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In her letter to Blanche, Mrs. Bess Lowry mentioned that she would have been put away years ago if it had not been for advancements in both surgery and science. While we do not know what sorts of conditions she was referring to, we can explore some of the biggest medical breakthroughs of the 1920’s.
One of the most important breakthroughs in medicine during the 1920s was the invention of insulin. At the University of Toronto in 1920, Doctors Fred Banting and Charles Best were able to create a drug that was able to address and reverse diabetic symptoms in a diabetic dog they were testing on. Before their discovery, diabetes was a death sentence for most affected individuals. The first successful case of addressing symptoms of diabetes in a human was then 14-year-old Leonard Thompson. Up until the creation of insulin injections, most methods of combating diabetes included doping with drugs like opium and encouraging strict diets called “starvation treatments;” an example of which is featured below.
Often eclipsing insulin in fame of 1920s medical breakthroughs is the discovery of Penicillin. While Alexander Fleming is often credited with discovering Penicillin, it was actually discovered by a French medical student in the 1890s. Although Fleming rediscovered the antibiotic, he too would eventually abandon the study of it doubting the application of Penicillin in combating bacterial infections in the human body. Despite the drug not being developed commercially until 1939, Fleming’s work would become foundational in its eventual emergence into the market.
Citations
“1920’s Medicine.” 1920-30.com. Accessed October 3, 2025. https://www.1920-30.com/medicine/.
Rutty, Dr Christopher. 2020. “Diabetes before 1920.” Defining Moments Canada. September 17, 2020. https://definingmomentscanada.ca/insulin100/history/context/.
Mrs. Lowry mentions the efficacy of “sciences and surgery” in her life. What sorts of conditions did she suffer from that would make such things necessary to alleviate her issues?
As shown by the fact that Mrs. Lowry had paper with her name printed on the top, Mrs. Lowry was a woman of some means. At this time as well, the Great Depression was in full swing. What kind of work did the Lowry’s do afford such a small luxury?
As mentioned in the Historical Context section, the World Series was going on when the letter was written. Were either Blanche or Mrs. Lowry fans of sports or Baseball in particular?
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
When Mrs. Bess Lowry mailed Blanche this letter on October 8, 1930, one of America’s favorite sporting events was in full swing. Beginning on the first of the month was the 1930 World Series between the Saint Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Athletics or “A’s.” Despite the hot streak the Cardinals were on that year, they would head into the World Series with disappointment waiting for them. Although the Cardinals would lose to the Athletics with a score of 4 to 2, it would set up a redemption story for the next year as the 1931 World Series would end up being a rematch.
For the Athletics, this would be the second time in the history of their franchise in which they won back to World Series. Their first successful run was from 1910 to 1911. Although back-to-back World Series wins are not too uncommon, as 7 other teams have had victory streaks of 2 or more, it still stands as a testament to their skill as they were the second team ever to do so behind the Cubs back-to-back wins in 1907 and 1908. Although it would take the Athletics leaving Philadelphia in 1967 for Oakland, the Athletics would be able to beat their personal best and win 3 consecutive World Series games in 1972 through 1974.
The link below leads to a short clip from game 4 of the 1930 World Series.
Citations
“October 1, 1930: Grove Outduels Grimes in World Series Opener.” SABR.org. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-1-1930-grove-outduels-grimes-in-world-series-opener/.
“World Series and MLB Playoffs.” Baseball-Reference.com. 2025. https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason.
Defining Moments Canada. “Context.” Accessed October 6, 2025. https://definingmomentscanada.ca/insulin100/history/context/.
MLB. “1930 Postseason Recap.” MLB.com. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.mlb.com/postseason/history/1930.
MLB. “1930 World Series Recap.” MLB, September 22, 2022. https://www.mlb.com/news/1930-world-series-recap.
PublicDomainFootage. “St. Louis Cardinals Beat Philadelphia Athletics Game 4 1930 World Series Archival Footage.” YouTube video, January 23, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naBwC8kTLD8.
When Mrs. Lowry wrote Blanche this letter, South Carolina, along with the rest of the United States was undergoing what we now call the Great Depression. While across the country people were grappling with their livelihoods during the recession, some suffered worse due to the grand ecological disaster that was the dust bowl. The dust bowl was caused by widespread use of poor farming practices that left the environment heavily eroded and dry, and when paired with strong winds, caused giant dust storms to sweep the nation.
Along with the Dust Bowl, South Carolina and many other states suffered droughts. The droughts here in South Carolina experienced during the early 1930s would be record breaking. The month of November 1931 holds the record for being the driest the state has ever been with places like Garnett, South Carolina receiving only 0.02 inches of rain. The year 1931 itself would be the state’s fourth driest with a statewide average of 35.37 inches of precipitation.
This problem would become dire enough across the nation that President Franklin D. Roosevelt would write every governor to encourage them to support more environmentally sustainable farming practices. The result of his efforts was the establishment of many conservation boards around the country. A goal of this agenda was also to teach farmers how to farm more sustainably and help prevent ecological disasters like the dustbowl from happening again. One of the first demonstration sites the federal government made to help demonstrate what the better farming practices were built here in the upstate on the South Tyger River Watershed.
Citations
"Soil and Water History.” GreenvilleCounty.org. Accessed October 4, 2025. https://www.greenvillecounty.org/SoilAndWater/History.aspx.
South Carolina State Climatology Office, Land, Water, and Conservation Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. “Keystone Drought Events in South Carolina.” DNR.sc.gov. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sc.