The Terrible, Mysterious Disease That Haunted the Age of Exploration

One of my favorite maladies of the past was caisson's disease. People who worked digging footings for bridges suffered from caisson's disease. Caissons were chambers anchored to the river bed and pressurized to keep water out. Workers would work 8 to 10 hour shifts go home at night and suffer joint pain. What they were suffering was the bends or decompression sickness. It is also known as "Caisson's " disease.

Any post that gives me the excuse to use the term, "ya scurvy dogs" is worth a thumbs up.