The child shuddered and coughed, sucking in air and spitting it out like poison. I put my hand on her chest, feeling it rattle through my fingertips. “Is it dust pneumonia?” “Don’t know.” She looked away. Because she did know, and so did I. You don’t lose a husband—half a town—and not know what dust pneumonia looks like. But saying it, admitting it, was in some ways worse than the illness itself.
Dust pneumonia was a prevalent illness during the Dust Bowl. Repeated exposure to dust storms often left victims' lungs so full of dirt, they became incapable of clearing themselves. Symptoms included high fever, chest pain, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Death was an all-too-common outcome.
