The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic: The History and Legacy of the World's Deadliest Influenza Outbreak

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Steve Marvel

"One of the startling features of the pandemic was its sudden flaring up and its equally sudden decline, reminding one of a flame consuming highly combustible material, which died down as soon as the supply of the material was exhausted. There is every reason to believe that, within a few weeks of its onset, the infection was universally present in the nose and throat of the people, disseminated by mouth spray given off on talking by innumerable carriers and, in addition, by the coughing and sneezing of the sick. Susceptibility was very general, though it varied greatly in degree. Among those who escaped well marked sickness there are few who could not recall having had an occluded or running nose, or a raw feeling in the throat, or a cough, or aches and pains, at some time during the period of the prevalence of the disease, these probably representing the price such persons paid for their immunization." - Dr. Bernard Fantus

In many ways, it is hard for modern people living in first-world countries to conceive of a pandemic sweeping around the world and killing millions of people. And it is even harder to believe that something as common as influenza could cause such widespread illness and death. Although the flu still takes hundreds of lives each year, most of those lost are very young or old or ill with something else that had already weakened them. In fact, most people contract influenza at least once, and many suffer from the flu several times in their lives and survive it with a minimum amount of medical attention.

In 1918, the world was still in the throes of the Great War, the deadliest conflict in human history at that point, but while World War I would be a catastrophic war surpassed only by World War II, an unprecedented influenza outbreak that same year inflicted casualties that would make both wars pale in comparison.

©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors

Good and short historical read!

Informative, about the time. We haven't improved our containment of pandemics since this era, in USA.

My Gradfather lived thought he Spanish flu

Excellent history of the pandemic,
We learn it goes out With a bang
It was much worse in 1918 then today
In terms of deaths
Thank god for science in 2022

If you’ve seen the PBS documentary on the Spanish Flu you’ve heard this.

I was very disappointed to ralize that this is merely someone reading the transcript of the American Experience documentary on the Spanish Flu. I’ve seen the documentary many times and it is excellent. I highly revommend it. But this is but a dull echo. Watch the documentary instead. Very disappointed. Thought I was hearing something new.

very thorough

really enjoyed it and good narration, at least I thought it was an accurate account

take time to listen

this book opens the eyes to how much better health care is and how much better our medical community is educated and informed. it helps the reader understand why the civilized nations took the steps they did to bolster the governmental arm of the medical community.