June 29th 2022
The Great Influenza. The epic story of the deadliest plague in History. John M.Barry.
The Great Influenza. The epic story of the deadliest plague in History. John M.Barry. 2004. ISBN 1101200979. This is one of the most frightening books i have ever read as well as one of the most fascinating. A history of the growth in us medical care in the early 1900’s in the leadup to the 1917 influenza outbreaks all through the states. The improvements in medical schools were not a government push but one through private benefactors (such as Rockefeller). Govt officials and many medical. / public health officials were ignorant, incompetent and/or corrupt at the time. As there was WWI on there a push to keep morale up – by downplaying the seriousness of the situation. Once the flu hit the overcrowded and often unsanitary huge army and navy yards through the country it ran rampant. killing thousands. Add to that incompetent city officials who ignored the advice of the medical minds, which led to thousands of unnecessary civilian deaths.
The stories of the tireless medical minds who attacked these and other infectious diseases is also fascinating. The author is very skilled in this. Would that more folks read this before the Covid outbreaks and we may have even been speedier in responding. A delight – but frightening as I said.
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