the Humboldt Times , September 30, 1918.
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In late September 1918, like Spanish fluone Humboldt County residents quietly traveled east to west across the United States and began hearing about a new, especially “energetic” and “fast-spreading” germ that was devastating communities across the country.
It was not a serious cold, officials warned, or even “the grippe,” a familiar form of the flu. Instead, this was a virulent and deadly virus. The first American case of the Spanish flu, or “flu,” was identified in March 1918 at a military base in Kansas, but even when the virus spread from Kansas, first through the nearby neighborhoods of the army camps and prisons and then to the United States. Towns and cities, governments and the media in the US and abroad downplayed the danger as countries sought to keep their spirits high and focus on war.
On September 29, 1918, Edmund Wilson of Boston City Hospital, who had seen his community invaded with at least 10,000 cases, tried to warn the public about the “dreaded epidemic” and the Humboldt Times The story ran. His statement included symptoms to watch out for, such as a cough, body pain, headaches, and worse, including “simple” precautions:
Keep away from infected people. … Promiscuous spitting and coughing should be absolutely prohibited. All attendees must wear antiseptic gauze masks in a case. Public towels and glasses should be avoided and great care should be taken when handling … all items that have come into contact with those affected.
Wilson concluded with a reminder that “only through the loyal and intelligent cooperation of the general public can the Spanish influenza epidemic be prevented from spreading across the country …” Unfortunately, even in the midst of war, the attention of The United States was elsewhere, and the spread of the virus uncontrolled. Within days of Wilson’s speech, the Office of the Surgeon General reported 14,000 new cases of influenza and hundreds of deaths.
The warnings were also not heeded locally. In July 1918, Imogene Lockwood came to Humboldt County to train and work at the Union Labor Hospital in Eureka. Imogene noted in her journal that her first “Dr. Lecture” on October 1, it would be introduced by Dr. Wing, the Eureka City Health Officer. The wing focused on pediatrics and obstetrics, Imogene wrote, not to mention the Spanish flu. Headlines in the Humboldt Times That day was all about the war, bragging about the defeat of Bulgaria and the anticipated Turkish surrender.
On October 2, the cover of the Humboldt Times published an article saying that the “Spanish Grippe” was spreading rapidly, but seemed to imply that it was concentrated in the army fields. There was no local story, and on October 3, Thompsons, a local merchant, advertised “Famous Beacon” blankets and wool-filled duvets, not acknowledging a possible new demand for their products …
On October 4, the cover of the Humboldt Times Highlighted excerpts from a National Health Service report citing an “alarming increase in the spread of the disease,” with more than 120,000 cases of flu and pneumonia and nearly 2,500 deaths, but there was still no local coverage. Germany’s impending defeat grabbed the headlines, and on October 5, when the newspaper printed an Associated Press story about the “epidemic” and said the best way to combat the epidemic was to “ban public meetings,” there was no elaboration. local.
On October 6, 1918, the Humboldt Times published a national call for nurses, including those trained to be “simple assistants” asking them to prepare for deployment in high infection areas. In a matter of weeks, Humboldt County resident Mrs. Ira Russ assured the young women on her volunteer list that patient care would be “so light as to be handled well by a practical nurse.” Many would later lose their lives to the flu. The October 8 newspaper was full of news about the surrender of the Germans and the end of the war and included only a very brief article about a brigadier general who had lost his life to the Spanish flu.
On October 10, 1918, the Associated Press reported that Spanish influenza had claimed 7,432 American lives, infected 211,000 more, and that 25,083 others suffered from pneumonia. California reported a thousand cases, although “only a few deaths.” Doctors in California, Nevada and Arizona, according to history, had also been “assembled” to fight the Spanish flu. The next day, a published statement from the Red Cross pleaded with Americans to respect their “patriotic duty” and “Be very careful to avoid spreading on the Pacific coast, warning that” the shortage of nurses and doctors is very serious. … and an epidemic can spread fast enough to get completely out of control. “
Spanish flu hits Humboldt County
On Saturday, October 12, 1918, the Humboldt Times announced the first identified cases of Spanish influenza. The virus had come with two Austrian brothers, who had recently traveled north from San Francisco and then immediately infected their hosts, a man and wife “named Garbish.” Dr. Lawrence Wing, Eureka City Health Officer, announced that “Everyone but the woman is now in bed with the disease and isolated.” When asked to explain, Wing said the sick would stay in their rooms, but would not order a quarantine, “unless the State Health Board tells us to.”
Mayor George W. Cousins stated that if there were other cases before Monday, schools and public gathering places such as churches and theaters would be closed. But no cases were identified that Monday and life went on as usual.
On October 13, five new cases were reported to the Health Board, and area doctors reported several more. An Eureka doctor, Dr. Quinn, personally diagnosed five infections, but stated that the virus “was not a quarantined disease” and declined to elaborate on the cases. This news was reported on page 6 of the Humboldt Times
along with a warning that the disease most frequently attacked strong, healthy young adults between the ages of 20 and 40. The story included threats that if the virus continued to spread, officials could shut down “all public meeting places,” but that was not the case. occur.
the Humboldt Times The editor briefly addressed the issue on October 14, suggesting that area citizens may need to take precautionary measures “in time.” Above all, he stated, “Don’t let fear enter your mind. Get plenty of exercise, forget it, and you will be less likely to become a victim.”
At least two local doctors assumed a similar attitude. Despite the increase in deaths across the country and the increase in the number of local cases, on October 15, Dr. Quinn described the Spanish flu as simply a more serious form of the flu, or common flu, caused by a changing weather. City health official Dr. Wing predicted zero deaths “if patients take care of themselves” and the epidemic was managed competently.
Imogene Lockwood, the young nurse at Eureka’s Union Hospital, seemed equally nonchalant when despite admitting that she had never been ill in bed “a whole day since she could remember,” she became ill and was down for most of a week. After all, on October 15 the County had only 19 official cases of Spanish influenza and none seemed serious.
At this time, officials considered and then declined to close the schools, which they considered safer and offered “better sanitary conditions than many of the houses from which some of the children come.” Also like COVID-19, Spanish flu was not initially considered a “childhood disease” and was therefore even less dangerous than measles or chicken pox. Authorities also thought that closing schools would allow many children to “run around the streets and visit imaging shows and libraries,” which could lead to a greater spread of the infection than more sedentary activities in the classroom.
Officials acknowledged that “moving image shows and similar gatherings” were a different matter, but would not stop them until the county saw a “tendency for the disease to spread rapidly.”
On October 16, the newspaper offered a list of suggestions for avoiding the flu. These included avoiding crowds and covering up by coughing and sneezing. Number five on the list of ten was “Keep your hands clean and keep them out of your mouth.” In this issue, local physician Charles Falk also offered suggestions on how to stay healthy, noting that, unlike measles, scarlet fever, or smallpox, which offered immunity to another “attack,” an episode of Spanish flu did not appear to offer the same protection.
Like COVID-19 today, in 1918 the most populated areas were affected by the “flu” before, “apparently due to the conditions of more people in the big cities.” On October 17, as the number of cases continued to rise, San Francisco ordered that “virtually all” of the city’s public gathering places be closed, according to the city’s Board of Health. Theaters, churches, public and private schools, dances and public and private gatherings, cabarets and more were ordered to close their doors. Humboldt County officials, despite 21 new reported cases in a single day (primarily in logging camps) and a new total of 30 (official) county cases, still resisted this drastic move. Lack of information about the threat may have played a role, especially in smaller communities, until October 19, on page 6 of “Uncle Sam’s Advice on the Flu.” Blue Lake Lawyer,
while news of a county oversight session, a new electric light plant, and a recent logging deal appeared on the front page.
In Eureka, however, October 19 marked a turning point. When the State Board of Health ordered the closure of all “public entertainment venues” and the temporary end of public meetings, the county followed suit. And although the state did not close schools and churches, the local health board stated that it “did not see the advisability of closing only some of the most dangerous places and leaving others open” and also closed local schools and churches. . The absence of 187 high school students and 216 elementary school students may have played an important role.
Unfortunately, the virus continued to spread. On October 20, 132 cases were registered at the Eureka City Health Office and by October 24, the number had reached 500. Nine people had already lost their lives …
Next week:
Humboldt County’s efforts in 1918 to stop the spread of the deadly Spanish flu, including masking, social distancing, closure of nonessential businesses, and more.
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Lynette Mullen writes about the history of Humboldt County on Lynette’s NorCal history blog.
