Documents from period newspapers, medical journals, government publications, letters, journal entries, memoirs, and novels are collected to present a full picture of the influenza pandemic of 191819, which took the lives of at least 30 million people worldwide in influenza pandemic of. Despite the magnitude of its impact, few scholarly attempts have been made to examine. Immunology and vaccinepreventable diseases pink book. The virus traveled with military personnel from camp to. Paul kupperberg discusses the outbreak and worldwide spread of the deadly spanish flu in 1918, methods of treating it, and efforts to study this killer virus and others like it. Kent the influenza pandemic of 191819 appeared suddenly at the end of the first world war and with explosive impact took the lives of at least 30 million people worldwide. A brief history with documents the bedford series in history and culture 1st edition, kindle edition by susan kingsley kent author visit amazons susan kingsley kent page. The war fostered influenza in the crowded conditions of military camps in the united states and in the trenches of the western front in europe. History of 1918 flu pandemic pandemic influenza flu cdc.
The influenza pandemic swept through the caribbean during the period october 1918 to march 1919 and resulted in c. The outbreak was caused by influenza type a subtype h1n1 virus. The influenza pandemic of 19181919 edition 1 by susan k. The spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the deadliest in history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwideabout onethird of the planets populationand killed an estimated 20 million. At least four pandemics of influenza occurred in the 19th century, and three occurred in the 20th century. The hundredyear hunt to cure the deadliest disease in history. Influenza pandemic of 191819, the most severe influenza outbreak of the 20th century and among the most devastating pandemics in human history. The spanish flu, also known as the 1918 flu pandemic, was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic. This article focuses on the british possessions and is based principally on official reports and the local press. New books revisit the influenza pandemic of 1918 that killed millions. Susan kingsley kent appearing in the midst of the first world war, the influenza virus of 19181919 blazed across the globe in a matter of months, leaving in its wake a death toll that would surpass that of. Flu is about the scientists who worry about such a possibility, and as kolata explains. The influenza pandemic of 19181919 the bedford series in history and culture.
Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The american military experience in world war i and the influenza pandemic were closely intertwined. New perspectives routledge studies in the social history of medicine 1 by killingray, david, phillips, howard, oxford, john s. Influenza pandemic of 19181919, 1st edition macmillan. American decades for the latest library service updates and resources, please visit our covid19 resource page. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Learn about the origins, spread, and impact of the influenza pandemic. True story of the great spanish influenza, tips for survival, how the epidemic was overcame and what we can learn from it. When writing a book about an event you of course want back story and a summary of events leading up to the main topic. Few have described the influenza pandemic of 19181919 better than dr. Cambridge core history of medicine the spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 1919. The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it gina kolata. The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it.
Lasting almost 36 months from january 1918 to december 1920, it infected 500 million people about a third of the worlds population at the time. Could such a deadly influenza return in this day and age. The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more than 50 million people. The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and. A detailed book on the 19181919 influenza pandemic how it started from kansas, us, how it spread all over the world through us army participating in wwi, how the us government, army, scientific society and general public dealt with the pandemic, and its lasting impact. Current day estimates put the death toll from the 19181919 outbreak of the spanish flu between 80 to 100 million worldwide. The spanish influenza pandemic of 19181919, which caused. An influenza pandemic is a global outbreak of a new influenza a virus that is very different from current and recently circulating human seasonal influenza a viruses. Unlike the other books that were visibly used and dog eared, this book seemed almost untouched. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. Have americans forgotten the history of this deadly flu. The spanish influenza pandemic of 191819 was the worst pandemic of modern times, claiming over 30 million lives in less than six months. An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads on a worldwide scale and infects a large proportion of the world population.
The spanish influenza pandemic of 19181919 sheds new light on what the world health organization described as the single most devastating infectious disease outbreak ever recorded by situating the iberian peninsula as the key point of connection, both epidemiologically and discursively, between europe and the americas. The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it kolata, gina on. The 19181919 influenza pandemic in the united states. However for a book about the 191819 influenza pandemic to spend about 80 pages in the 19th century to me seems an unnecessary distraction. Governor mccall asked every ablebodied person across the state with medical training to offer their aid in fighting the epidemic. The influenza pandemic of 19181919 the bedford series in. In the hardest hit societies, everything else was put aside in a bid to cope with its ravages. It was on one of my trips to goodwill that when i was browsing the book section, i stumbled upon flu. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 19181919. Highly virulent, the flu killed somewhere between 30 and 100 million people and approximately 16% of those who contracted it, and was essentially forgotten in the years to follow. The reason it was referred to as the spanish flu was that spain was one of the only countries at the time to not censor. A brief history with documents the bedford series in history and culture kindle edition by kent, susan kingsley.
Magisterial in its breadth of perspective and depth of research, the great influenza provides us with a precise and sobering model as we confront the epidemics looming on our own horizon. Nonpharmaceutical interventions and mortality in u. The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it by gina kolata. The gale encyclopedia of medicine epidemics and public health.
The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it paperback january 9, 2001. In the united states, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. However, in the austral summer of 19181919, more than 12,000. The spanish influenza pandemic of 19181919 sheds new light on what the world health. The influenza pandemic of 191819 appeared suddenly at the end of the first world war and with explosive impact took the lives of at least 30 million people worldwide. How the horrific 1918 flu spread across america smithsonian. In contrast to the regular seasonal epidemics of influenza, these pandemics occur irregularly there have been five influenza. How the horrific 1918 flu spread across america the toll of historys worst epidemic surpasses all the military deaths in world war i and world war ii combined. The influenza pandemic of 19181919 book, 2008 worldcat.
It left millions orphaned and medical science desperate to find its cause. The strongest weapon against pandemic is the truth. Environmental encyclopedia the great influenza epidemic of 19181919. Massachusetts had been drained of physicians and nurses due to calls for military service, and no longer had enough personnel to meet the civilian demand for healthcare during the 1918 flu pandemic. The influenza pandemic of 19181919 great historic disasters library binding may 1, 2008. In early september 1918, upon surveying the destruction wrought not from bullets. New york times reporter gina kolata approaches the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed tens of millions worldwide, through the eyes of scientists trying to discover what made it so virulent. Influenza pandemic of 19181919 in the british caribbean. Influenza pandemic of 19181919 first edition 20 susan k. Spreading rapidly across the globe, it defied all previous understandings of the disease, striking the youngest and healthiest individuals most acutely and confounding the. The 19181919 influenza pandemic the indian experience. It was caused by an h1n1 virus with genes of avian origin.