The impact of the Spanish influenza pandemic in Saskatchewan, 1918-1919
Date
1989
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
In the autumn of 1918 a deadly pandemic swept the
world. The so-called "Spanish" influenza epidemic, and its
most deadly side-effect, pneumonia, killed between 50 and
100 million people worldwide.
The epidemic created havoc in the medical profession
because it was an apparently familiar disease run rampant.
Doctors and researchers were baffled by influenza's
etiology, the symptoms it displayed, and its spread. The
epidemic occurred at a time when many of the important
diseases of man had been conquered. The profession was
fresh from their victory over typhoid, smallpox, and
diptheria on the battlefield when influenza struck.
In Canada the epidemic was a significant force behind
the creation of the federal Department of Health. It
compelled public health boards across the country to re-evaluate
their notions of contagious disease and its causes.
In urban Saskatchewan the epidemic was the catalyst for
change in the way public relief was administered. With a
great proportion of the population sick and dying,
communities were forced to admit that volunteerism alone was inadequate. There came a realization that government must
take responsibility for the sick.
Urban communities also "discovered" their poor. The epidemic revealed that injustices and inequities in life
were repeated in death. Organized workers responded to this
ultimate injustice using the only means they had available.
It firmed the resolve of many workers to take part in the
sympathy strikes that occurred across the prairies in
response to the Winnipeg general strike.
Rural Saskatchewan bore the brunt of the epidemic.
Isolated and without even rudimentary medical attendance,
homesteaders were easy prey for the epidemic. In its wake
organized farmers demanded accessible medical attendance and
rural hospitals and took the initial steps toward a
universal medical care system.
The influenza epidemic was a significant force for
change in Saskatchewan. No one was left untouched by the
experience. Besides forcing a re-evaluation of government's
role in caring for its constituents, it also caused, or
added to, much of the wearines and discontent that was so
characteristic of Canada after the Great War .
Description
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Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
History
Program
History