America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918

by Alfred W. Crosby

Overview

Between August 1918 and March 1919 the Spanish influenza spread worldwide, claiming over 25 million lives - more people than 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. This 2003 edition includes a preface discussing the then recent outbreaks of diseases, including the Asian flu and the SARS epidemic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781107385931
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/21/2003
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

Table of Contents

Part I. An Abrupt Introduction to Spanish Influenza: 1. The great shadow; Part II. Spanish Influenza: The First Wave - Spring and Summer, 1918: 2. The advance of the influenza virus; 3. Three explosions - Africa, Europe, and America; Part III. The Second and Third Waves: 4. The United States begins to take note; 5. Spanish Influenza sweeps the country; 6. Flu in Philadelphia; 7. Flu in San Francisco; 8. Flu at sea on voyage to France; 9. Flu and the American expeditionary force; 10. Flu and the Paris Peace Conference; Part IV. Measurements, Research, Conclusions, and Confusions: 11. Statistics, definitions, and speculations; 12. Samoa and Alaska; 13. Research, frustration, and the isolation of the virus; 14. Where did the flu of 1918 go?; Part V. Afterword: 15. An inquiry in the peculiarities of human memory.

Editorial Reviews

Crosby (U. of Texas) recounts the course of the pandemic during the panic-stricken months of 1918 and 1919, measures its impact on American society, and (of greatest interest) probes the loss of national memory of the event. Originally published in 1976, this edition contains a new preface. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Crosby will retain his reputation as a senior statesman of the 1918 influenza epidemic, as one of the first to study it comprehensively..." Linda Bryder, The International History Review

"[This] is a definitive account of the 1918 influenza epidemic in the United States. Alfred Crosby has systematically covered the effect of influenza upon the armed forces, major cities, and American territories. Over and above this he has depicted the spread and impact of the disease over a good part of the world." Journal of the History of Medicine

"[This] is a fine, galloping account of the influenza pandemic that killed some 25 million people in less than a year. In some ways it was a page out of the Middle Ages bound in the twentieth century. No plague ever killed so many people in so short a time." Natural History

"[This] is a fine, galloping account of the influenza pandemic that killed some 25 million people in less than a year. In some ways it was a page out of the Middle Ages bound in the twentieth century. No plague ever killed so many people in so short a time." Natural History

"Thoroughly researched and rich in detail, Crosby's book carefully narrates the rise and fall of the global pandemic, especially as it affected the United States." Medical History

"Thoroughly researched and rich in detail, Crosby's book carefully narrates the rise and fall of the global pandemic, especially as it affected the United States." Medical History

"...fascinating..." New York Sun

From the Publisher