Life Expectancy Was Less Than Thirty Years When Dr. Williams Practiced

During the years when Dr. Williams was practicing medicine in Cleveland County, the average length of life was less than thirty years. At that time, people in the county knew nothing about germs and had very little understanding of sanitation as it related to health. Dead animals were sometimes left lying in vacant lots. Flies carried filth from decaying matter directly onto food at the table. Screens were poor or nonexistent on doors and windows. Typhoid fever was common, and sickness was widespread throughout the area. Only many years later did people begin to understand that disease was not sent by God, but was the result of contaminated water, flies, and their own lack of knowledge.

Source: Mamie Jones