Officials in Philadelphia knew what was coming their way. All through September 1918 they had seen reports coming out of Boston of a virulent, deadly influenza. In fact, the Philadelphia Bureau of Public Health had issued a bulletin about the so-called Spanish influenza as early as July 1918. Despite the prescience of some, Philadelphia’s health and city officials had failed to even list influenza as a reportable disease, placing the city’s population of nearly two million in grave danger.
The timing of the epidemic’s arrival in Philadelphia could not have been worse. Over one-quarter of the city’s doctors, and a larger portion of its nurses, were lending their medical talents to the nation’s war efforts. At Philadelphia Hospital, 75% of medical and support staff were overseas. Such personnel shortages were an issue even before influenza had hit; once it did, lack of adequate medical help contributed to influenza’s deadly impact.
I’ve been reading up on the Spanish Flu of 1918 by taking many countless books out of the library. It’s fascinatingly scary. My Book of the Month Buddy Read As Bright As Heaven takes place in this setting. The book has been extremely interesting and heartbreaking. The discussions we have had are wonderful. It’s amazing how differently people read the same book and what resonates with some and what resonates with all. The respect of one another’s opinions is also a gift. It is a time I look forward to each Sunday afternoon. We are about half was through the book and I look forward to reading my 100 pages for the week to see where the story is going to take us! I have tabbed up the book a ton as there are so many good quotes and talking points in this story!
Peace.
