FAIRMONT

Late fall and early winter are notorious for being times when respiratory illnesses and the “flu” seems to rear its ugly head.

Precautions can be made with hand washing and influenza vaccinations, but there was a time when flu vaccines didn’t exist and preventive methods for avoiding the “flu” were not as well practiced.

Currently, in addition to the annual influenza concerns, the coronavirus has created a global concern about a potential pandemic, a disease that could be prevalent throughout the world.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, and which has now been detected in 37 locations internationally, including the United States.

The pandemic of 1918-1919, a deadly killer of people in the 20-40 age groups, came in three waves. The first occurred when mild cases of influenza erupted in the late spring and summer of 1918. The second involved a severe outbreak of influenza in the fall of 1918. The final wave took place in the spring of 1919. This pandemic left 20 million dead across the world, including 675,000 in the United States.”

In the United States, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. It is estimated that about 500 million people, or one-third of the world’s population, became infected with the virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide, with about 675,000 occurring in the United States.

In Minnesota, the Paulson family of Wells was one of the first to be sickened by the outbreak. Three of the Paulson children were in the military fighting the Great War. On Sept. 14, they received word that one son in the military had caught pneumonia. Within three days, they were notified of his death. Shortly thereafter, another brother and a sister in the Paulson family succumbed to the flu.

By the end of September, a large number of army recruits being temporarily housed at the University of Minnesota became ill. In less than a week after influenza was first reported, Minneapolis had more than 1,000 cases.

On Oct. 10, all public meetings were banned and, on the 11th, all schools, churches, theaters, dance halls and billiard parlors were closed. By the time the pandemic ended in Minnesota in 1920, 75,000 people had been sickened and 12,000 were dead.

The 1918 flu pandemic also left its insidious mark on Martin County. Spanish influenza was reported in Welcome, Fox Lake and Sherburn. Fairmont physicians initially reported a number of cases of the usual “fall grip,” but no influenza. However, as time would tell, things quickly deteriorated.

In the fall of 1918, the pandemic seemed to be getting worse by the day. In October, newspaper accounts reported 40 flu cases in Fairmont. Other reports stated that Dr. Hunt and his son were treating cases in Blue Earth, Granada and surrounding towns, as well as Fairmont.

Fairmont schools, churches, Sunday schools and theaters were closed. Schools closed in October, reopened later, only to be closed again in November.

Precautions to prevent the flu were printed in the newspapers. They outlined the obvious, including hand washing and isolating yourself if ill. Other suggested preventatives listed were walking to work, keeping your teeth clean, gargling and wearing face masks. In addition, detailed instructions were printed as to how to actually make effective face masks. Whether any of these measures were effective or were actually followed by the public is unclear.

Local doctors and their families were not immune from the disease. The Oct. 25, 1918, issue of the Martin County Sentinel reported the death of Dr. George Panzer of Truman. The story stated that after an exhaustive three weeks of tending to his patients who had the flu, he became ill with the flu himself and died. Dr. Panzer had only been a Truman resident for about one year.

It was also reported that the wife of Dr. Strobel of Welcome died of the flu.

Interestingly enough, it seemed that the use of liquor was advocated to some extent as a means of curing or preventing the flu. The Dec. 13, 1918, edition of the Martin County Sentinel stated the following in a story warning against the use of liquor: “An insidious propaganda has been carried on by the liquor interests to the effect that whiskey is a prevention and cure for influenza.” The article went on to relate the unfortunate experience of an individual on his deathbed stating that he had read an advertisement saying liquor was used to treat influenza and that he had drank whiskey as a result. It apparently had no positive effect, leading to his ultimate demise.

It is obvious from historical documentation that the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic took a severe toll on Martin County residents lingering well beyond the fall of 1918. There were few families that weren’t touched by sickness or death.

Influenza is obviously an illness to be respected and treated appropriately. The emergence of new and mutating viruses, such as the coronavirus, is a concern and an ongoing challenge to the CDC and the global health care community. The Spanish flu pandemic occurred more than 100 years ago. With today’s advancements in science and technology, it would seem that a pandemic could be avoided, or at least mitigated. We all hope that’s the case in today’s world.

For more information on this topic, or to become a member, visit the Pioneer Museum in Fairmont or its website at www.fairmont.org/mchs

Lenny Tvedten is executive director of the Martin County Historical Society.