The Spanish Flu at Willard Parker Hospital, New York City 1918
Faculty Department
History and Political Science
Presentation Type
Powerpoint
Location
H339
Zoom Link
Start Date
26-2-2025 4:55 PM
End Date
26-2-2025 5:15 PM
Description (Abstract)
My presentation will be in two parts. The first part will provide a brief overview of the material that I found in the archives of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London. I went to London using a FSAAC Faculty Research Grant in 2024. The IWM has thousands of letters from survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic, and I went there looking for letters from the United States.
The second part of the presentation will focus on the research and writing that I did during my sabbatical in the Fall of 2024. In addition to reading through the hundreds of letters that I brought back from London, I also conducted research on hospitals in New York City during the influenza pandemic. I will present a short case study of how one New York City hospital, Willard Parker Hospital, experienced the pandemic in 1918. Willard Parker Hospital saw some of the city's first cases of influenza and had to rapidly transition from treating primarily diphtheria and measles in children to treating mostly adults with the flu. I'll describe how the hospital staff did this and how successful they were in navigating the worst pandemic of the 20th Century.
Keywords
Spanish Flu, Influenza Pandemic, New York City, Willard Parker Hospital
Related Pillar(s)
Community, Service, Study
The Spanish Flu at Willard Parker Hospital, New York City 1918
H339
My presentation will be in two parts. The first part will provide a brief overview of the material that I found in the archives of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London. I went to London using a FSAAC Faculty Research Grant in 2024. The IWM has thousands of letters from survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic, and I went there looking for letters from the United States.
The second part of the presentation will focus on the research and writing that I did during my sabbatical in the Fall of 2024. In addition to reading through the hundreds of letters that I brought back from London, I also conducted research on hospitals in New York City during the influenza pandemic. I will present a short case study of how one New York City hospital, Willard Parker Hospital, experienced the pandemic in 1918. Willard Parker Hospital saw some of the city's first cases of influenza and had to rapidly transition from treating primarily diphtheria and measles in children to treating mostly adults with the flu. I'll describe how the hospital staff did this and how successful they were in navigating the worst pandemic of the 20th Century.
Short Biography
Eric Cimino is the Chair of the History and Political Science Department at Molloy. His research focuses on social welfare and public health in early Twentieth Century New York City.