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Flu By Gina Kolalata Summary

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An epidemic in 1918 that left death and devastation in its wake escaped the consciousness of millions in the midst of World War I. Flu by Gina Kolata analyzed how the timing and unfamiliar characteristics of the flu during World War I had disastrous effects on nation’s war efforts. Kolata explains this by including written documents from soldiers and scientists during the time period and through research of her own. The author clarifies how the conditions during World War I were perfect for the spread of the Influenza and how this affected real military events from history. The search for the cure was a journey of serendipity and misery as the best scientists raced around the clock to understand the unique characteristics of the flu. She also …show more content…

In the autumn of 1918, the virus entered the United States through a variety of sources according to different theories. Many feared a German drug company had laced Aspirin, one of the most commonly used drugs, with this virus. The need for medications like Aspirin to supply soldiers and families during wartime led credence to this theory because of how quickly it spread. Another idea stated that German U-Boats entered the Boston Harbor at night and broke vials of the disease throughout the city. Because of Americans conflict with the Germans in World War I, the American people feared the use of chemical warfare as a weapon of mass destruction. Because scientists did not know the true origin of the virus at the time, imaginations and drama ran rampant as commoners searched for an explanation for the origin of this deadly …show more content…

Kolata writes that initially, doctors did not believe this new sickness was the flu but a new disease. Scientists had not yet discovered how to isolate DNA and RNA therefore, they used unusual and by modern standards, inhumane ways to find the cure. Doctors tried hanging sheets in between beds, chewing tobacco, spraying throats with alcohol, and even bribing prisoners to let doctors run tests on them. The resulting lack of progress caused by the unknown created a cloud of mystery around the virus. For example, the government censored news channels that brought doctors on set in an attempt to calm the American people. Despite the efforts of the greatest minds in the world, scientists were unable to explain why the virus acted the way it did. These unique characteristics contributed to millions of deaths and the growing fear of the

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