Existing comment:
What could be done to treat the flu in 1918?
The short answer is, unfortunately, very little.
By the time of the global outbreak of a new strain of influenza in 1918, great medical strides had already been made in learning about and, in some cases, preventing many deadly diseases, such as smallpox, anthrax, rabies, diphtheria, and meningitis. However, the flu virus had yet to be identified. In addition, while it was well known that bacteria could cause disease, there were not yet antibiotic medicines to treat them.
Nurses and doctors worked tirelessly to make flu patients comfortable by prescribing rest, hot diets, and medicine for fever, but there was nothing they could do to treat or cure the then unknown cause of the illness. A flu vaccine approved for widespread use would not be available for another three decades. |