Category: Learn History Through Fiction

In October 1918, with the cadre of nurses depleted by the war, the Red Cross warned that Philadelphia did not have enough to treat the rapidly increasing number of Spanish flu cases. The archbishop of Philadelphia called on nuns to leave their convents and care for the sick and dying across the city. Although the sisters lacked medical training, they dressed in white gowns and gauze masks, and ministered to patients who were a cross section of the city: immigrants from Italy, Ukraine, Poland, and China; blacks and Jews; the poor and the homeless. The mayor said of the sisters: “I have never seen a greater demonstration of real charity or self-sacrifice irrespective of the creed or color of the victims.” 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).

Kolynos Dental Cream, a toothpaste made in New Haven, Connecticut, was advertised as an effective preventative and treatment for the Spanish flu because, according their advertisements, “Fully ninety percent of infection is taken into the system by mouth and nose.” Well, Kolynos was right about the means of transmission, if not the appropriate medical response. 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).

Doctors were unsure what to recommend regarding the Spanish flu. Many wisely urged people to avoid crowded places, and cover their mouths and noses. Others suggested medicinal remedies included eating cinnamon, drinking wine, or consuming Oxo’s beef broth. At one point, the use of aspirin was blamed for causing the pandemic (overdosing damaged the lungs); others think it may have helped those infected. There is no epidemiological evidence to support either theory. 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).

A guest at the Quincy House Hotel in Boston recommended apples as a cure for influenza in October 1918. He was quoted in the Boston Post as saying, “Up in the country, where I come from, the simple home remedies appear most effectual. Apples may seem like an old woman’s whim, but try them as a preventative anyway.” Some readers were alarmed. “What, no chicken soup?” they demanded. 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).

To maintain morale during the Spanish flu outbreak, World War I censors minimized early reports of the virus in Germany, Britain, France, and the U.S. Papers were allowed to report on its effects in Spain, a neutral country, creating an impression of Spain being especially hard hit, which in turn led to the pandemic being named “Spanish flu.” The actual geographic origin is unknown. 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).

A “paw-city” of truth? Munyan’s Laboratories, makers of “medicinal paw paw products” advertised the following during the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak: “Thousands of lives have been saved from the prevailing epidemic of influenza by the prompt use, upon the first indications of watery eyes or nose, sneezing, coughing, headache, aching bones, tired feeling, or sore throat, of MUNYAN’s Paw Paw Laxatives taken each evening, and Cold Remedy and Grippe Remedy taken alternate hours throughout the day.” 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).

Humans are prone to blame others for a tragedy like a pandemic. In addition to foreigners, people within our community who are considered “other” are targeted. Among religious fanatics, those believed to be “sinners” are stigmatized and often brutalized. However, during the cholera epidemics of the 19th century, Eastern European Jews developed a communal ritual of protection: the “cholera wedding” or “black wedding” in which two of the town’s marginal residents (orphans, beggars, the handicapped) were forcibly married, usually in the cemetery. Some interpreted this as a mitzvah or charitable act; others emphasized its magical aspects as a sacrifice in exchange for divine protection. During the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, cholera weddings made a comeback among New York City’s Jewish population. 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).

In June 1918, an apparent public notice in the British papers informing people about Spanish flu symptoms was really an advertisement for Formamints, a tablet manufactured by a vitamin company. The ad claimed the mints were the “best means of preventing the infective processes” and that everyone, including children, should suck four or five tablets a day until they felt better. Then, as now, there was money to be made by touting fake “cures.” 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).

In late 1918, the Spanish flu advanced towards the farming and mining town of Gunnison, Colorado. The town was afraid because two railroads connected it to Denver and other population centers that were hit hard. “The flu is after us” the Gunnison News-Champion warned in October. Town officials declared “a quarantine against all the world” and erected barricades, sequestered visitors, arrested violators, closed schools and churches, and banned parties and street gatherings. The lockdown, which lasted four months, worked. Gunnison emerged without a single case. 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).

Americans were told it was their patriotic duty to “Eat More Onions!” in a drive against the Spanish flu. A placard proclaimed: “An onion car arrived today // Labeled red, white, and blue // Eat onions, plenty, every day // And keep away the flu.” One mother, who took this command to extremes, fed her daughter onion syrup and wrapped her in onions head to toe. The outcome was successful, likely because no one came near the child. 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).