{"id":2414,"date":"2020-12-07T21:42:16","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T21:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/?p=2414"},"modified":"2023-08-08T16:12:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T16:12:46","slug":"handkerchief-that-cough-and-sneeze-snippets-from-the-daily-iowan-during-the-1918-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/2020\/12\/07\/handkerchief-that-cough-and-sneeze-snippets-from-the-daily-iowan-during-the-1918-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Handkerchief that cough and sneeze! Snippets from the Daily Iowan during the 1918 pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-03.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"321\" height=\"239\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Handkerchief-that-cough-1918-10-3.png\" alt=\"Image of Daily Iowan article &quot;Handkerchief that cough&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-2423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Handkerchief-that-cough-1918-10-3.png 321w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Handkerchief-that-cough-1918-10-3-300x223.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 321px) 100vw, 321px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>In 1918 and 1919, the Spanish flu pandemic swept through Iowa <a href=\"https:\/\/idph.iowa.gov\/Portals\/1\/userfiles\/33\/100%20Years%20Infographic%20Original_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killing over 6,000 people and infecting more than 93,000<\/a>. The archives of the <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daily Iowan<\/a> from this time period shed light onto what life was like during that time on campus and in the midst of World War I. While cootie garments are mentioned in the <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-04-14.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 14, 1918 Daily Iowan<\/a>, the cootie garments were not meant as protection against the pandemic; they were made by women for the military to keep the soldiers free from bugs and pests in the trenches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Articles about the Spanish flu are sprinkled throughout the Daily Iowan in the fall of 1918 during the second wave of the pandemic. <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-03.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Oct 3, 1918 Daily Iowan<\/a> says: \u2018A slogan suggested by Dr. Henry Albert, state bacteriologist, will do much to check the disease. \u2018\u2018Handkerchief that cough and sneeze\u201d is his advice.\u2019&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another part of the same issue reads: \u2018A new slogan, \u201cHandkerchief that cough and sneeze,\u201d needs no less attention because it is ungrammatical. It means public safety; it means saving of lives. With cases of the popularly termed Spanish influenza on the campus, an uncovered cough becomes an offense against public welfare.\u2019 The article also lists ways to stay safe given by Dr. John H. Hamilton, the state epidemiologist:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Avoid crowds or crowded places whenever possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not place your hands or objects in your mouth unless you know they are clean.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep in the best possible physical condition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eat plenty of wholesome, easily digested food at regular intervals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drink plenty of water\u2014at least, eight or ten glasses a day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take moderate outdoor exercise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sleep in a well ventilated room.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-06.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oct 6, 1918 Daily Iowan<\/a>, President Jessup issued regulations for the campus community to follow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c1. All members of the University unit,\u2014students, instructors and helpers, will be subjected to periodical health examinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Students will be directed to cover their mouths and noses with clean handkerchiefs or clean gauze when they sneeze or cough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Instructors will report to the main office, University Hospital, telephone 70, the name of any student who neglects to so cover his mouth and nose when he coughs or sneezes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Instructors will report to the main office of the University hospital, telephone 70, the name of any student whom they believe to be suffering from influenza, a cold, or any other disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5. The matrons of dormitories, sorority houses and rooming houses will report to the main office, University Hospital, telephone 70, the names of students who, on account of sickness, are unable to attend classes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The headline of the Oct 6 issue was \u201cIowa Defeats the Cornhuskers 12 to 0.\u201d It was the first time the Hawkeyes had won a football game against Nebraska in <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-08.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">19 years.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-06.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"237\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Iowa-defeats-Cornhuskers-1918-10-6-1024x237.png\" alt=\"Image of Daily Iowan headline &quot;Iowa Defeats the Cornhuskers 12 to 0&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-2427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Iowa-defeats-Cornhuskers-1918-10-6-1024x237.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Iowa-defeats-Cornhuskers-1918-10-6-300x70.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Iowa-defeats-Cornhuskers-1918-10-6-768x178.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Iowa-defeats-Cornhuskers-1918-10-6-640x148.png 640w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Iowa-defeats-Cornhuskers-1918-10-6.png 1092w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-10.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oct 10, 1918<\/a>: &#8216;\u201cEveryone should avoid getting the feet wet during the rainy weather,\u201d Dr. Henry Albert, state bacteriologist declares. Dampness causes the heat of the body to be lost readily and thus lowers the resistance. This not only favors the development of influenza, but tends to make the cases more severe and complicated, he states.\u201d&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-10.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"219\" height=\"395\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/1918-10-10-if-the-good-old-days.png\" alt=\"Image of article in Daily Iowan\" class=\"wp-image-2433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/1918-10-10-if-the-good-old-days.png 219w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/1918-10-10-if-the-good-old-days-166x300.png 166w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Another article in the Oct. 10th issue lamented the changes for students on campus due to the pandemic: &#8216;&#8221;The last leaf upon the tree,&#8221; shivered the senior girl as she hunted for her &#8220;pass&#8221; and covered a sneeze. &#8220;Why couldn&#8217;t I have graduated in the good old times, before we turned into West Point II and insolent little men in uniform sent dignified seniors trotting around for passes?&#8221;&#8216;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, in the Oct. 10<sup>th<\/sup> issue, an article stated that nasal sprays were harmful \u201cand may result in very serious operative cases\u201d attributed in part to Dr. H. J. Prentiss, head of the anatomy department. However, this was recanted in the Oct. 13<sup>th<\/sup> issue: \u201cThe Iowan was mistaken Thursday in quoting Dr. H. J. Prentiss to the effect that the use of atomizers and especially nasal sprays drives influenza germs into the sinuses and may result in serious operative cases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One article in the <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-13.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oct 13, 1918<\/a> issue of the Daily Iowan titled \u201cMental Influenza\u201d proclaimed: \u201cWorry is a waste, a disease. Some people worry over money and some people worry over the weather. Worry over influenza may be in the same class, that is, worry without any aim in view.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few days later, the <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-10-15.pdf\">Oct 15, 1918<\/a> an article in the Daily Iowan stated \u201cNurses at the University hospital are all working overtime and many are not taking their regular hours off duty. The day nurses begin duty at 7 a. m. and the night nurses at [illegible] p. m. Out of 135 nurses, 66 are ill and there are 22 probationers too ill for duty. All the probationers are helping and also the junior and senior medical students, dental students and S. A. T. C. men.\u201d (S.A.T.C. stands for Student Army Training Corps; you can read about the history of the S.A.T.C. in an article that our University Archivist has written called <a href=\"https:\/\/now.uiowa.edu\/2017\/04\/old-gold-us-and-sui-enter-world-war-i\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cOld Gold: US and SUI enter World War I.\u201d<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>World War I ended on November 11, 1918, and the headline in the <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-11-12.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daily Iowan on Nov. 12, 1918<\/a> was &#8220;University Celebrates Peace Holiday.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-11-12.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"229\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/University-celebrates-peace-holiday-1024x229.png\" alt=\"Cover image of Daily Iowan headline &quot;University celebrates peace holiday&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-2428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/University-celebrates-peace-holiday-1024x229.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/University-celebrates-peace-holiday-300x67.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/University-celebrates-peace-holiday-768x172.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/University-celebrates-peace-holiday-640x143.png 640w, https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/University-celebrates-peace-holiday.png 1086w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/1918\/di1918-12-03.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dec. 3, 1918 Daily Iowan<\/a> explains that after the university found 16 new cases of the flu, students were told to wear gauze masks and were not allowed to leave the city for around a week to 10 days in order to bring the pandemic under control. All campus activities were canceled, and the high school and elementary schools in Iowa City closed. Classes continued at the university and it was planned that the students would be able to go home for Christmas break. At that point, nearly 1200 students had been infected and were thought to be immune. Dec. 3<sup>rd<\/sup> is the final issue of the Daily Iowan for 1918 in the online archive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2005, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/Web\/Newsltr\/V15N1\/1918.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Spanish flu was sequenced<\/a> from the frozen remnants of a person who had died of it in 1918. The person\u2019s remains were found in 1997 in Brevig Mission, Alaska (formerly called Teller Mission). The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/nuccore\/?term=txid11320%5BOrganism%5D+Brevig+Mission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">eight segments of the sequence<\/a> can be viewed in GenBank. It was called the Spanish flu because it was first reported upon in a newspaper from Spain, but the origins of the Spanish flu remain unknown. The 1918 pandemic <a href=\"http:\/\/dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu\/DI\/2006\/di2006-04-06.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">resulted in the death of 7 student nurses and thirty-one students<\/a> at the University of Iowa. The complications of the Spanish flu, known now to be H1N1, were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/pandemic-resources\/reconstruction-1918-virus.html#blueprint\">fluid-filled lungs and pneumonia<\/a>. These severe health effects are thought to be due to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/nuccore\/AF116575.1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HA gene<\/a> of the 1918 virus. When the HA gene was replaced with a different strain, lab mice lived rather than died when infected with the reconstituted 1918 H1N1 virus in a <a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/18gddib\/TN_cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_68674905\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2005 study by Tumpey et al<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are interested in learning more about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, you can view virtual exhibits at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/exhibits\/influenza-epidemic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the National Archives<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalmuseum.mil\/index.cfm?p=visit.exhibits.virtual.1918killerflu.index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the National Museum of Health and Medicine<\/a>, or check out materials from the UI Libraries. If you need help, contact a librarian at <a href=\"mailto:lib-sciences@uiowa.edu\">lib-sciences@uiowa.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"62\" height=\"93\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Pandemic-1918-medical-holocaust.png\" alt=\"Book cover image of Pandemic 1918\" class=\"wp-image-2420\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"62\" height=\"93\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Flu-the-story-of-the-great-influenza-pandemic-book-cover.png\" alt=\"Book cover image of Flu the story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918\" class=\"wp-image-2421\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"62\" height=\"92\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Envisioning-disease-gender-and-war.png\" alt=\"Book cover image of Envisioning disease gender and war\" class=\"wp-image-2417\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"61\" height=\"91\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Pale-rider.png\" alt=\"Book cover image of Pale rider\" class=\"wp-image-2415\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"64\" height=\"94\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Fever-of-war.png\" alt=\"Book cover image of Fever of War\" class=\"wp-image-2418\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"62\" height=\"96\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Last-Irish-Plague.png\" alt=\"Book cover image of The last Irish plague\" class=\"wp-image-2416\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"61\" height=\"86\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/files\/2020\/12\/Influenza-1918-DVD.png\" alt=\"DVD cover image of Influenza 1918\" class=\"wp-image-2419\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/7nh330\/01IOWA_ALMA21670972730002771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pandemic 1918 : eyewitness accounts from the greatest medical holocaust in modern history<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/7nh330\/01IOWA_ALMA21377920020002771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Flu : the story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/7nh330\/01IOWA_ALMA21353194230002771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Envisioning disease, gender, and war : women&#8217;s narratives of the 1918 influenza pandemic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/7nh330\/01IOWA_ALMA21369398310002771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hunting the 1918 flu : one scientist&#8217;s search for a killer virus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/7nh330\/01IOWA_ALMA21727816620002771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pale rider : the Spanish Flu of 1918 and how it changed the world<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/7nh330\/01IOWA_ALMA21363448710002771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fever of war : the influenza epidemic in the U.S. Army during World War I<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/7nh330\/01IOWA_ALMA21481382950002771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The last Irish plague : the Great Flu Epidemic in Ireland 1918-19 <\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.lib.uiowa.edu\/permalink\/f\/7nh330\/01IOWA_ALMA21476747640002771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Influenza, 1918 (DVD)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1918 and 1919, the Spanish flu pandemic swept through Iowa killing over 6,000 people and infecting more than 93,000. The archives of the Daily Iowan from this time period shed light onto what life was like during that time on campus and in the midst of World War I. While cootie garments are mentioned<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/2020\/12\/07\/handkerchief-that-cough-and-sneeze-snippets-from-the-daily-iowan-during-the-1918-pandemic\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">&#8220;Handkerchief that cough and sneeze! Snippets from the Daily Iowan during the 1918 pandemic&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":223,"featured_media":2426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[230,229,231],"syndication":[41,37],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/223"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2414"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2794,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414\/revisions\/2794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2414"},{"taxonomy":"syndication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/syndication?post=2414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}