America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918Between August 1918 and March 1919 the Spanish influenza spread worldwide, claiming over 25 million lives, more people than those perished in the fighting of the First World War. It proved fatal to at least a half-million Americans. Yet, the Spanish flu pandemic is largely forgotten today. In this vivid narrative, Alfred W. Crosby recounts the course of the pandemic during the panic-stricken months of 1918 and 1919, measures its impact on American society, and probes the curious loss of national memory of this cataclysmic event. In a new edition, with a new preface discussing the recent outbreaks of diseases, including the Asian flu and the SARS epidemic, America's Forgotten Pandemic remains both prescient and relevant. Alfred W. Crosby is a Professor Emeritus in American Studies, History and Geography at the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught for over 20 years. His previous books include Throwing Fire (Cambrige, 2002), the Measure of Reality (Cambridge, 1997) and Ecological Imperialism (cambridge, 1986). Ecological Imperialism was the winner of the 1986 Phi Beta Kappa book prize. The Measure of Reality was chosen by the Los Angeles Times as one of the 100 most important books of 1997. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - scottcholstad - LibraryThingA reviewer of this book years ago started his review with this: "I think this book is complimentary to Gina Kolata's work on the same topic." And it's interesting because I was going to say basically ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - setnahkt - LibraryThingThis is a medium-technical work (no details about how viruses work, but lots of charts, tables and footnotes) yet still manages to be an engaging read. Author Alfred Crosby notes that there were ... Read full review
Contents
THE GREAT SHADOW | 3 |
SPANISH INFLUENZA THE FIRST WAVE SPRING AND SUMMER 1918 | 15 |
THE ADVANCE OF THE INFLUENZA VIRUS | 17 |
THREE EXPLOSIONS AFRICA EUROPE AND AMERICA | 37 |
THE SECOND AND THIRD WAVES | 43 |
THE UNITED STATES BEGINS TO TAKE NOTE | 45 |
SPANISH INFLUENZA SWEEPS THE COUNTRY | 56 |
FLU IN PHILADELPHIA | 70 |
FLU AND THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE | 171 |
MEASUREMENTS RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS AND CONFUSIONS | 201 |
STATISTICS DEFINITIONS AND SPECULATION | 203 |
SAMOA AND ALASKA | 227 |
RESEARCH FRUSTRATION AND THE ISOLATION OF THE VIRUS | 264 |
WHERE DID THE FLU OF 1918 GO? | 295 |
AFTERWORD | 309 |
AN INQUIRY INTO THE PECULIARITIES OF HUMAN MEMORY | 311 |
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Alaska American Annual Reports appeared Army arrived Association August bacillus Board body Boston called Camp cause chief cold common conference Cross dead death death rate December Department died disease Division doctors effect epidemic Europe experience fall fight flu and pneumonia forces four France German Governor History hospital House human hundred infection Island Italy January Journal June killed kind later least Leviathan lives London lungs March Medical Medicine million months mortality Navy nearly never November nurses October Office organism pandemic Paris patients peace percent Pfeiffer's Philadelphia physicians pneumonia population President Press probably Public Health quarantine reached record Samoa San Francisco September 1918 Service ship sick soldiers Spanish influenza spread spring statistics strain suffered Surgeon thousands troops United University usual virus Washington wave week Wilson York