This page contains a variety of my writing samples. Follow the links below to be taken to papers related to the following topics.
This page has the following sub pages.
- Regulation of Associated Health Plans
- Tackling Obesity through Agricultural Policy
- Facilitating Access to Reproductive Health Care for Urban Teens
- Letter to the Editor re: DIA Redesign Plans
- Infant Health in Wigan, England during the First World War
- An op-ed — with the swipe of a pen, 25 percent of American children eat more vegetables
You can get to 
Erin Miller 
Hi Erin
A great piece on Wigan. I have recently been researching my family history and discovered alaming rates of infant deaths. My family mostly lived in Hindley and Abram, towns just outside of Wigan. The earned their living from the coalmining industry.
What were the most common diseases to affect children in the area during the period of 1900 – 1930?
Regards
Tony
Tony,
I am glad that you liked the abstract on infant health in Wigan. I will email you a copy of the full report, which contains some additional information and citations that may be helpful. It is somewhat difficult to determine the most common diseases to affect children in the area during that period because the germ theory was still in its infancy and medical officers didn’t always have a strong understanding of the bacterial or viral cause of disease. They recognized that diarrheal diseases, including enteritis, were common, but they were not certain what caused such diseases. Diarrheal diseases were understood to be related to feeding practices and sanitary conditions. The diseases were likely caused by consuming bacteria-infested food (which was more common during warm summer months) or fecal matter (which may have been transported by indoor flies). In England in general, from 1911-1914, 18.4 percent of deaths of children ages 0-5 were caused by diarrheal diseases.
Infectious diseases were also common. The most common infectious diseases after tuberculosis were measles and whooping cough. In 1917, the Medical Officer of Health for England determined that nine percent of all infant deaths could be attributed to “diseases well recognised as infectious.” Infectious diseases were a particularly large problem in Wigan, which had the second highest child mortality rates for bronchitis and pneumonia in the northern area of the country between 1915 and 1916. Some of the pneumonia may have been partially caused by poor indoor ventilation and the inhalation of smoke from cooking fires.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks,
Erin