Pandemic 1918: Eyewitness Accounts from the Greatest Medical Holocaust in Modern History

One hundred years have passed since the deadliest pandemic in history. From 1918 to 1919, the Spanish flu claimed the lives of more than 50 million people worldwide. Drawing from a robust bibliography, historian Arnold presents a collection of essays that colorfully illustrate the everyday impact of the disease, drawing from personal narratives while also citing references in the medical literature as the outbreak was unfolding. Alternating perspectives are presented as each chapter highlights a distinct population as the disease spread in waves across continents. Much of the text focuses on the challenges that World War I posed on containing the flu, with conditions among the soldiers exacerbating the spread of communicable disease. Depictions include U.S. and European army barracks, troop ships, such as the USS Leviathan, and military hospitals.