Memorandum Regarding Sanitary Precautions
9/12/1918
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This memorandum from Medical Officer F. M. Furlong warns the employees and service men of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard of the epidemic of “Spanish Influenza” in Boston, Massachusetts, and advises them to take measures against the spread of the disease.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, was one of the deadliest events in human history. One fifth of the world's population was attacked. The epidemic killed an estimated 50 million people around the world – more than died in World War I. Within months, the deadly flu virus had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not identify this disease which was striking so fast and so viciously, eluding treatment and defying control. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others succumbed after a few days; their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated to death. The flu did not discriminate. It was rampant in urban and rural areas, from the densely populated East coast to the remotest parts of Alaska. Young adults, usually unaffected by these types of infectious diseases, were among the hardest hit groups along with the elderly and young children. The flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, was one of the deadliest events in human history. One fifth of the world's population was attacked. The epidemic killed an estimated 50 million people around the world – more than died in World War I. Within months, the deadly flu virus had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not identify this disease which was striking so fast and so viciously, eluding treatment and defying control. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others succumbed after a few days; their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated to death. The flu did not discriminate. It was rampant in urban and rural areas, from the densely populated East coast to the remotest parts of Alaska. Young adults, usually unaffected by these types of infectious diseases, were among the hardest hit groups along with the elderly and young children. The flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population.
This primary source comes from the Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments.
National Archives Identifier: 6861949
Full Citation: Memorandum Regarding Sanitary Precautions; 9/12/1918; General Correspondence, ca. 1915 - 1925; Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments, Record Group 181; National Archives at Boston, Waltham, MA. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/memorandum-regarding-sanitary-precautions, September 7, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
