Spit Spreads Death: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 in Philadelphia

The Mütter Museum will present a virtual program on the history of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic and the virus that caused it. It will cover the role of World War I in spreading the disease, the scientific and public-health responses to the outbreak, how it contributed to medical knowledge, and how it continues to influence the ways we manage infectious diseases today. The program will be live-streamed on Monday, November 9, from 7 to 9 p.m.

The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic — which became known as the “Spanish flu,” although its actual country of origin is unknown — infected nearly one-third of all humans on Earth, and resulted in over 50 million deaths. Philadelphia, where roughly 17,500 people died from it, was the worst-hit city in the United States. 

Despite its significant impact on human history, many people today have never heard of what some have called the “forgotten pandemic.” 

The program is part of the Friends of the Swarthmore Public Library’s Sharon Ford Concert and Lecture Series. Register here.