THOUGHTS ON THE SPANISH FLU
1918 was known to me as momentous, in that it was the year
my mother was born. Other that that, it
had only one other significant factor, and that being that the Armistice was
signed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918
ending The Great War.
Then, in 2004, I took my niece Donna BRUCK and my children
on a road trip to Niagara Falls. I had
admonished my middle school children that anything we did had to be Falls
related. Therefore, no Ripley Believe it
or Not Museum or any other attractions that were not related (or free). It was
a great trip with many things to do and see, and on our way home we took a side
trip to a town we had heard about called Niagara on the Lake. We simply went there because Niagara was in
the name. Such chance decisions often lead to adventures beyond anything we
could have expected.
We happened to arrive on a Festival day. We were told that the city had a
Commemoration each year for the victims of the Spanish Flu. In 1918 a group of Polish Americans wanted to
serve in the same regiment, and they were sent on a troop train to Niagara on
the Lake. They were then struck down by
the mysterious illness that became known as the Spanish Flu. The first civilian
perished on September 19, 1918, just one day after the first death at the
Polish Camp. Over 30 soldiers perished within a few weeks and are buried in a
special section of the local cemetery.
The town honors their memory every year, ensuring they are not
forgotten. There was a wonderful parade with young people in Regional costume
showing the four Nations that were being celebrated: Canada, because it was
their homeland, England, and France because they were the nationalities of
Canada, and Poland because their soldiers gave their lives for Freedom, even
though they never lifted a weapon. The
four National Anthems were sung at the monument at the city center, and four
wreaths were laid at its base. Young
people danced national dances in the bright colors of the four nations. (It was
2004, no mention was made of the indigenous people of Canada. I hope that has changed by now). It was a very moving ceremony. With tears in my eyes, I thought of my French
Canadian and Polish Roots. When we got
home, I did a little research into the Spanish Flu, then filed it in my mental
library next to the Bubonic Plague and the 7 Plagues of Egypt. Until now.
IN 1918 there was no internet or nightly news. People did not communicate as freely or as
often. The technology did not exist for rapid transmittal of the news. Added to that, the world was at war, and what
news there was got heavily censored. The
flu of 1918 was first observed in the US and parts of Asia before spreading
swiftly to Europe and the rest of the world.
While most flu strains attack the elderly and the youngest populations,
this flu attacked otherwise healthy young adults between 20 and 40 years of
age. Because of censorship the number of
infection rate among the military was a closely guarded secret. The first newspapers to report this deadly
epidemic were in Spain, a noncombatant country and not subject to wartime
censorship, hence it was dubbed the “Spanish Flu”.
In this October 1918 photo made available by the Library of
Congress, St. Louis Red Cross Motor Corps personnel wear masks as they hold stretchers
next to ambulances in preparation for victims of the influenza epidemic.
(Library of Congress via AP)
There are numerous articles to be found about the Spanish Flu. Here are just a few facts that I have found
interesting. It infected an estimated
500 million people worldwide, about 1/3 of the population. It killed an estimated 20 to 50 million
people, including some 675,000 Americans. These numbers are likely to be skewed
by inaccurate cause of death recorded.
Often the symptom was recorded not the disease. (I had a baby uncle who died of diarrhea and
a baby aunt who died of congestion. Both
deaths were likely caused by an actual illness not listed). Also, many
countries did not report the numbers, especially the third world countries and
island nations.
While there was no
cure for the flu, many doctors prescribed medication that they felt would help
with symptoms, inkling aspirin which was trademarked by Bayer in 1899. The US Surgeon General, and the Journal of
the Medical Association had recommended
up to 30 grams per day. A dose now known
to be toxic. It is now believed that
many of the deaths were caused or hastened by aspirin poisoning.
Like today, citizens
were urged to wear masks, and like today many did not like being told what to
do and ignored the suggestion. They were
also told to avoid crowds, which many did not do. In early September 1918,
sailors who carried the virus from Boston arrived at the Philadelphia Navy
Yard. In a city of almost 2 million
people, within six months over a half million or more had contracted the virus.
Over 16,000 were sickened in one week, with over 12,000 deaths in the next 5
weeks. Ignoring all advice to avoiding crowds, the city had held a rally for
Liberty Bonds. As a result, the city
raised $600 million in war bonds. But within days 635 new cases of the flu were
reported. During the second week of October over 2600 had died, the following
week the numbers doubled.
MLive file photo of
public-health notice posted in Flint during the 1918 flu epidemic.
In another part of the country, learning from Philadelphia,
St Louis, MO banned social gatherings, closed businesses, and treated the sick
at home. It was able to flatten the curve and lost far fewer to the disease. Many cities posted “No Spitting” signs and
arrested citizens who ignored the signs.
Michigan had 554 deaths attributed to influenza in 1917. In 1918,
6,336 died of influenza between October and December alone.
in
Michigan, more than 15,000 people died of either influenza or
pneumonia between October 1918 and April 1919 -- the equivalent of
50,000 people based on the state's current population.
2020 will be forever known as the Year of Covid-19. Many have lost loved ones, many have lost
incomes, and the fabric of our lives is changed dramatically. The Spanish Flu has not taught us very much.
We still disregard the urgings to wear masks and avoid crowds. Although I don’t think very many have been
arrested for spitting. I pray for my
descendants and what is in store for them when the next worldwide pandemic
hits.
SOURCES:
Red Cross Notes
The Pandemic of 1918 by Thomas Wirth
A Tale of Two Cities: How thousands died in Philadelphia ….
While St Louis shut down and few lost their lives by Dusica Sue Malesevic
Aspirin Poisoning and the Flu www.thehistorychannel
www.MLive
The Spanish Influenza of 1918 https://virus.stanford.edu.uda/
Rana Joblinski Willit 01/16/21
(the photos didn't post. will try later)
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