Homefront Heroes in the 1918 Pandemic (original) (raw)
2020, Madison County FL Genealogical Society
Medicine back in the early 1900s was part science and part home cures. Scientists were beginning to unravel the causes of infectious disease and developing vaccines for prevention. So, while doctors who practiced in Madison County during the 1918 pandemic might have been able to diagnosis the Spanish flu (which wasn't really from Spain), they had little science to call upon once a person became ill. They treated symptoms with aspirin, cold compresses and overthe-counter remedies such as Vapo-Rub, Horlick's Malted Milk, Bromo Quinine, even whiskeyand little else. No matter the treatment, entire families, healthy farmers, young housewives, pregnant women, newborn babies, and elders died within a few days. A review of 167 Madison County death certificates between October 1918 and February 1919 shows that 82% of the deaths were caused by influenza, flu, Spanish flu, pneumonia, la grippe or something similar. No one was exempt. Nearly two dozen doctors had practices in Madison County at the time. They had offices in brick-front buildings, drug stores or in their homes. And, they made house calls. To get around the county, some, like Drs. David Yates, George Davis, Walter Mickler and Lewell Ruter, had automobiles, but many still traveled by horse-drawn buggies. Although there were a surprising number of physicians in the county, about 25% of influenza patients suffered and died with no doctor in attendance. In those cases, a family member or funeral home employee usually gave details for the death certificate. For example, when Bartow Irving, a 28-year old black farmer, died December 28, 1918 in Greenville, his father, Willis Irving, said, "Cause of death I guess was influenza." Mr. Irving's guess was probably right. The deadly disease was so rampant it brought population growth to a standstill. The annual mortality rate in Madison County jumped to 14.4% and population dropped from 16, 919 in 1910 to 16,516 in 1920. The county did not recover for decades. Twenty doctors signed 137 death certificates for influenza victims over five months. Twelve were local physicians and eight came from nearby counties. Drs.