The Spanish Flu Epidemic and its Influence on History - Hardcover

Breitnauer, Jaime

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1526745178 ISBN 13: 9781526745170

Publisher: Pen and Sword History, 2019

Synopsis

Where did Spanish flu come from, and what can the possible sites of origin tell us today? We look at how Spanish flu changed the focus of scientific thought from eugenics to the creation of public health, and how it unfolded across each continent.

In Budapest, a lone woman dies quietly on a bench in the late afternoon sun, while in South Africa, a group of men plunge to their death in the blackness of a mine shaft elevator. In London, a loving father takes his daughter’s life while in Austria a man grieves for his unborn baby trapped inside his dead wife’s body. In Western Samoa, entire villages are wiped out in a matter of days and in India, the river Ganges becomes clogged with bloated corpses and the pungent smell of disease …

This is not some post-apocalyptic future, but the reality of Spanish flu, which claimed the lives of around 100-million people globally between 1918 and 1920. Often overshadowed by the tragedy of the Great War, this book walks us through the lives of some of the victims, discusses the science behind the disease, and asks, what will the next pandemic look like?

About this title

About the Author

J. S. Breitnauer is a British born writer and editor who divides her time between the UK and New Zealand. A graduate in History and Sociology, and holder of an MA in Culture, Class and Power in Europe from 1850, both from the University of Warwick, Breitnauer has a particular interest in twentieth century history and the effects of disease and war on society.

Breitnauer has worked as a journalist and editor since 2003, contributing to a wide variety of newspapers, magazines and journals in the UK, New Zealand and the UAE, as well as contributing chapters to two Lonely Planet guides and parenting title Is it Bedtime Yet?. She has also worked for the Anne Frank Trust UK and The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. In her writing, Breitnauer likes to focus on individual stories that add a personal dynamic to historical fact, to step into the shoes of those who were there, and experience a moment of their lives.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pen and Sword History
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1526745178
• ISBN 13: 9781526745170
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160