In East Texas during the time frame mentioned there was the influenza epidemic that had spread like a forest fire throughout the states. Also there was outbreaks of Yellow Fever. One of the big killers in the area because of the rivers and creeks that were spiderwebbing through those settlements, was malaria. Malaria was a common, dangerous fever claiming lives right and left. Since it wasn't a "peaking" illness like the epidemics, it is forgotten in some research and historys of the area. There were also the considerations of child bearing mothers being diabetic, which took it's toll on newborns being premature and weak. If the babies did survive, they were at a disadvantage of low immunity to colds and pneumonia and their deaths were caused by dehydration. Some of these were diagnosed as "Spring or Summer Complaint", which was like a stomach virus causing dehydration. Another killer of babies and children not reaching the age of 6 was the RH factor that wasn't even considered at that time. My grandmother had two babies stillborn and jaundice and two babies that died by the time they were two years old. They called them "blue babies". Twenty years later, when she had to have surgery for appendix, she was told that she had the RH factor and the doctors were surprised that she had 9 living children. These are just some of the common ailments that would be complicated by not having the life saving medications that we consider today. The medical treatments at that time could have done wonders if they just would have had asprin to give the patients, if a doctor was available at all.