Tour to focus on health

The hot topic today is the cost of health care, but from the 1840s through the Civil War, quality was the concern.

Several factors affected the health and well-being of soldiers and Fort Scott residents in the mid-19th century and on Sept. 15, visitors to Fort Scott National Historic Site will be presented with several examples.

Those attending the evening tour, titled "Frontiercare: Health and Safety at Fort Scott in the Mid 19th Century," will learn about some of the challenges that affected health of the soldiers at Fort Scott in the 1840s, like nutrition, alcoholism and even the weather, a news release said.

Tour participants will discover the impact of psychological warfare on the citizens of Fort Scott during the "Bleeding Kansas" era. Visitors will also learn about hazards of camp life and hospital treatment during the war.

The evening tour, which starts at 6 p.m., will feature six different scenes focusing on a different aspect of frontier health care.

In each scene, volunteers and staff in period costume will portray various individuals who met the challenges of the time in different ways. They include Frederick Roderwald, who had his leg broken while leaping over a garden fence, Philip Thompson, an officer who battled an alcohol addiction, Mrs. Hill, who suffered psychological trauma when she hid from marauders, and Capt. Matthews, who battled prejudice and disability. The tour will begin at the site's visitor center and will last about an hour.

There is no charge. For more information, call (620) 223-0310 or visit www.nps.gov/fosc.

In a separate event, next Monday -- Sept. 17 -- will be the 225th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. To mark the occasion, Fort Scott National Historic Site will host a brown bag lunch (bring your own) at noon in Grand Hall, featuring a presentation from Ranger Barak Geertsen about the Constitutional Convention.

Geertsen will focus on how compromise saved the process "from going up in flames," a news release said.

The audience will be asked to consider how they would deal with the issues that divided the convention.

The event will last about half an hour. There is no charge to attend.

For more information, call (620) 223-0310, or visit www.nps.gov/fosc.