A Summary of the 1918 Pandemic and Public Information Video
The video has Nancy Tomes, a University Professor at Stony Brook University, teaching a class about the far-reaching effects of a pandemic, specifically the 1918 influenza. She starts with the connotation that a historian looks into the past to inform the current path. An example taken of the loss of life places the 1918 influenza death toll at 50 million people in comparison to World War 1 and AIDS at a combined +40 million death rate. The spread of the illness spread very fast and, to an extent, could be likened to Covid-19. Now, public health emergency preparedness involves a growing interest in 1918-1919 to address the disease that started in Wuhan. Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical measures have made quite the advancement in controlling the contagious transmission. However, she comments on the similarities between the two diseases. The only notable difference is the ‘Spanish’ flu attacking the young and healthy, unlike Covid-19 affecting those with a compromised immune system. She talks of the mutating ability of a viral infection, which makes it difficult for an effective treatment, only increasing the reliance on vaccines. Back in 1918, the medical fraternity was at a loss on whether bacteria or viruses caused the illness.
The terrible underlying war conditions at the time may have contributed to the high death toll. With matters like low nutrition, cramping at the military camps, and a general lack of information, it spread very fast across regions. By the time cities like Boston or Philadelphia associated with close contact, cold plants were being converted into temporary morgues. From her historian’s point of view, the media had a massive role in spreading public health information. The Spanish newspapers had a lot to do with why the 1918 pandemic had its origins erroneously associated with the nation. However, notices put in public to warn of influenza had a lot to do with containing an extreme situation. The rise of ‘yellow journalism’ was a phenomenon in that golden age where cartoons attracted people to the regular readings which informed as well as entertain them in equal measure. Men spitting or coughing formed the significant themes of many such comics. Historians like Nancy Tomes place this aura due to the social norms set on women at the time of illness a century ago. The shutting down of stores, public schools, and businesses suffered at that age as much as they do today. Living from paycheck to paycheck was a reality for many of the citizens at the time, forced home to curtail influenza. Experts put up spectrums to stop the spread causes an economic disruption, which, unfortunately, is the case in 2020.
Towards the end of her talk, Tomes calls for reasonable measures to deal with Corona Virus. What she suggests is to put up methods to prevent overcrowding by staggering the time schools or businesses close or open. The provision of safety gear and close monitoring may be one of the ways to avoid a resuscitation of a socio-economic meltdown. Throughout her class, Tome exhibits a thorough knowledge of critical history plays in today’s crisis. She has colorful diagrams, takes questions from the students, and has a thought-provoking entrée on the subject. One of the last images she presented is a historical picture of gentlemen in a somber atmosphere wearing gas masks. With the information today, more people wear masks other than constricting their breathing in the apparatus of the past. The use of armed force to make people stay at home seems to gain prominence by the day. History has a way of repeating itself, police and military enforcements in 1918 are still present today in many countries. Social distancing may be a way to save us, but only time will tell whether there is an improvement, if any, in handling pandemics a century apart.
Works Cited
‘’1918 Influenza Pandemic and Public Information.’’ American History TV. March 10th, 2020. Commentary by Nancy Tomes, a Stony Brook University Professor. [Online video] Retrieved from
https://www.c-span.org/video/?469755-1/1918-influenza-pandemic-public-information