I’m researching The Great War for my current work in progress: a historical novel set partially during that time. To write the period accurately, I’ve been reading and studying the war and the surrounding events. Some of the older material I’m reposting in order to better organize it. This post from 2016, is especially important as the Spanish Flu will play a central role in the historical timeline. I hope you find it interesting and don’t mind me recycling! ~ Meg
The mysterious virus that emerged in 1917-1918 and reached pandemic proportions has a murky origin story. Smaller outbreaks had been occurring in the years leading up to 1918 but the flu wasn’t as severe in nature or as long in duration. People were getting over it within a few days to a week at most. The earliest and most authoritative report of the Spanish Flu comes from Haskell County, Kansas, USA. So why on earth was it called “Spanish” flu? More about that in a bit.
Fort Riley in Haskell County had been set up fifty years earlier to be a cavalry barracks during the Indian Wars. The fort was surrounded by rich farmland and sat near the confluence of two rivers. In the spring of 1917, when the USA decided to declare war on Germany, Fort Riley was hastily converted to a training facility. A large army encampment –Camp Funston–was constructed within the sprawling military reserve lands, to hold and prepare some 56,000 troops to go ‘over there.’
On March 4, 1918, Camp Funston’s cook, Albert Gitchell reported sick with a sore throat, fever and headache. He would have been up before dawn to prepare breakfast but after a restless night without sleep, he felt so unwell by morning that he reported to the camp’s infirmary. Gitchell is thought to be the great flu epidemic’s patient zero.
One after the other, men began reporting with similar symptoms. They were placed in isolation wards and the medic in charge informed his boss, chief medical officer, Colonel Edward Schreiner. By noon, 107 cases had reported and the fear of epidemic became real. By the end of the week, 522 cases had reported and by month’s end 1100 men had become incapacitated. Colonel Shreiner requisitioned a hangar to house the overflow from the overcrowded base hospital.
It soon became apparent that this was no ordinary flu. While most did recover, 48 men had died. The symptoms were alarming. The violent cough, projectile nose bleeds and the deathly blue discoloration of the face were not symptoms of the classic seasonal flu outbreaks. The medical staff realized they had something more deadly on their hands.
So why the “Spanish Flu” you might ask, when the origin was likely from the other side of the ocean? The flu was in fact, erupting all over Europe during the spring of 1918. However, the nations involved in the turmoil were reluctant to give publicity to the flu outbreak so as not to panic or further demoralize the already battered and war weary civilian population.
The sobriquet “Spanish” Flu became popular when the outbreak hit Madrid, Spain. Theaters, schools and tram service was curtailed to stop the spread of the disease. Most notably though was the contraction of the flu by King Alfonso XIII and members of his government. The Prime Minister and Finance Minister were both afflicted along with a third of the population of Spain. As a noncombatant country, the Spanish had no concerns about a ‘civilian scare’ and thus both foreign and domestic correspondents reported freely on the pandemic in that nation. Thus the virulent flu became known as “Spanish.”
Source material: Living With Enza – The Forgotten Story of Britain and the Great Flu Pandemic of 1918, by Mark Honigsbaum
Pandemics and/or epidemics are scary, scary things. We tend to see ourselves as invincible, but we are very fragile creatures.
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Isn’t that the truth? What a sneaky, deadly enemy these viruses are…
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Yep. Big bad humans, but can be taken out by something microscopic. 😕
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Yep. Scary…
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Seems like we see more and more infections from our patients too. Kinda freaks me out. Can you imagine working at the CDC?!? No thanks! 😳
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I know! Not in a million years! But thank goodness somebody’s willing to do it!
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No doubt! Not this guy though. I’m as close to that front line as I care to be. 😃
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Yes, indeed!
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I am officially more prepared for jeopardy. Posts like this are fun. I used to enjoy picking up copies of “Mental Floss” before flights…always full of interesting stories behind phrases or terms. Great post 🙂
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Thanks, Michael! I’ve been doing research into WWI and other things associated with that time period for a novel I’m working on. Everything you never wanted to know about The Great War! 😀
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I have always found it fascinating that the troops would come out of the trenches during holidays and play soccer against each other…then shooting at and bombing each other the next day. I spent some time in the service and have had periods of high interest in military history. Should be a great book!
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Yes, the Christmas Truce! How bizarre, right? I hope it becomes a great book. It is a labor of love!
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What branch were you in, Michael?
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Air Force… Aim high and dive deep 😉
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Oooh…having some Officer and A Gentleman fantasies… (I know he was Navy) 😛
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MmmmHmmm, that makes two of us 💭⚓️💖
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Huge dan of history even the not so elegant kind
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I am too. History is mostly messy and brutal. Yet it fascinates. Seeing the human potential for extremes of both good and evil… Thanks for reading, Tosha!
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You are so right and always a pleasure
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Oh wow! That’s so interesting. I love learning history with you!
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Thanks, Vic! Everything you never wanted to know about the Great War! 😉
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No, it’s nice to hear these little pieces of history!
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I’m so glad!
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Fascinating and kind of scary how virulent some flu strains are. Thanks for the history lesson!
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Yes, and how quickly they can mutate! Glad you enjoyed it.
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Wow, that was really interesting! Probably not for the people who had it; but I enjoyed reading about it. 🙂
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Thank you C.M. Yes the flu was a horror as devastating as the war. I’m glad you enjoyed reading!
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Looking forward to more of your posts, Dr. Meg.
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Thank you! I look forward to perusing your blog as well!
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:):):)
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Really interesting post, Meg 🙂
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Thank you!
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I love this post, Meg.
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Thanks, Rita. I always wondered why it was called the Spanish flu!
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Me too and thank you for these wonderful trips through history.
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I’m so glad you’re enjoying them!
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Flu is a scary thing and it’s destruction is highly underrated.
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For sure. We haven’t seen a pandemic like this since. I wonder if we’re due…
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Interesting, Meg. Like most people, I’m sure, I’ve heard of the Spanish flu, but didn’t know the background of it.
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I really didn’t know that much about it either. This book is really interesting. Glad you liked it!
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🙂
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Sorry, for my later arrival. I have been at doctors everyday this week. So today is catch up day.
Interesting post for this histroy nerd. Most people don’t know it but the Spanish few killed more people in one year than the Black Plague did in four years during the 1300s.
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Is that right? I did not know that about the death toll compared to the plague. That’s an interesting bit of information. Thank you!
How are you doing? Healing up well, I hope. And is your vision starting to clear?
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Excellent bit of history there, you like your epidemics
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The part about keeping it quiet so as not to panic the population… What a different world it was. I am just fascinated with this entire period of history.
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It was different… The past is a foreign country they do things differently there
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Where have I heard that before?
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I could tell you but I won’t now, maybe later
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Oh so spiky!
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I need to smooth my edges
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With icing
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A little bit of sweetness
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Is always welcome
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LP Hartley the go between is the quote about the past
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Thank you!
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No problem
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My Dad was born 1918 and I figure I am lucky to be here!
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Oh yes… what a terrible epidemic. I’m glad he was safe and so were you! 🙂
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