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Period: to
October 1918
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Advising Eating Onions to Combat Influenza Article
In this newspaper published in October of 1918, an article was published advising people to consume onions in order to combat the influenza epidemic. It was said in the article that eating onions will absorb any harmful bacteria, and allow you to recover from Influenza. At the time of publishing, this was a common scientific belief, but of course it is false. People of the time were ignorant to many commonly known medical facts today, therefore, many were looking for ways for protection. -
Article that Advertises Liquor to Combat Influenza
This here is an article published in a local paper that advertises liquor as a means of fighting the influenza epidemic. Similar to the article about the health benefits of onions, little legitimate scientific knowledge was used when coming to the conclusion. This article was likely either a desperate attempt at finding a household remedy to the illness or possibly a scheme to sell more liquor during hard times. Either way, the article displays the desperation of the citizens at this time. -
Photo of Street Sweeper Wearing Mask to Defend Against Influenza
This is a photograph of a man working as a street sweeper during the 1918 pandemic. Nothing is known of the man himself, as his face was concealed by the mask, however, the photograph displays yet another way of how people protected themselves from contagion at the time. Even while working, the man is wearing the mask, both for the safety of himself and others. Parallels between the 1918 pandemic and the 2020 pandemic can be seen in this photograph, as in the present, we are still using masks.