The Forgotten Epidemic

We recently purchased a new television and, at the urging of our children, moved into the 21^st century (25 years late!), dropped cable and picked up Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

Admittedly, I’ve become addicted to reruns of “Downton Abbey”. Recently, I watched the episode where Cora contracted the Spanish Flu, which renewed my interest in the 1918 epidemic, mainly because it plays an indirect link to my ancestry.

And because I’m thinking about writing a romance based on my then-widowed grandmother, Olivetta DeJulio, who lost her first husband to the epidemic, then married my grandfather, Luigi D’Ambrosi.

But first, here’s a bit about America before the 1918 epidemic. The United States was involved in a world war, but despite that, people had more leisure time than any previous generation. They flocked to dance halls, pool halls, movies, and roller-skating rinks. Fans were obsessed with Hollywood celebrities and went to the movies regularly.

Though phone companies were working hard to expand their limited lines, the use of telephones up to 1918 was expensive. People traveling by rail tripled from 1896 to 1918. Only a Few Americans could afford cars. But Henry Ford, with his innovations, was about to change everything. So, the only way people could get news was from the newspapers. Every small town had at least one newspaper. Breaking news that needed to get out was done by printing another newspaper. These papers were called ‘extra’…now you know how the phrase, “Extra, extra, read all about it!” came about.

However, I digress…back to the epidemic of 1918.

There were two waves of the flu in the spring and fall. Though called the Spanish flu, it didn’t originate in Spain. They really don’t know for sure where it originated. Three suggestions are East Asia, Europe, or even Kansas. Why Kansas? It was March 9, 1918, at Fort Riley, Kansas, where 26,000 troops were stationed. They had several thousand horses and mules that deposited large amounts of manure. The problem arose of disposing of it. They decided burning it would be a good idea. March 9th brought a harsh dust storm, the combination of sand, dust, and manure ash stung the skin and offended the nose. The storm was so bad that it nearly blocked out the sun. Two days later, on March 11th, 100 men reported to the infirmary, all complaining of the same ailments of a bad cold. Whether or not this was the point of origin of the 1918 influenza that took over 600,000 American lives, we will probably never know. The epidemic spread not only within the U.S. but the abroad as well. By November 1918, the whole world was affected by the growing pandemic.

So, who died in this epidemic? You might think the young and old. If you guessed that, you’d be wrong. The 1918 pandemic disproportionately killed the healthy young adults. The reason wasn’t known why then, but through research, experts have discovered the virus killed through an overreaction of its immune system. The stronger the immune system, the stronger the reaction. Therefore, the young adults were far more susceptible, whereas a child or middle-aged adult had a milder reaction. Tragically, death came quickly. Victims had such a violent immune response that there are stories where people died within hours of showing symptoms of the flu. Their lungs would fill with fluids, and they would suffocate. The medical professionals of the time were helpless to stop the toll that the influenza took on young adults.

World War I added to the complications of the 1918 flu. Many doctors and nurses were overseas helping save our soldiers from sickness and wounds, leaving the United States short on clinicians. Struggling to keep up with the growing need, retired doctors were requested back to work, and medical students were summoned from their studies to help aid the sick.

Hospitals were so overwhelmed and overloaded with the sick that schools, buildings, church parish houses, armories, and even private homes were used as makeshift hospitals.

In attempts to slow the virus, schools, theaters, and churches were ordered closed in many cities. Some communities imposed quarantines as well as demanded that people wear masks.

Morgues were overloaded, caskets were in short supply, and secondary diseases were cropping up due to the lack of disposal of bodies quickly. Cities everywhere were running into the same problems. Casket companies were told they couldn’t make ornate coffins—they all had to be plain. In some places, public funerals were banned. All coffins had to remain closed unless they were identifying a body, and then they had to cover their mouth and noses.

With entertainment big business and all those people getting together, it became a huge concern for public health experts. At the height of the epidemic, government officials rushed in and closed many entertainment venues, fearing the spread of the virus. Since rail systems were so popular, it became an easy channel for the spread of the influenza virus. During the epidemic, cities became concerned about how easily the virus spread, causing some cities to limit and even close their transportation systems. Many cities that remained open had people wearing masks to reduce the risk of infection.

Onto a personal note…as I mentioned earlier, my maternal grandmother lost her husband to the Spanish flu. In 1919, she found herself a widow with four children. She nearly lost her oldest son, my Uncle Phil, too. Thinking he had succumbed, she called the coroner. Once he arrived, he noticed a twitching in his limbs. I’m happy to say he went on to live a long life as a tugboat operator on the Hudson River.

As the epidemic claimed more lives, family dynamics changed, leaving orphans, widows, and widowers.

 

One day, two women approached my grandmother asking to adopt my Aunt Jean and Aunt Mary. They surmised (wrongly so, in my grandmother’s opinion) that she would be better off with fewer children to raise. She sent them on their way, married her sister’s brother-in-law, and ultimately had five more children.

The 1918-1919 pandemic led to improvements in health education, isolation, and sanitation. It improved our understanding of influenza transmission, which is still implemented today to stop the spread of a disease that carries a heavy burden.

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On a much, much brighter note, I have a new book releasing September 20th!!

Pre-Order Link

Caroline Stoddard clung to Sister Benedict’s words like a lifeline as the train took her across the country from Boston to Pine Ridge, Colorado. After learning the orphanage was closing and she’d be without a roof over her head and a teaching position, she couldn’t have been more surprised when the Prioress referred her to Millie Crenshaw, owner of the Westward Home and Hearts Matrimonial Agency.

But life had another surprise in store for Caroline when she stepped off the train in Pine Ridge, Colorado. Instead of the new start she expected with James Murdock, her intended groom, he is nowhere to be found. With only a few coins to her name and no reason to return to Boston, she’s determined to make the best of it in this rugged land.

As the deputy sheriff in Pine Ridge, Knox Manning is haunted by a robbery gone wrong, making him question his ability to protect the town, and a stranded woman at the train depot with nowhere to go is the last thing he needs. But walking away isn’t in his nature. The badge he wears is both an anchor and a burden, one that caused him to sacrifice the one thing he always wanted—a chance for a home and a family.

Just as they begin to see each other in ways neither expected, and Knox dares to dream about a future with Caroline, the town of Pine Ridge is threatened by the same outlaws he’d been tracking for two years.

When Caroline is abducted, Knox realizes the gang had given him something worth fighting for—worth dying for, if necessary.

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