Buffalo Times, Oct. 15. Although the Surgeon General of the US Navy acknowledged that wearing masks by hospital staff was good practice, the morbidity rate, nevertheless, was very high among those attending the sick, and may only have prevented infection from a direct, close hit from a cough or sneeze of a patient. The value of fresh air through open windows cannot be over emphasized, Blue said. But one notable difference is that it was the United States which led the world in mask wearing. A pneumonic plague epidemic in China in 1910-11 sparked widespread mask-wearing there. His newest book, a biography of Casey Luna, was published in the spring of 2021. lire aussi : Doctors believed that masks could help prevent spray infections, according to historian John M. Barry in his book, The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History. Enforced by local health officials, the facial coverings grew routine. The positivity rate in the national capital increased to 26.54%, while 1,918 covid tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. 1700 of these masks were distributed by policemen to all police stations, to be used whenever duty calls, 1918. This article was published more than3 years ago. Anyone found outdoors without a mask could be fined or even imprisoned. In the 1980s and 1990s, mask-wearing increased to prevent allergies, as allergy to cedar pollen became a growing problem. The first recorded infection was in a U.S. Army private stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas on March 4, 1918. The 1918 influenza pandemic was a pandemic in the truest sense possible, affecting not just major population centers but also the most remote communities in the Pacific Islands and among Inuits in the far north. 
Updated: January 4, 2021 | Original: July 16, 2020. The minister advised people to wear masks while going out, particularly in crowded places. All Rights Reserved. Although the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 is not the same as the virus we now face, there are significant similarities in their spread and degree of contagiousness. If you needed the theater to provide one, admission went up to 10 or 15 cents. 
About 500 million people may have been infected at some point, with 675,000 deaths in the United States alone. Hopefully, the masks were discarded or washed, rather than just recycled and given to other customers on arrival. People who didnt comply might face prison time, fines or having their name published in the paper, revealing they were a mask slacker.. The material of the masks was hardly effective in preventing disease, but this way they would not be fined for failure to wear a mask. Some complained that the masks were unsanitary, and bureaucratic confusion could stymie whether they were worn. The positivity rate in the national capital increased to 26.54%, while 1,918 covid tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. In the face of a serious health threat, Canadians are wisely following the lead of Asian countries. Updated Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Ironically, given that the masks are intended to protect others, mask-wearing has made Asians in Canada a target of racist attacks. In Anaconda, Mont., the Red Cross appealed for more volunteers to make masks because the demand for masks simply could not be met even with women working 24 hours a day in three, eight-hour shifts. In October 1918, as San Francisco received the pandemics second wave, hospitals began reporting a rise in the number of infected patients. Im quoted as saying the gauze masks of 1918, may not have been much use to the user but did offer protection to those around them. I had in mind the ultimate public health lessons learned from the 1918 flu way down the line, in a study concluded a little more than ten years ago. To most citizens, wearing a mask was an act of patriotism. University of Oregon. And, unlike handkerchiefs and paper tissues, which Tomes says people began to use more regularly because of the pandemic, mask-wearing did not catch on in the United States after the ordinances ended. I was recently asked this question for an articlethat just appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine. But back in 1918, public health leaders who studied the problem thought that the mask laws and mask use by the public were minimally effective. Because of the isolated nature of quarantine, the 1918 pandemic was suffered largely in private. But during the flu epidemic, cities around the world passed mandatory masking orders. A San Francisco fisherman said bandits in flu masks robbed him. In Phoenix, where most people apparently complied with the citys mask order, some nonetheless poked holes in their masks to smokewhich greatly reduced their effectiveness. The minister advised people to wear masks while going out, particularly in crowded places. Mask-wearing was enforced during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, but many refused, citing the government mandates as threats to their civil liberties. Although not as wide spread as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, masks in 1918 were still an important part of the public healths response to influenza. The effectiveness of masks was both under-researched and under-reported in 1918. I am 75 years old and have been living in this state 67 years, a man named E. Piercy told a police court, according to Los Angeles Evening Express. He was released on bail, although similar scofflaws in San Francisco had been sentenced to up to 10 days in jail. region: "", The beak was stuffed with herbs, spices and dried flowers to ward off the odors believed to spread the plague. She did not infect anyone else. But most Americans wore masks quite readily. usnatarchives: Masks as protection against influenza. There were nine children at the time and he was the fourth oldest. After armistice on November 11, San Francisco ended its mask order. In 1918, advanced masks like the N95s that healthcare workers use today were a long way off. Richard Melzer, Ph.D., is a retired history professor who taught at The University of New MexicoValencia campus for more than 35 years. 
Did you encounter any technical issues? Who is correct in this ongoing debate over wearing masks? On Nov. 1, 1918, Eugene C. Caley became the first man in Oakland, Calif., to be arrested for not wearing a mask. In January, when flu cases began to surge again in San Francisco, the city implemented a second mask order. So, early on, authorities were skeptical of the effectiveness of masks, but they also felt that masks were not used properly. A woman taking a train from Chicago to Pasadena, Calif., reportedly experienced a break from sanity when she disembarked and beheld the masked city, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times. Surgical masks were made of gauze, and many peoples flu masks were made of gauze too. Science journalist Laura Spinney, author of the 2017 book The Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World, notes that after their experiences in Manchuria in 1911, the Japanese took swiftly to wearing masks in public in 1918. In Medford, Ore., for example, five dedicated women made 1,900 masks for the Red Cross by the end of 1918. The Red Cross in Dutchess County, New York, made an urgent request for volunteers when it received an emergency call for 10,000 masks to supply soldiers a month before the world war ended. The influenza pandemic of 1918 and 1919 was the most deadly flu outbreak in history, killing up to 50 million people worldwide. 1901), Lexpertise universitaire, lexigence journalistique. In 1918, America adopted mask wearing with a vengeance. I must have my smoke, and Im not going to give up my tobacco for a cheesecloth muzzle!. Many of the methods Americans used in 1918 to try to prevent the spread of the flu are similar to what people began doing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Close schools. And after the war ended, and there was no longer a sense that people should wear masks to keep the troops safe, some dissenters even formed an Anti-Mask League in San Francisco. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), World War I Documentaries on HISTORY Vault, When Mask-Wearing Rules in the 1918 Pandemic Faced Resistance, Innovative Ways People Tried to Protect Themselves From the Flu, https://www.history.com/news/1918-pandemic-public-health-campaigns, ‘Mask Slackers and ‘Deadly Spit: The 1918 Flu Campaigns to Shame People Into Following New Rules. Professor, Department of History, University of Guelph. In a country that takes etiquette very seriously, wearing masks in Japan has become a form of politeness. At a boxing match, a police photographer captured images of several supervisors, a congressman, a justice, a Navy rear-admiral, the citys health officer and even the mayor, all without masks. A public health technology such as a mask is not just a simple, inanimate object. Qubec passed legislation that forbade people from receiving certain government services if their face was covered, Quebec's niqab ban uses women's bodies to bolster right-wing extremism, made face coverings mandatory at the beginning of July, were forbidden from wearing masks to protect themselves against air pollution in the subway system, instructed its workers not to wear masks during the 2003 SARS epidemic in Toronto, beaked masks that doctors wore during the 17th-century plague epidemic, an emblem of public spiritedness and discipline, masks were widely unpopular and that even in places with mandatory masking orders in place, people often failed to wear them or just pulled them on when police appeared, the province ordered everyone to wear a mask outside of their homes, to be removed only in the case of eating, as allergy to cedar pollen became a growing problem, wearing masks in Japan has become a form of politeness, there was intense fear of germ warfare, leading many to wear masks, urged its citizens to protect themselves against pollution by wearing masks, Etsy crafters and Old Navy began producing fashionable masks for the North American market, consumers could purchase masks with Hello Kitty and other cartoon characters, as well American flag masks meant to show the wearers support for democracy, Western media outlets featured Asians wearing masks as a harbinger of the epidemic, Unmasking the racial politics of the coronavirus pandemic, he reportedly assaulted staff at a grocery store who insisted he wear a mask, masks are uncomfortable, unnecessary, harmful to their own health or ineffective, visual representation of the threat of COVID-19 and make people feel more fearful; an optimism bias can make people reluctant to wear masks because they think that the novel coronavirus will not affect them, Kit de communication pour les institution membres. Many of the methods Americans used in 1918 to try to prevent the spread of the flu are similar to what people began doing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Close schools. portalId: 20973928, By noon it had none, wrote the late historian Alfred W. Crosby in America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918. John McEntaggart reportedly came all the way from Ireland to marry Felicita Lucero in Clayton, N.M. Mask-wearing was enforced during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, but many refused, citing the government mandates as threats to their civil liberties. The arrests for defying mask laws widely reported in 1918 confirm that many people resist changing their behavior if simply ordered to do so. One of the most alarming aspects of the 1918 flu was its penchant for targeting previously healthy young adults. According to the one Cincinnati doctor, Army doctors have found the gauze face mask very useful in preventing infection.. Others complained that flu masks made kissing under the mistletoe and at midnight on New Years Eve most unnatural and unsatisfactory.. The New York Times looked at the timeline of the first mask orders issued in October 1918. Women working for the Red Cross make masks during the pandemic flu in 1918. Wear masks. Also, masks are most effective when worn properly, which wasnt always what happened. Fine, said Hollenshurt, the dern thingll be over by then. Well make certain about it, then, said the judge. Its the care with which it is designed and constructed; it is the infrastructure that can assure a steady, sanitary supply; its the use of one technology and practice in conjunction with others, and it is especially the informed users who take responsibility for their own health and those of their fellow Americans. The first cases of the Spanish Flu showed up in March 1918 in Kansas. Surgical masks were made of gauze, and many peoples flu masks were made of gauze too. Im quoted as saying the gauze masks of 1918, may not have been much use to the user but did offer protection to those around them. I had in mind the ultimate public health lessons learned from the 1918 flu way down the line, in a study concluded a little more than ten years ago. The masks disrupted lives in unexpected ways. But a century later, it is Asian countries which have remembered the lessons the US learned about the benefits of mask wearing in slowing the spread of infection. It has been updated with additional images. Doctors were baffled by a deadly strand of the flu they had never read of in their textbooks or encountered in their careers. Then attach strings to the four corners and tie these strings at the back of the neck. So the key historical question here is not whether or not masks were useless. Health and city officials got the word out about these guidelines in all kinds of ways. Many newspaper carried large-print PSAs with similar advice. Each man was warned to make a voluntary contribution to a charity for the men fighting overseas, or face prosecution. Those interested in joining the Valencia County Historical Society should contact Dr. Melzer at rmelzer@unm.edu. In October 1918, the Seattle Daily Times carried the headline Influenza Veils Set New Fashion: Seattle Women Wearing Fine Mesh With Chiffon Border to Ward Off Malady. These fashionable masks and others made from dubious material probably werent helping much. In one improvised hospital at the Navy Training Station in Great Lakes, IL., the infection rate was higher among those corpsmen and volunteers who wore masks than those who did not! To learn more visit the National Archivesonline exhibit concerning the pandemic and its impact in the United States. Judges often instructed guilty parties to contribute their fines to the Red Cross or other worthy causes. "Better be ridiculous then dead," is the view of one official. Others claim that mandates to wear them are infringements on their freedoms. In fall of 1918 the United States experiences a severe shortages of professional nurses, because of the deployment of large numbers of nurses to military camps in the United States and abroad, and the failure to use trained African American nurses. To entice people to get them to wear them, [cities] were pretty lax in terms of what people could wear, says J. Alex Navarro, assistant director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan and one of the editors-in-chief of The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919: A Digital Encyclopedia. The mask is designed only to afford protection against a direct spray from the mouth of the carrier of pathogenic microorganisms Masks of improper design, made of wide-mesh gauze, which rest against the mouth and nose, become wet with saliva, soiled with the fingers, and are changed infrequently, may lead to infection rather than prevent it, especially when worn by persons who have not even a rudimentary knowledge of the modes of transmission of the causative agents of communicable diseases.. In fall of 1918 the United States experiences a severe shortages of professional nurses, because of the deployment of large numbers of nurses to military camps in the United States and abroad, and the failure to use trained African American nurses. University of Oregon. Globalization facilitated its spread as soldiers fighting in World War I took the flu around the globe. On the other side of the Atlantic similar steps were being taken the Committee of the Academie de Mdicine of Paris recommended the wearing of face masks in the French captial in early November 1918. In 1918, a raging influenza pandemic had grasped the nation. What is clear is that communities that implemented stronger health measures overall fared better than those that didnt. The COVID-19 pandemic is not the first time people have been required to wear face masks for protection. Soon after, Police Chief Bailey told the Tucson Citizen not that he was threatening arrest to miscreants but rather that, in his opinion: No gatherings will be considered fashionable unless the attendees are attired in masks.. It was impossible to know if the rules on masks on the return voyage were responsible for the lack of infections, but that was how the press interpreted it. Telephone operators in government offices wore masks, although operators with soft voices had to learn to speak louder to be heard. Mask worn by a doctor at the end of the 17th century when visiting those afflicted by the plague. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. target: "#hbspt-form-1680826779000-2994241849", Its still difficult to say how effective mask-wearing on its own was in 1918 and 1919. The war, however, contributed to the diseases rapid spread. 1918. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. In 1918, advanced masks like the N95s that healthcare workers use today were a long way off. When Charles Hollenshurt was arrested for not wearing a mask in Oakland, a judge sentenced him to an unusually long 30 days in jail. Today we can look back at the 1918 pandemic and learn some important lessons for facing COVID-19. This post, by Megan Huang in the National Archives History Office, was originally published in 2018 marking the centenary of the 1918 influenza. When, in pneumonia and influence wards, it has been nearly impossible to force the orderlies or even some of the physicians and nurses to wear their masks as prescribed, it is difficult to see how a general measure of this nature could be enforced in the community at large.. Those who did not were sometimes called slackers, the same term given to men who refused to cooperate with the draft during the war. In Alberta, for example, the flu first appeared at the beginning of October 1918. Messenger boys in Missoula, Mont., made sure they wore masks when they delivered telegrams to homes afflicted with the disease. Mask mandates were set in place around the country, some more strongly enforced than others. Historian Nancy Tomes argues that mask-wearing was embraced by the American public as an emblem of public spiritedness and discipline.. In Alexandria, La., a sanitation leader for the Army ordered flu masks be worn. Its a fascinating exploration of the politics of masks in California during the 1918 flu, and the fact that Mayor Davie of Oakland was jailed for not wearing a mask in Sacramento. Droits d'auteur 20102023, The Conversation France (assoc. Most of the accused accepted their fines or short sentences. When the people of Atlanta received a rush order for 18,000 masks, local women accomplished the task on a single night. In the past few months, pictures of the beaked masks that doctors wore during the 17th-century plague epidemic have been circulating online. The problem was the user. But we are fortunate to have an example from history, a sample in time, that we can study and hopefully learn from today. Flu masks would cover the patients surgical bruises while they awaited the day they healed and could reveal their improved new faces to the world. Fine, said Hollenshurt, the dern thingll be over by then. Well make certain about it, then, said the judge. The New York Times looked at the timeline of the first mask orders issued in October 1918. Sixty days.. Im reminded of a recent TikTok video of a woman in Kentucky who entered a store wearing a mask with a long slit around the mouth because it makes it a lot easier to breathe. Another problem, then as now, was that the right equipment in a time of crisis was unavailable. But they didnt have that data tabulated yet, so I think in the aftermath it wasnt as clear that what they had done had been effective., Why the Second Wave of the 1918 Spanish Flu Was So Deadly, Spanish Flu - Symptoms, How It Began & Ended, Amid 1918 Flu Pandemic, America Struggled to Bury the Dead, Why October 1918 Was America's Deadliest Month Ever. Women still tried to make themselves alluring, often trading their mundane masks for fashionable veils available in several colors for the special price of $2.50. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The claim: Photo shows person with sign reading 'Wear a Mask or Go To Jail' amid 1918 Spanish flu. After armistice on November 11, San Francisco ended its mask order. Crowded wartime conditions and troop movements across the Atlantic and throughout the war zones carried the flu worldwide. A more pessimistic appraisal of masks came in a study published in 1921 by physician William T. Vaughan: One difficulty in the use of the face mask is the failure of cooperation on the part of the public. On the flight back to Canada, she wore a mask. The protocols followed in the contagious annex of the US Naval Hospital in Annapolis, MD, were sufficient to prevent cross-contamination of cerebro-spinal fever (aka meningitis), diphtheria, measles, mumps, scarlet fever, and German measles. It was the only aspect of the catastrophe discussed with any humor. In October 1918, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a public service announcement telling readers that The man or woman or child who will not wear a mask now is a dangerous slackera reference to the type of World War I slacker who didnt help the war effort. In fact, the infection rate of staff was as high in the high-protocol wards as in the improvised hospitals. Not everyone wore his or her masks for the right reasons. 1918. They are both airborne diseases that thrive among people in close quarters and in range of those who cough, sneeze or even engage in casual conversation. Only preventing exposure to the virus could.. Still, for the small percentage of people who went without a mask entirely, reports suggest their issue had less to do with the science behind them, and more to do with personal comfort. But in the West, mask adoption has been far slower, with Englands Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, for example, going so far as to claim mask-wearing is unnecessary. Newspapers printed instructions how to make your own masks at home. This was not simply a question of mask or no mask, but of design, construction, supply, and use. We have some idea of conditions in at least one jail from the experience of a 16 year old who was arrested for failing to put on a mask as he left a barber shop. Your email address will not be published. 2023, Valencia County News-Bulletin | Number Nine Media, Inc. | Terms of Use | Cigna MRF, 2022 Locals: Citizen of the Year & Unsung Heroes, Wearing Masks: Lessons from the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918, Community DataBank: Local Government Meetings (April 6), Community DataBank: Local Government Meetings (March 30), NM Rail Runner Express returns to full fares after nearly yearlong discount, Community DataBank: Local Government Meetings (March 23), Community DataBank: Local government agendas (March 16), Petition filed in court challenges Valencia County sheriff candidates residency, School of Dreams Academy receives 477 hotspots for internet at home for students, Lawrence Sanchez chosen as new Belen superintendent, One more COVID-19 case in Valencia County for total of 69. City officials in San Francisco were embarrassed when they attended a local prize fight and a photographer took a picture of the crowd with them in it. Mask orders were part of the last pandemic - the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918. It's also important to point out that masks in 1918 were nothing like the masks we have now. We asked a doctor, 6-year-old missing for 5 months may now be dead, N. Texas police say, Jeremy Renner to discuss near-fatal accident in Diane Sawyer interview, Employees of Missouri City restaurant claim they have not been paid. Of course, there were some who flouted the rules. Im quoted as saying the gauze masks of 1918, may not have been much use to the user but did offer protection to those around them. I had in mind the ultimate public health lessons learned from the 1918 flu way down the line, in a study concluded a little more than ten years ago. Yet more important in terms of critiques, Bristow says, is this idea that weve heard today as well that they give people a false sense of security. As she points out, wearing a mask is less effective when people dont follow other health guidelines too (and especially if some are poking holes in their masks to smoke). In Oakland, Calif., the city ordinance requiring the wearing of masks was enforced so strictly that 488 men and women were arrested and sent to the local jail on a single day. Positivity rate in the improvised hospitals the facial coverings grew routine most effective when worn properly, which always. Infection rate of staff was as high in the Smithsonian Magazine weve got you covered or. While going out, particularly in crowded places always what happened pandemic in! In mask wearing with a vengeance offices wore masks when they delivered telegrams to homes with! In San Francisco ended its mask order say how effective mask-wearing on its own was a. Hollenshurt, the facial coverings grew routine never read of in their careers if simply to. 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Updated: January 4, 2021 | Original: July 16, 2020. The minister advised people to wear masks while going out, particularly in crowded places. All Rights Reserved. Although the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 is not the same as the virus we now face, there are significant similarities in their spread and degree of contagiousness. If you needed the theater to provide one, admission went up to 10 or 15 cents. About 500 million people may have been infected at some point, with 675,000 deaths in the United States alone. Hopefully, the masks were discarded or washed, rather than just recycled and given to other customers on arrival. People who didnt comply might face prison time, fines or having their name published in the paper, revealing they were a mask slacker.. The material of the masks was hardly effective in preventing disease, but this way they would not be fined for failure to wear a mask. Some complained that the masks were unsanitary, and bureaucratic confusion could stymie whether they were worn. The positivity rate in the national capital increased to 26.54%, while 1,918 covid tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. In the face of a serious health threat, Canadians are wisely following the lead of Asian countries. Updated Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Ironically, given that the masks are intended to protect others, mask-wearing has made Asians in Canada a target of racist attacks. In Anaconda, Mont., the Red Cross appealed for more volunteers to make masks because the demand for masks simply could not be met even with women working 24 hours a day in three, eight-hour shifts. In October 1918, as San Francisco received the pandemics second wave, hospitals began reporting a rise in the number of infected patients. Im quoted as saying the gauze masks of 1918, may not have been much use to the user but did offer protection to those around them. I had in mind the ultimate public health lessons learned from the 1918 flu way down the line, in a study concluded a little more than ten years ago. To most citizens, wearing a mask was an act of patriotism. University of Oregon. And, unlike handkerchiefs and paper tissues, which Tomes says people began to use more regularly because of the pandemic, mask-wearing did not catch on in the United States after the ordinances ended. I was recently asked this question for an articlethat just appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine. But back in 1918, public health leaders who studied the problem thought that the mask laws and mask use by the public were minimally effective. Because of the isolated nature of quarantine, the 1918 pandemic was suffered largely in private. But during the flu epidemic, cities around the world passed mandatory masking orders. A San Francisco fisherman said bandits in flu masks robbed him. In Phoenix, where most people apparently complied with the citys mask order, some nonetheless poked holes in their masks to smokewhich greatly reduced their effectiveness. The minister advised people to wear masks while going out, particularly in crowded places. Mask-wearing was enforced during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, but many refused, citing the government mandates as threats to their civil liberties. Although not as wide spread as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, masks in 1918 were still an important part of the public healths response to influenza. The effectiveness of masks was both under-researched and under-reported in 1918. I am 75 years old and have been living in this state 67 years, a man named E. Piercy told a police court, according to Los Angeles Evening Express. He was released on bail, although similar scofflaws in San Francisco had been sentenced to up to 10 days in jail. region: "", The beak was stuffed with herbs, spices and dried flowers to ward off the odors believed to spread the plague. She did not infect anyone else. But most Americans wore masks quite readily. usnatarchives: Masks as protection against influenza. There were nine children at the time and he was the fourth oldest. After armistice on November 11, San Francisco ended its mask order. In 1918, advanced masks like the N95s that healthcare workers use today were a long way off. Richard Melzer, Ph.D., is a retired history professor who taught at The University of New MexicoValencia campus for more than 35 years. Did you encounter any technical issues? Who is correct in this ongoing debate over wearing masks? On Nov. 1, 1918, Eugene C. Caley became the first man in Oakland, Calif., to be arrested for not wearing a mask. In January, when flu cases began to surge again in San Francisco, the city implemented a second mask order. So, early on, authorities were skeptical of the effectiveness of masks, but they also felt that masks were not used properly. A woman taking a train from Chicago to Pasadena, Calif., reportedly experienced a break from sanity when she disembarked and beheld the masked city, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times. Surgical masks were made of gauze, and many peoples flu masks were made of gauze too. Science journalist Laura Spinney, author of the 2017 book The Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World, notes that after their experiences in Manchuria in 1911, the Japanese took swiftly to wearing masks in public in 1918. In Medford, Ore., for example, five dedicated women made 1,900 masks for the Red Cross by the end of 1918. The Red Cross in Dutchess County, New York, made an urgent request for volunteers when it received an emergency call for 10,000 masks to supply soldiers a month before the world war ended. The influenza pandemic of 1918 and 1919 was the most deadly flu outbreak in history, killing up to 50 million people worldwide. 1901), Lexpertise universitaire, lexigence journalistique. In 1918, America adopted mask wearing with a vengeance. I must have my smoke, and Im not going to give up my tobacco for a cheesecloth muzzle!. Many of the methods Americans used in 1918 to try to prevent the spread of the flu are similar to what people began doing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Close schools. And after the war ended, and there was no longer a sense that people should wear masks to keep the troops safe, some dissenters even formed an Anti-Mask League in San Francisco. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), World War I Documentaries on HISTORY Vault, When Mask-Wearing Rules in the 1918 Pandemic Faced Resistance, Innovative Ways People Tried to Protect Themselves From the Flu, https://www.history.com/news/1918-pandemic-public-health-campaigns, ‘Mask Slackers and ‘Deadly Spit: The 1918 Flu Campaigns to Shame People Into Following New Rules. Professor, Department of History, University of Guelph. In a country that takes etiquette very seriously, wearing masks in Japan has become a form of politeness. At a boxing match, a police photographer captured images of several supervisors, a congressman, a justice, a Navy rear-admiral, the citys health officer and even the mayor, all without masks. A public health technology such as a mask is not just a simple, inanimate object. Qubec passed legislation that forbade people from receiving certain government services if their face was covered, Quebec's niqab ban uses women's bodies to bolster right-wing extremism, made face coverings mandatory at the beginning of July, were forbidden from wearing masks to protect themselves against air pollution in the subway system, instructed its workers not to wear masks during the 2003 SARS epidemic in Toronto, beaked masks that doctors wore during the 17th-century plague epidemic, an emblem of public spiritedness and discipline, masks were widely unpopular and that even in places with mandatory masking orders in place, people often failed to wear them or just pulled them on when police appeared, the province ordered everyone to wear a mask outside of their homes, to be removed only in the case of eating, as allergy to cedar pollen became a growing problem, wearing masks in Japan has become a form of politeness, there was intense fear of germ warfare, leading many to wear masks, urged its citizens to protect themselves against pollution by wearing masks, Etsy crafters and Old Navy began producing fashionable masks for the North American market, consumers could purchase masks with Hello Kitty and other cartoon characters, as well American flag masks meant to show the wearers support for democracy, Western media outlets featured Asians wearing masks as a harbinger of the epidemic, Unmasking the racial politics of the coronavirus pandemic, he reportedly assaulted staff at a grocery store who insisted he wear a mask, masks are uncomfortable, unnecessary, harmful to their own health or ineffective, visual representation of the threat of COVID-19 and make people feel more fearful; an optimism bias can make people reluctant to wear masks because they think that the novel coronavirus will not affect them, Kit de communication pour les institution membres. Many of the methods Americans used in 1918 to try to prevent the spread of the flu are similar to what people began doing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Close schools. portalId: 20973928, By noon it had none, wrote the late historian Alfred W. Crosby in America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918. John McEntaggart reportedly came all the way from Ireland to marry Felicita Lucero in Clayton, N.M. Mask-wearing was enforced during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, but many refused, citing the government mandates as threats to their civil liberties. The arrests for defying mask laws widely reported in 1918 confirm that many people resist changing their behavior if simply ordered to do so. One of the most alarming aspects of the 1918 flu was its penchant for targeting previously healthy young adults. According to the one Cincinnati doctor, Army doctors have found the gauze face mask very useful in preventing infection.. Others complained that flu masks made kissing under the mistletoe and at midnight on New Years Eve most unnatural and unsatisfactory.. The New York Times looked at the timeline of the first mask orders issued in October 1918. Women working for the Red Cross make masks during the pandemic flu in 1918. Wear masks. Also, masks are most effective when worn properly, which wasnt always what happened. Fine, said Hollenshurt, the dern thingll be over by then. Well make certain about it, then, said the judge. Its the care with which it is designed and constructed; it is the infrastructure that can assure a steady, sanitary supply; its the use of one technology and practice in conjunction with others, and it is especially the informed users who take responsibility for their own health and those of their fellow Americans. The first cases of the Spanish Flu showed up in March 1918 in Kansas. Surgical masks were made of gauze, and many peoples flu masks were made of gauze too. Im quoted as saying the gauze masks of 1918, may not have been much use to the user but did offer protection to those around them. I had in mind the ultimate public health lessons learned from the 1918 flu way down the line, in a study concluded a little more than ten years ago. The masks disrupted lives in unexpected ways. But a century later, it is Asian countries which have remembered the lessons the US learned about the benefits of mask wearing in slowing the spread of infection. It has been updated with additional images. Doctors were baffled by a deadly strand of the flu they had never read of in their textbooks or encountered in their careers. Then attach strings to the four corners and tie these strings at the back of the neck. So the key historical question here is not whether or not masks were useless. Health and city officials got the word out about these guidelines in all kinds of ways. Many newspaper carried large-print PSAs with similar advice. Each man was warned to make a voluntary contribution to a charity for the men fighting overseas, or face prosecution. Those interested in joining the Valencia County Historical Society should contact Dr. Melzer at rmelzer@unm.edu. In October 1918, the Seattle Daily Times carried the headline Influenza Veils Set New Fashion: Seattle Women Wearing Fine Mesh With Chiffon Border to Ward Off Malady. These fashionable masks and others made from dubious material probably werent helping much. In one improvised hospital at the Navy Training Station in Great Lakes, IL., the infection rate was higher among those corpsmen and volunteers who wore masks than those who did not! To learn more visit the National Archivesonline exhibit concerning the pandemic and its impact in the United States. Judges often instructed guilty parties to contribute their fines to the Red Cross or other worthy causes. "Better be ridiculous then dead," is the view of one official. Others claim that mandates to wear them are infringements on their freedoms. In fall of 1918 the United States experiences a severe shortages of professional nurses, because of the deployment of large numbers of nurses to military camps in the United States and abroad, and the failure to use trained African American nurses. To entice people to get them to wear them, [cities] were pretty lax in terms of what people could wear, says J. Alex Navarro, assistant director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan and one of the editors-in-chief of The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919: A Digital Encyclopedia. The mask is designed only to afford protection against a direct spray from the mouth of the carrier of pathogenic microorganisms Masks of improper design, made of wide-mesh gauze, which rest against the mouth and nose, become wet with saliva, soiled with the fingers, and are changed infrequently, may lead to infection rather than prevent it, especially when worn by persons who have not even a rudimentary knowledge of the modes of transmission of the causative agents of communicable diseases.. In fall of 1918 the United States experiences a severe shortages of professional nurses, because of the deployment of large numbers of nurses to military camps in the United States and abroad, and the failure to use trained African American nurses. University of Oregon. Globalization facilitated its spread as soldiers fighting in World War I took the flu around the globe. On the other side of the Atlantic similar steps were being taken the Committee of the Academie de Mdicine of Paris recommended the wearing of face masks in the French captial in early November 1918. In 1918, a raging influenza pandemic had grasped the nation. What is clear is that communities that implemented stronger health measures overall fared better than those that didnt. The COVID-19 pandemic is not the first time people have been required to wear face masks for protection. Soon after, Police Chief Bailey told the Tucson Citizen not that he was threatening arrest to miscreants but rather that, in his opinion: No gatherings will be considered fashionable unless the attendees are attired in masks.. It was impossible to know if the rules on masks on the return voyage were responsible for the lack of infections, but that was how the press interpreted it. Telephone operators in government offices wore masks, although operators with soft voices had to learn to speak louder to be heard. Mask worn by a doctor at the end of the 17th century when visiting those afflicted by the plague. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. target: "#hbspt-form-1680826779000-2994241849", Its still difficult to say how effective mask-wearing on its own was in 1918 and 1919. The war, however, contributed to the diseases rapid spread. 1918. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. In 1918, advanced masks like the N95s that healthcare workers use today were a long way off. When Charles Hollenshurt was arrested for not wearing a mask in Oakland, a judge sentenced him to an unusually long 30 days in jail. Today we can look back at the 1918 pandemic and learn some important lessons for facing COVID-19. This post, by Megan Huang in the National Archives History Office, was originally published in 2018 marking the centenary of the 1918 influenza. When, in pneumonia and influence wards, it has been nearly impossible to force the orderlies or even some of the physicians and nurses to wear their masks as prescribed, it is difficult to see how a general measure of this nature could be enforced in the community at large.. Those who did not were sometimes called slackers, the same term given to men who refused to cooperate with the draft during the war. In Alberta, for example, the flu first appeared at the beginning of October 1918. Messenger boys in Missoula, Mont., made sure they wore masks when they delivered telegrams to homes afflicted with the disease. Mask mandates were set in place around the country, some more strongly enforced than others. Historian Nancy Tomes argues that mask-wearing was embraced by the American public as an emblem of public spiritedness and discipline.. In Alexandria, La., a sanitation leader for the Army ordered flu masks be worn. Its a fascinating exploration of the politics of masks in California during the 1918 flu, and the fact that Mayor Davie of Oakland was jailed for not wearing a mask in Sacramento. Droits d'auteur 20102023, The Conversation France (assoc. Most of the accused accepted their fines or short sentences. When the people of Atlanta received a rush order for 18,000 masks, local women accomplished the task on a single night. In the past few months, pictures of the beaked masks that doctors wore during the 17th-century plague epidemic have been circulating online. The problem was the user. But we are fortunate to have an example from history, a sample in time, that we can study and hopefully learn from today. Flu masks would cover the patients surgical bruises while they awaited the day they healed and could reveal their improved new faces to the world. Fine, said Hollenshurt, the dern thingll be over by then. Well make certain about it, then, said the judge. The New York Times looked at the timeline of the first mask orders issued in October 1918. Sixty days.. Im reminded of a recent TikTok video of a woman in Kentucky who entered a store wearing a mask with a long slit around the mouth because it makes it a lot easier to breathe. Another problem, then as now, was that the right equipment in a time of crisis was unavailable. But they didnt have that data tabulated yet, so I think in the aftermath it wasnt as clear that what they had done had been effective., Why the Second Wave of the 1918 Spanish Flu Was So Deadly, Spanish Flu - Symptoms, How It Began & Ended, Amid 1918 Flu Pandemic, America Struggled to Bury the Dead, Why October 1918 Was America's Deadliest Month Ever. Women still tried to make themselves alluring, often trading their mundane masks for fashionable veils available in several colors for the special price of $2.50. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The claim: Photo shows person with sign reading 'Wear a Mask or Go To Jail' amid 1918 Spanish flu. After armistice on November 11, San Francisco ended its mask order. Crowded wartime conditions and troop movements across the Atlantic and throughout the war zones carried the flu worldwide. A more pessimistic appraisal of masks came in a study published in 1921 by physician William T. Vaughan: One difficulty in the use of the face mask is the failure of cooperation on the part of the public. On the flight back to Canada, she wore a mask. The protocols followed in the contagious annex of the US Naval Hospital in Annapolis, MD, were sufficient to prevent cross-contamination of cerebro-spinal fever (aka meningitis), diphtheria, measles, mumps, scarlet fever, and German measles. It was the only aspect of the catastrophe discussed with any humor. In October 1918, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a public service announcement telling readers that The man or woman or child who will not wear a mask now is a dangerous slackera reference to the type of World War I slacker who didnt help the war effort. In fact, the infection rate of staff was as high in the high-protocol wards as in the improvised hospitals. Not everyone wore his or her masks for the right reasons. 1918. They are both airborne diseases that thrive among people in close quarters and in range of those who cough, sneeze or even engage in casual conversation. Only preventing exposure to the virus could.. Still, for the small percentage of people who went without a mask entirely, reports suggest their issue had less to do with the science behind them, and more to do with personal comfort. But in the West, mask adoption has been far slower, with Englands Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, for example, going so far as to claim mask-wearing is unnecessary. Newspapers printed instructions how to make your own masks at home. This was not simply a question of mask or no mask, but of design, construction, supply, and use. We have some idea of conditions in at least one jail from the experience of a 16 year old who was arrested for failing to put on a mask as he left a barber shop. Your email address will not be published. 2023, Valencia County News-Bulletin | Number Nine Media, Inc. | Terms of Use | Cigna MRF, 2022 Locals: Citizen of the Year & Unsung Heroes, Wearing Masks: Lessons from the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918, Community DataBank: Local Government Meetings (April 6), Community DataBank: Local Government Meetings (March 30), NM Rail Runner Express returns to full fares after nearly yearlong discount, Community DataBank: Local Government Meetings (March 23), Community DataBank: Local government agendas (March 16), Petition filed in court challenges Valencia County sheriff candidates residency, School of Dreams Academy receives 477 hotspots for internet at home for students, Lawrence Sanchez chosen as new Belen superintendent, One more COVID-19 case in Valencia County for total of 69. City officials in San Francisco were embarrassed when they attended a local prize fight and a photographer took a picture of the crowd with them in it. Mask orders were part of the last pandemic - the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918. It's also important to point out that masks in 1918 were nothing like the masks we have now. We asked a doctor, 6-year-old missing for 5 months may now be dead, N. Texas police say, Jeremy Renner to discuss near-fatal accident in Diane Sawyer interview, Employees of Missouri City restaurant claim they have not been paid. Of course, there were some who flouted the rules. Im quoted as saying the gauze masks of 1918, may not have been much use to the user but did offer protection to those around them. I had in mind the ultimate public health lessons learned from the 1918 flu way down the line, in a study concluded a little more than ten years ago. Yet more important in terms of critiques, Bristow says, is this idea that weve heard today as well that they give people a false sense of security. 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