Meghan Kish



Transmission and Mortality during the 1918-1919 Influenza

            The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 was a traumatic time in history.  The disease became known as the “Spanish Influenza” due to its country of origin and was transmitted through military bases but quickly spread to the public.  The “Spanish Influenza” killed close to one hundred million people globally.  This pandemic is discussed in further detail throughout the book, The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: A Brief History with Documents by Susan Kinsley Kent.  Kent highlights certain aspects of the influenza pandemic including “the nature and experience of the disease,” “transmission and mortality,” “treatment responses,” and “consequences and repercussions of the pandemic.”  This paper will discuss the transmission and mortality of the influenza pandemic.  The transmission of the influenza was quick and unpredictable leaving many deaths in its wake.  Doctors and the public did not realize the extent of the disease until it was too late and many lives were claimed. The documents presented in the section “transmission and mortality” show exactly that.

            When the influenza pandemic originally started, many doctors assumed it was just the same as any average flu and treated it accordingly.  They advised the public to get treated with the standard medicine for the flu and that they would be fine in a few days.  They couldn’t have been any more wrong.  On June 13, 1918, an article titled, “The Mystery War Disease: Its Appearance in Belfast” was printed in London’s Daily Express reporting on one of the first outbreaks.  The article discusses the symptoms of the disease and how up until then no companies or factories found it necessary to close down due to the disease.  Eventually, a firm had to close and be fumigated because many of the women workers had become sick.  Although some people had become ill from the disease, doctors told the public there was no need to worry.  The article states, “Doctors say there is no cause for alarm.  The patients are really suffering from an acute form of influenza, which, if properly treated, will disappear in the course of a few days.  No deaths have been reported” (“The Mystery War Disease” 54). The article shows that many people did not understand the extent of the disease as well as how serious it could become. The article was used to educate people on the logistics of the disease while still keeping them calm. At the time, the disease did appear to be average which is why the article highlighted the importance of a standard flu instead of the serious disease they were actually dealing with.

            Shortly after the first appearances of the disease, it became apparent that the disease was growing rapidly and becoming stronger as well as affecting more people and more countries. Four days later on June 17, 1918, London’s Daily Express released another article explaining how fast the disease had already spread. The article titled, “The New War Disease in Germany: Mystery Epidemic Now Ravaging Berlin, Doctors Powerless,” explains to readers that the influenza from Spain had spread to Germany. It is reported that the disease had the same characteristics of the regular influenza but appeared to be stronger. It was also said that the number of cases were growing rapidly. The news clipping reads, “In view of the fact that the people of Berlin are already greatly weakened by war privations, it is feared that Berlin’s “Spanish Influenza,” as it is called, will have grave consequences, especially as no preventive measures have yet been devised against the illness” (“The New War Disease in Germany” 55). As the influenza pandemic became worse, people began to realize that the simple disease was worse than expected. Although it became known that the disease could cause serious effects, there was not much that could be done because of little medical knowledge at the time. The document shows that the public was becoming more aware of the danger facing them and how different the disease was. The article was meant to update the public on the influenza but showed them the lack of a solution. Due to this, hysteria broke out in many cities and towns.

As the influenza of 1918-1919 became worse with no solutions in sight, many city authorities enforced strict rules for the sick such as sending them to hospitals or quarantines. This brought on a panic amongst the public to the point where people feared to even show any inkling of illness. On October 2, 1918, a newspaper called The Lagos Standard released an article titled, “Influenza in Lagos, Nigeria,” discussing the reaction to the influenza outbreak in the town. The article states, “The town has been thrown into a panic worse than Influenza itself. People are afraid even to be sick.” The article continues to say, “The slightest rise of temperature is a symptom of Influenza and the offender must go either to the Infectious Diseases Hospital of the Quarantine Station at Abekun” (“Influenza in Lagos” 58). The treatment of the sick had become so bad, that people were terrified of contracting the disease. The document shows in further detail the facilities for the sick as well as how helpless people were when it came to the disease. The document also explains the panic that took over because of the lack of a solution. As the cases continued to pile up, the death toll also continued to increase.

By the end of the influenza pandemic spanning from 1918-1919, death tolls were being reported. It shows that the United States as well as European countries, the Philippines, and India suffered more than others. William W. Cadbury, an American physician living in Canton, China, compares the death rates of Canton to the countries stated above. Cadbury writes, “It is estimated that in September, October, and November [1918], there were more than 400,000 deaths from the disease in America” (65). The document was used to show the amount of deaths throughout the world and how quickly they occurred.

Throughout the section, “transmission and mortality,” it was very clear as to what was going on during the influenza pandemic through the documents presented by Susan Kingsley Kent. In the beginning of the pandemic, knowledge of the disease was very minimal and only applied to the standard form of influenza. As the disease spread, the public became more aware of the mutated disease and realized they had no way to fight the virus. This caused a large amount of hysteria and strict rules for those who had fallen ill. With the amount of influenza cases increasing, the death toll rose as well. The documents in the section, “transmission and mortality,” showed the little understanding of the disease and how it quickly became out of control. The documents were effective in releasing important information to the public. Although some were sugar coated to keep everyone calm, that quickly faded with the increase of the pandemic. The documents were interesting because you could see the fear rise within the public as you read each article and how much was revealed in each. Overall, the articles in the section “transmission and mortality” gave an accurate understanding of the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 as well as an accurate portrayal of the knowledge and fear that surrounded the disease.

Works Cited

Cadbury, William W. “The 1918 Pandemic of Influenza in Canton.” The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: A Brief History with Documents. Ed. Susan Kingsley Kent. New York: Bedford, 2013. 65-66. Print.

“Influenza in Lagos.” The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: A Brief History with Documents. Ed. Susan Kingsley Kent. New York: Bedford, 2013. 58-59. Print.

“The Mystery War Disease.” The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: A Brief History with Documents. Ed. Susan Kingsley Kent. New York: Bedford, 2013. 54. Print.

“The New War Disease in Germany.” The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: A Brief History with Documents. Ed. Susan Kingsley Kent. New York: Bedford, 2013. 55. Print.

Meghan Kish

Professor Mark Noon

English 201

Influenza Paper

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