Warehouses were converted to house the infected people quarantined. In 1918, writes E. Thomas Ewing at Health Affairs, US public health authorities recommended masks for doctors, nurses, and anyone taking care of influenza patients.. The first cases of the Spanish Flu showed up in March 1918 in Kansas. In 1918, with a different virus, it didnt help. The masks disrupted lives in unexpected ways. Medical mask-wearing has a long history. In his view, the rapid spread of the disease after the mask order was put into effect made the order an object of ridicule.. The minister advised people to wear masks while going out, particularly in crowded places. The campaign worked and other Californian cities followed suit, including Santa Cruz and Los Angeles, followed by states across the US. And an ocean liner with infected patients became a talking point. To learn more visit the National Archives. And no spitting. Masks were to be washed after each use, not touched once they were tied on, and boiled for five minutes before wearing again. Common punishments were fines, prison sentences and having your name printed in the paper. Those interested in joining the Valencia County Historical Society should contact Dr. Melzer at rmelzer@unm.edu. As one Red Cross public service announcement said, Every man, woman, or child who does not wear a mask is a dangerous slacker.. But most Americans wore masks quite readily. It has been updated with additional images. According to the one Cincinnati doctor, Army doctors have found the gauze face mask very useful in preventing infection.. Within weeks, small communities such as Taos in New Mexico and large cities like San Francisco in California required residents to wear masks while in public. The value of fresh air through open windows cannot be over emphasized, Blue said. In 1918, a raging influenza pandemic had grasped the nation. The Riley, its advertisement said, had been disinfected. University of Guelph apporte des fonds en tant que membre fondateur de TheConversation CA. I was recently asked this question for an articlethat just appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine. On October 24, 1918, the citys elected legislative body, the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, realizing that drastic action needed to be taken with over 4,000 cases recorded, unanimously passed the Influenza Mask Ordinance. Mask-wearing has a long history, and reflects societys sense of shared responsibility. Who is correct in this ongoing debate over wearing masks? One of the most commonly promoted pieces of advice was to wear a mask. Messaging in 1918 also emphasized that special health measures werent just important because they kept the person who followed them safe. 1700 of these masks were distributed by policemen to all police stations, to be used whenever duty calls, 1918. Some say they are ineffective in fighting the coronavirus. A man receives a shave from a barber who wears a mask during the ongoing pandemic in Chicago, Illinois, circa 1918. 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), Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News Collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images, World War I Documentaries on HISTORY Vault, The 1918 Flu Campaigns to Shame People Into Following New Rules, Innovative Ways People Tried to Protect Themselves From the Flu, https://www.history.com/news/1918-spanish-flu-mask-wearing-resistance, When Mask-Wearing Rules in the 1918 Pandemic Faced Resistance. Cincinnati police officers are pictured circa 1918 wearing gauze masks much like those being worn more than 100 years later. Look back at mask wearing during the 1918 flu pandemic. The United States had just won the First World War, largely as a result of its citizens making needed sacrifices, from conserving food to sending loved ones into battle. The death rate is so high and they still hold back.. We can do better with building our communication and trust so that all of these measures can work together. In 1918, advanced masks like the N95s that healthcare workers use today were a long way off. usnatarchives: Masks as protection against influenza. I am the last one left of that whole brood descended from those eight surviving children. Red Cross volunteers wore face masks during the flu pandemic of 1918. Asking people to wear masks to fight a new, more deadly enemy seemed like an extension of the war. The swine flu was the common name for the Covid-19 virus back then. A sense of duty accompanied every citizen who wore a mask. 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). All Rights Reserved. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Sad. Residents continued to wear their masks through the November 5 midterm elections. So, it seems, the notion of masks as a prophylactic measure has skipped the consciousness of several generations. While inspired by growing evidence that masks can reduce the spread of COVID-19, this seems deeply ironic in a province so opposed to face coverings that Qubec passed legislation that forbade people from receiving certain government services if their face was covered. The sick were blamed for failing to wear masks while abroad. 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. crivez un article et rejoignez une communaut de plus de 162 300 universitaires et chercheurs de 4 592 institutions. Crosby writes that flu cases in San Francisco declined in early November. So had the Coliseum dance hall in Rock Island, Ill. Aseptic spray, etc., said its advertisement, which reminded dancers to bring their masks. Again, a discussion of a specific piece of technology by itself is not enough. A pneumonic plague epidemic in China in 1910-11 sparked widespread mask-wearing there. Newspapers used the cartoon to illustrate coverage of a special bulletin from Surgeon General Rupert Blue about the flu and how Americans could protect themselves from it. One announcement featuring a large picture of a masked woman urged, with unusual phrasing, Do not take any persons breath. In Cincinnati, a board of health sign posted on streetcars told everyone to Keep Your Bedroom Windows Open! Like many other PSAs, the sign emphasized that precautions against the flu could also prevent the spread of other deadly infectious diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis. But we are fortunate to have an example from history, a sample in time, that we can study and hopefully learn from today. The health officer paid a $5 fine and the mayor later paid a $50 fine, but unlike other mask slackers, they received no prison time (not to mention no one shot at them). It's also important to point out that masks in 1918 were nothing like the masks we have now. The second wave, however, had symptoms that were actually very similar to COVID-19. Fine, said Hollenshurt, the dern thingll be over by then. Well make certain about it, then, said the judge. 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. All Rights Reserved. In Highland County, the disease some notable parallels to the current pandemic in 2020. He has served on the board of directors of the Valencia County Historical Society for 30 years; he has served as the societys president several times. Yet it hasnt always been the case that mask-wearing is an Asian proclivity. Asians wearing masks have been verbally and physically attacked. On October 25, 1918, the San Francisco Chronicle ran front page pictures of the citys top judges and leading politicians all wearing face masks. Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Primary Sources: Wiley Digital Archives of Academic Societies, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License. As the number of new cases of Spanish Flu surged in the new year, the mask ordinance was implemented again, effective 17 January 1919. Globally, more people were killed by the influenza than by World War I, a concurrent, global conflict that lasted twice as long as the pandemic. Soon there was no escaping wearing a mask. Most of the accused accepted their fines or short sentences. Americans either made their masks, with instructions in their newspapers, or acquired them for free, especially from the Red Cross. Fold it twice, so that it will fit an envelope. Perhaps that is because in the intervening years Asia has dealt with ongoing outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and other transmittable diseases, right up to SARS in 2003 and avian flu more recently. In October 1918, as San Francisco received the pandemics second wave, hospitals began reporting a rise in the number of infected patients. Residents continued to wear their masks through the November 5 midterm elections. 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