The Flu Epidemic of 1918 in Paterson: A Retrospective

Abstract

More than 100 years ago, a pandemic gripped the state of New Jersey—the Spanish influenza. This article is a narrative of events described in Paterson, New Jersey, newspapers at that time. The authors have refrained from drawing parallels to modern times; however, readers will notice the 1918 events carried elements of denial, hysteria, anger, randomness, loss of income, and profound grief that readers can no doubt relate to today. The article is modeled after the amazing Influenza Archive created by the University of Michigan’s Center for the History of Medicine (influenzaarchive.org). The authors highly recommend a visit to this website to see how the flu affected other areas around the country. As readers will see, this article is also a case study in the meaningful scholarship that can be created by students during internships.