporate more nutrients (not likely in a WWII scenario). Also, oxygen masks and a heated pad or water bottle help the symptoms, but that would not have been available for Dalia in 1942.

Looking through some statistics regarding pneumonia, I became nervous. I found that an estimated 1.1 children die from pneumonia worldwide. These stats were probably way worse back then due to the lame technology and the fact that there was a war going on and the people had no care whatsoever. Also, pneumonia makes up 18% of worldwide deaths in children. Thanks Internet. You made the situation so much better… not.

I feel rotten. It’s an awful idea that Dalia may have unrightfully died decades ago and I couldn’t do anything to help. It was utterly depressing.

Anyway, it’s too late to read anything, and I feel downright nasty, so I guess I’ll read more of Joshua’s letters tomorrow. Though I feel horrid saying it, as Joshua and Dalia forgot what a good night was… good night… I suppose….