From 1918 to 1920 the world suffered from one of the most deadliest sicknesses that seemed to encompass whole towns, cities and country all at once. Influenza (it was also termed as the “Spanish Flu”) diseased the lives of at least five million people and  killed between fifty to hundred million people.

It deeply affected the population of the early 20th century by cutting the normal life rate of a person by twelve years thus making Influenza one of the most lethal natural disasters in history of mankind. The most venerable to this disease was young adults who were relative healthy vs those with weak immune system.

No one really knows how Influenza start and why it spread like rapid wildfire for two years however they are various theories. One example is that the source started from army bases with men who were prepping to go over seas to fight in World War I. One person had the disease and it spread to other people on the base and so forth. Another theory is that it started in a hospital in Etaples, France where French troops  held a base camp around the hospital and doctors there realize this recent outbreak was both aggressive and quickly in attacking the immune system of young adults, making them sick and killing them with a span of hours or a week.  Something as simple as coughing or sneezing with covering your mouth would cause a frenzy panic among people. Another reason why this kind of flu travel so fast is because people were starting to travel more by new modes of  efficient transportation such as trains, cars and boats.

During those two years of this disease  you would see a rapid advertisements of hoax remedies that claim to cure this sickness.

Unfortunately most of theses products were just gimmicks, super expensive and just did not work. However people brought anything and everything in hopes that it will save themselves and their loves ones from being close to death’s door.

The necessity and demand for nurses and doctors were at a all time high:

Surgical masks were the norm to wear everywhere you go:

They were even nursery rhymes, and cartoons made about this deadly sickness:

At the end of December 1920 this deadly sickness that cause to much death and destruction in it’s path just ended. There was no remedy or medication that caused a cure for it. Less and less cases of the flu were being reported in major cities around the world until it died completely down but it already made it’s mark on the world because it claimed so many lives.

 

 

Until next time!