Recently there was a re-broadcast of the "American Experience" episode on the great flu pandemic of 1918 (entitled "Influenza 1918"; program transcript and other materials are available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/filmmore/index.html
Additonal sources on the 1918 flue pandemic is available at: http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/ http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no01/05-0979.htm http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/influenza-epidemic/ http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum/collections/archives/agalleries/1918flu/1918flu.html http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7531/1536 Given that the 1918 flu pandemic killed over 50 millions people worldwide, that it significantly affected daily life in the U.S. (the American Experiences episode makes this clear), and given the uncertainty about its origin and the possibility of its re-emergence, I'd like to ask a couple of questions that were raised in the AE episode" (1) Why is so little about this pandemic included in our school curriculum, especially in history and biology courses, and (2) Even though it had a tremendous impact on popular culture at the time, a social amnesia seems to have developed about it, with few people remembering or knowing about it (the AE episode shows several survivors who provide oral histories about their experience with the flu). One of the more obvious manifestations of fear of the flu was the widespread use of surgical masks in public to prevent transmission (as it would turn out, the masks were inadequate). How could something so horrific be forgotten? What might be the cognitive and social processes involved in such "social amnesia"? Might it be due to overly optimistic expectations that such a thing cannot happen again and an avoidance of review of the events? One reason I ask is because today in the U.S. we are seeing scenes of widespread flooding in the U.S. midwest, devastating communities which were built in flood plains (i.e., land areas that a river, like the Mississippi, sometimes span over). Indeed, the floods are pretty bad but similar floods had occurred previously in the 1990's and periodically before that. Undoubtedly, some people will return after the floods have gone and will rebuild their homes in the flood plain, only to have them flooded again at some time in the not too distant future. Why? -Mike Palij New York University [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
