History Repeats Itself
As the pandemic from COVID-19 carries onto the middle of 2020, one hundred years ago the world experienced something very similar. In both instances, the American economy was booming, and one virus grounded it to a halt. With both illnesses, quarantines were used as an effective method to stop the spread of the disease. Schools, churches, theatres closed, and public gatherings of large groups was prohibited (Fleury 2020). Healthcare systems in both instances became overburdened with the sick and dying, as when a nurse at a naval station hospital in Boston was assigned 42 beds herself (PBS 2018). Both COVID-19 and the Spanish Flu devastated health care workers, with Philadelphia’s General Hospital having forty-three percent of its nursing staff infected with the flu. Rumors and mass hysteria were present in the early 20th century and just as present in current day. With World War One going on in the background, there were whispers that the Spanish flu was a German plot to weaken America’s war effort (Fleury 2020). The internet today plays a role in spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and its origins. Both pandemics have seen the need to increase the capacity of health care systems, with Philadelphia creating twelve emergency hospitals in order to take on the influx of patients (PBS 2018).
The Spanish flu was able to spread so quickly in cities like Philadelphia because of poor leadership, lack of scientific knowledge and mismanagement when implementing infectious disease policies. Both aforementioned diseases are respiratory illnesses which explains its massive ability to spread easily (PBS 2018). Ships are an ideal breeding ground for both diseases, as we have seen with cruise ship passengers becoming ill today. International travel in both eras gave the viruses the boost it needed to spread to more hosts. One ship landed in New York with two hundred ill passengers who became so scared from their illness they scattered into the city upon arrival (Fleury 2020). At the onset of the Spanish flu and COVID-19, we have seen denial and slow responses from those in leadership positions not wanting to believe in dreadful forecasts. Royal Copeland, the health commissioner in New York City did not believe that his city was in danger of an epidemic (PBS 2018). Philadelphia, with a corrupt local government, had a health director who was appointment by the city’s political machine. He ended up being ineffective, ignored warnings he received and did not even make a list of people to call upon if an epidemic did arise (Fleury 2020).
Poor leadership resulting in rapid spread was evident in military installations, become one of the first areas to have high rates of infection. The installations did not practice social distancing even after learning of the ongoing infection, and troops were allowed to leave infected bases and travel across the country to uninfected areas (Fleury 2020). A great example of this taking place is when Col. Charles Hagadorn, commander of Camp Grant near Rockford, Illinois, did not partake in a quarantine. In just one week, over 4,000 soldiers were sick and he sent a crowded train car down to Georgia. The death rate for the soldiers of that train car ended up being ten percent, with over 2,000 soldiers becoming ill and infecting the receiving base (Fleury 2020). With the great war still carrying on overseas and the public aware of the virus, over 13 million American men were called to draft offices across the country which only furthered the spread (PBS 2020).
Another reason for the fast spread of the Spanish Flu was the lack of scientific knowledge necessary to even identify the invisible enemy they were facing. Working under the misguided notion that the flu was caused by bacteria; scientists would not possess the technology to view viruses like what caused the Spanish flu until 1934 (Fleury 2020). Even after its discovery, a flu vaccine would not become available until 1944 (Fleury 2020). The lack of complete understanding for the cause of the illness led to ineffective treatments, rumors to spread and high mortality rates.
Much like my fellow Americans in 1918, my routine has changed drastically since the pandemic has started. I moved back home since I could not find work in Columbus. Self-discipline has replaced the structured routine school would provide for me. I go on several walks a day now to try and get exercise and keep sanity. In the beginning of the pandemic, one big part of my daily routine was trying to successfully get ahold of someone at my state’s unemployment office. The biggest change to my daily routine and presumably most others is lack of a social life and trying to fill that void electronically via facetime or texting.
After experiencing alteration to my life due to COVID-19, learning the details of the Spanish flu has changed my opinion about the current epidemic. It made me grateful for the scientific instruments we have now that allow us to understand COVID-19 more than our citizens did a century ago. While I did know about the Spanish Flu pandemic and how deadly it was, I realized I was able to relate way more to the people who endured it and certainly became more empathetic. It left me wondering whether the memory of COVID-19 will fade from the public arena much in the same way that the Spanish Flu did.
Currently, it is hard to fathom COVID-19 fading from public consciousness anytime soon. As the pandemic continues and I consume media about the virus, I try to look at current events with the eye of a historian. I know that the judgement of history will come much later when all the information is more clear and emotional opinions subside. One of the biggest lessons I believe we can learn from this as Americans and human beings in general is our natural tendency to not prepare for worst-case scenarios. As evident by the lack of protocols in place and necessary equipment for our healthcare systems, there is little incentive for industry to provide for something that may or may not occur. Hopefully we use this lesson to continue stressing the importance of acting on climate change. Much like how we find ourselves in a once in a generation crisis with hindsight pointing out our glaring flaws in planning, I hope this can serve as a reminder that we must not find ourselves ever again where the unimaginable becomes reality.
References
“The 1918 Spanish Flu-The Philadelphia Story | Mysteries of the Microscopic World (Part 2 of 3).” Performance by Bruce E Fleury, The Great Courses Plus, 27 Mar. 2020, youtu.be/TkgQQaVgqMw.
“Influenza 1918.” PBS, PBS, 2018, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/influenza/#part01.
