| Home > Resources > Leadership > Executive Summary > Case Studies Case Study 1918 Pandemic Flu Provokes Discrimination and Altruism During the fall of 1918, Spanish influenza was exacting a devastating toll on communities across the globe. Baltimore, Maryland, was no exception, with 1 in 4 people becoming ill. As flu spread through the community, it provoked a range of responses from residents. On one hand, residents felt fearful and uncertain, and many began blaming particular ethnic and national groups, identifying them as the "source" of the disease. Some residents expressed anti-German sentiments by propagating rumors that a German nurse was spreading the disease. However, epidemic conditions also stimulated a sense of fellowship among many people. Baltimore residents were generous with their support. Volunteers loaned cars to nurses so that they could travel more quickly through the city; sewed gauze masks, garments, bed linens, and towels for military troops stricken with influenza; and cooked and delivered food to convalescent patients and their families. Reference Schoch-Spana, Monica (2004). "Lessons from the 1918 pandemic influenza: psychological consequences of a catastrophic outbreak of disease" in Bioterrorism: Psychological and Public Health Interventions, ed. R.J Ursano, A.E. Norwood and C. S. Fullerton: 38-55 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
