The real reason Mary Ingalls went blind
Posted by staff / April 8, 2016
If you’re like me, you’d say: Scarlet fever. But no, a team of medical researchers actually does not believe that to be true. They studied everything from diaries to disease-records and came up with a different solution.
As the CNN article notes, this is not earth-shattering news. However, generations of people have grown up fearing Scarlet Fever as a cause of blindness when really, they shouldn’t.
But there is also an important wider medical lesson we can learn from this research. Today, about 10% of people infected with strep get scarlet fever, says [Dr. Beth] Tarini. It is easily treatable. But because the cultural reference to scarlet fever is so ingrained in our culture, people assume it is very dangerous. “People read as children that scarlet fever makes you go blind,” says Tarini. “Parents look concerned … so I have to debunk it in the office.”
Full story here: CNN: Health.
Photo credit (screen grab from CNN, photo by Lionsgate Home Entertainment): Canva.com
Soooo………. What’s the reason she went blind??? Stupid, misleading headline. Never answered the question.
…………and the reason is..why did Mary go blind?????
Mary Ingalls had a stroke which caused her blindness
“A 2013 study published in the journal Pediatrics, concluded it was actually viral meningoencephalitis that caused Mary’s blindness, based on evidence from first-hand accounts and newspaper reports of Mary’s illness as well as relevant school registries and epidemiologic data on blindness and infectious diseases.” Allexan, Sarah S.; Byington, Carrie L.; Finkelstein, Jerome I.; Tarini, Beth A. (2013). “Blindness in Walnut Grove: How Did Mary Ingalls Lose Her Sight?”. Pediatrics. peds.2012-1438.
Dell’Antonia, KJ (February 4, 2013). “Scarlet Fever Probably Didn’t Blind Mary Ingalls”. The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
Serena, Gordon (February 4, 2013). “Mistaken Infection ‘On The Prairie’?”. U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
She died on October 20, 1928 at the age of 63, as a result of pneumonia and complications from a stroke.”
Yet what is still baffling, is the fact that someone got paid generously I’m guessing, to spend and effort to get down to the lingering questions that are probably torturing the minds of everyone in the free world to find out how a character on a television show from 30 + yrs ago. O.K. makes sense to me, carry on, gentlemen.
The link for the full story is right there at CNN: Health. Why don’t you click on that, Noneya.
It was actually viral meningoencephalitis that caused Mary’s blindness, based on evidence from first-hand accounts and newspaper reports of Mary’s illness as well as relevant school registries and epidemiologic data on blindness and infectious diseases.
Actually Scott David, she was a real person and the reason it’s so important is that this cultural reference is so important to debunk is that it is so ingrained in our cultural that people are petrified of scarlet fever. The research is to put their fears to rest.
“But there is also an important wider medical lesson we can learn from this research. Today, about 10% of people infected with strep get scarlet fever, says [Dr. Beth] Tarini. It is easily treatable. But because the cultural reference to scarlet fever is so ingrained in our culture, people assume it is very dangerous. “People read as children that scarlet fever makes you go blind,” says Tarini. “Parents look concerned … so I have to debunk it in the office.””
The full article appeared two months ago and described in detail that it was viral meningocephalitis as other readers stated. But it was never clear if they actually knew the reason for her blindness back then or they just attributed it scarlet fever. In any event, the full article should have been printed and not some sketchy account which gave no information whatsoever.
Scott David – they are talking about the real life Mary Ingalls, on whom the tv character was based. She really lived, and she really went blind. So she is somewhat of a historical character.
From accounts I’ve read about the real Laura Ingals family, her sister Mary’s blindness would come and go after her initial blindness. . She was not permanently blind, and that is where some of the confusion comes in on what caused her blindness. I guess without an autopsy we’ll never know. Only speculation.
Sooooo this is relevant now….are they going to rewrite the book, sounds like a waste of time, time better spent on how to cure cancer don’t you think???
So why did Mary go blind?
Why was Mary Ingalls leg yellow in color? Her dog was blind too!