Since I grew up in the 1950s and early 60s - the height of the Baby Boom era - childhood diseases were a regular thing. Every schoolroom and neighborhood playground was crowded with kids. At the time it seemed we were all sharing germs with every other kid in the neighborhood. If anyone got chickenpox, we all got it eventually, and it was the same with measles.
But the big danger with measles was the high fever that accompanied the rashes and the itchy spots. My little brother must have been a toddler when one of the older sibs brought home the measles. His temperature spiked up to 104 degrees and Mom was terrified. The doctor told her over the phone to put my brother into a cold water bath and try to bring his temperature down. Bro wasn't happy about it, screamed the entire time, but that cold water bath worked. It brought his temperature back down after 15 minutes or so.
When the measles, mumps and chickenpox vaccines came out in the mid-60s, my Mom made sure we all got them.
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