At the end of the introduction to American Pandemic, Nancy Bristow writes, we owe the victims of the pandemic and ourselves a fuller understanding of the tragedies of 1918, an understanding that might help us better serve each other when the next crisis comes. (13). For the last two years, we have been living through the next crisis with COVID19. Our understanding of what it means to survive, to grieve, to lose is astute because of our own experiences with the current pandemic. This assignment asks you to draw connections between past and present.
In an essay, describe the roles that public health officials and medical professionals (doctors, nurses, Red Cross volunteers) played in the 1918 pandemic. What advice did these experts promote? How did they try to stop the spread of the disease? How did they treat those infected by it? What narratives were told about these experts and what stories did they tell about themselves during the pandemic and in its wake? Then consider the roles that these same professionals are playing in our current pandemic. What similarities and differences can you identify? Make sure to explore the ways in which race, ethnicity, gender and class shaped these stories as well as Americans experience with pandemic disease in general. Consider how these forces shaped which stories were told the loudest and remembered the longest, as there are power dynamics at work in remembering. Do you think the same will be true of health professionals today?
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