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I’ve been going through newspaper archives from Washington state in 1918 to see how they talked about influenza then. It’s quite interesting!
This is from the Lynden Tribune, October 31, 1918.
This is from the Lynden Tribune, October 31, 1918.
Workers at a downtown Seattle department store were sewing masks! From the Seattle Star, October 31, 1918.
Lots of questionable treatments, like this oil advertised by @bartelldrugs. The Seattle Star, October 10, 1918.
A poster from the Surgeon General promoted using a handkerchief and protecting others. From the Pullman Herald, December 20, 1918.
17 school nurses were dispersing crowds of children. The Seattle Star, October 07, 1918.
The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company was overloaded with calls. The Seattle Star, October 25, 1918.
Married nurses were asked to sign up to sign up with the Red Cross to help. So they could be "released from home duties", other Seattle women were asked to volunteer to "take their places". The Seattle Star, October 9, 1918.
15 men from the health department were sent out to nail "influenza" signs to thousands of homes where people with influenza lived. The Seattle Star, December 6, 1918.
Much more here: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
Pandemic! Seattle and the Spanish Flu of 1918 Webinar
April 2, 2020
5:00 PM PST
Explore the historical ties between COVID-19 and the Spanish flu of 1918 in Seattle with @MOHAI Executive Director Leonard Garfield in this live webinar.
https://mohai.org/event/pandemic-seattle-and-the-spanish-flu-of-1918-webinar/
April 2, 2020
5:00 PM PST
Explore the historical ties between COVID-19 and the Spanish flu of 1918 in Seattle with @MOHAI Executive Director Leonard Garfield in this live webinar.
https://mohai.org/event/pandemic-seattle-and-the-spanish-flu-of-1918-webinar/
Here’s another good one. If you have a library book checked out, don’t let the influenza patients read it. The Colville Examiner, October 19, 1918.
Schools switched to a home study model for students above 5th grade. Students had to go deliver their completed assignments. The Pullman Herald, December 13, 1918.
A description of the symptoms. The Seattle Star, September 26, 1918.
State college courses continued via a correspondence method. The Pullman Herald, November 8, 1918.
It seems quarantine restrictions were lifted but then cases spiked again! And things had to close again! The Oroville Weekly, December 6, 1918.
Linnie Love, a local singer, went to Camp Lewis where she entertained soldiers in quarantine there. She contracted influenza and died. The Seattle Star, November 18, 1918.
Here is a whole story about Linnie Love, from @HistoryLink. https://www.historylink.org/File/8659
Schools in Pullman had to be closed a third time when influenza spiked again in January of 1919. Home study assignments were given to students. The Pullman Herald, January 17, 1919.
The Pullman Company reassured customers that the cars were thoroughly cleaned. The Tacoma Times, January 17, 1918.
"A strong disinfectant" was advertised by @bartelldrugs to fight influenza. On that same page, they mention a "scarcity of merchandise" problem. The Seattle Star, October 17, 1918.
School nurses dissolved disinfectant tablets in water and gave it to kids which they "gargled and snuffed up the nose several times during the day". The Seattle Star, October 8, 1918.
"You can't stop all the crowds" because it would "paralyze and starve the nation" so spray yourself with disinfectants instead. The Seattle Star, December 31, 1918.
Oxygen vapor as a cure for influenza. Here it claims to be "a proven treatment; it has long since passed the experimental stage." The Seattle Star, October 8, 1918.
One newspaper had the jokes about influenza mask wearing. The Lynden Tribune, November 7, 1918.
People out in downtown Seattle complied with mask wearing orders from the health department. The Seattle Star, October 28, 1918.
A local politician ran for office but because of the influenza outbreak, he couldn't conduct "a speaking campaign" so he successfully used newspaper advertising instead. The Lynden Tribune, November 7, 1918.
From @HistoryLink: The Spanish Flu in Spokane https://www.historylink.org/File/7247
From @HistoryLink: Flu epidemic hits Seattle on October 3, 1918 https://www.historylink.org/File/2090
