In 1918, railroad workers in Butte, Montana were advised that to cure the Spanish flu, “Dip your fingers in salt water and place them on the joints of your arm and legs until the skin is saturated. Influenza in the blood will gather until dark blotches appear. Use a needle to draw out the black blood. Repeat daily until spots fail to appear. Then you are cured.” The proof? “Not a single member of the Butte Chinese community has died of the disease.” Read more about the deadly Spanish flu pandemic a century ago in On the Shore (1917-1925), a tale of conflict between generations in a Lower East Side immigrant family (see NOVELS).
