All day
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"Protect Yourself Against Influenza!" Newspaper Advertisements during the 1918 Epidemic
(Academic)
The advertisements in this exhibition appeared in newspapers during the height of the "Spanish Influenza." This epidemic of an especially deadly form of influenza began in army camps on the East Coast in September 1918 and then spread rapidly across the United States, resulting in an estimated 675,000 deaths by early 1919, in the United States alone. These advertisements demonstrate how commercial interests responded to a public health crisis. Many advertisements made promises that their products could protect individuals from getting the influenza. Other products were designed to prevent the spread of disease by ensuring hygienic practices. For victims of influenza, certain products promised relief of symptoms, while still others promised a cure for the disease. By invoking medical authorities such as doctors and public health officials, these advertisements sought to add credibility to their claims, even though the medical establishment did not endorse these alleged remedies.
Exhibition director: Tom Ewing, CLAHS and Department of History
Poster Designer: Brooks Tiffany, Department of English
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231-8881