This project is to prepare for publication the test and annotation of a diary which gives new insight into mid-nineteenth century life and provides graphic accounts of two diseases which marked the era: cholera and syphilis. Written by Joseph J. Mersman (1924-1892), a German immigrant and capitalist, the diary begins in Cincinnati from 1847 to early 1849, and continues in St. Louis until September 1864. His is the story of a self-made member of the burgeoning middle class, with a taste for theater and an eye for women. Family members mentioned in the diary include the writer's sister, Agnes Mersman Lake, the circus star who later married James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok. Mostly in English the diary contains sections in French and German and describes many developments in business, social and health matters. The booming capitalist economy, the political climate of the country, and the social networks of immigrants are all part of Mersman's record. The diary includes details of cholera epidemics in 1849 and 1853. Mersman's description of premarital sexual encounters and one year of treatment for syphilis is unlike any other published pre-Civil War narrative. Other documents and textbooks written for and by health professionals, record medical treatments of the era. However, there are few reports of cholera and syphilis from the patient's perspective. The project will include transcribing the handwritten document, providing a critical introduction, extensive footnotes and illustrations. This project will fill a now unmet need for a primary document that illustrates important nineteenth century urban American issues. This diary vividly describes the state of public health in two western cities 150 years ago and provides a unique contribution to existing literature. Although many diaries and personal papers of ordinary people from the same period have been published, they generally focus on the Westward Expansion, the 1849 Gold Rush, or Civil War accounts.
