{"id":12379,"date":"2020-04-21T09:03:07","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T13:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/?p=12379"},"modified":"2020-05-20T19:03:22","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T23:03:22","slug":"history-repeating-comparing-covid-19-and-spanish-flu-in-regina-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/history-repeating-comparing-covid-19-and-spanish-flu-in-regina-post\/","title":{"rendered":"History repeating: Comparing COVID-19 and Spanish flu in Regina -Post"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Author of the article:<\/p>\n

Ashley Martin<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Regina Leader-Post<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Publishing date:<\/p>\n

3\u00a0hours ago<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 7 minute read<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"REGINA,<\/img><\/span>
A monument to the victims of the Spanish Flu stands in a graveyard in Regina.<\/span> BRANDON HARDER<\/span> \/ Regina Leader-Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Regina\u2019s news headlines today bear a striking resemblance to those in The Morning Leader 102 years ago.<\/p>\n

Back then, the health concern was epidemic influenza from the so-called Spanish flu.<\/a> Today, it\u2019s the COVID-19 pandemic coronavirus.<\/p>\n

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History repeating: Comparing COVID-19 and Spanish flu in Regina<\/span> Back to video<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/header>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

The viruses shared symptoms \u2014 including fever, dry cough and tiredness. And community leaders ordered similar tactics for managing the spread\u00a0 \u2014 including social distancing,<\/a>closing some businesses,<\/a> and wearing masks.<\/p>\n

(One apparent difference, in 1918 toilet paper hoarding never caught on.)<\/p>\n

In any case, it seems we\u2019re doing it better in 2020. Five weeks into the pandemic in Saskatchewan, we\u2019ve only seen four deaths across the province due to COVID-19.<\/p>\n

In 1918, Regina\u2019s first Spanish flu casualty was on Oct. 6. By Nov. 8, 208 people had died of influenza \u2014 just in Regina, which had a population of about 30,000 at the time.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a closer look at Regina\u2019s Spanish flu trends.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Cleanliness and germs<\/h3>\n

The consistent COVID-19 mantra has been wash your hands often, don\u2019t touch your face, and keep at least two metres away from other people.<\/p>\n

Provincial health commissioner Dr. Maurice Macdonald Seymour had similar advice pertaining to the Spanish flu: \u201cKeep in good health, avoid crowds, and don\u2019t sneeze or cough when anyone is close by \u2026\u201d the Leader reported on Oct. 15, 1918.<\/p>\n

Seymour stated in a later article, in that era \u201cdroplet infection\u201d was just newly recognized. That is, \u201cthe fine droplets thrown out from the mouth in coughing, sneezing, speaking, singing, etc.\u201d Or, what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might call \u201cspeaking moistly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the fall of 1918, the R.H. Williams and Sons department store ran an almost-daily full-page ad in the Leader. One of those ads included a list of 18 products to serve as \u201chelpful preparations\u201d for the Spanish flu, including \u201cperoxide of hydrogen\u201d (ranging in price from 25 to 65 cents) and \u201cLysol disinfectant and antiseptic\u201d (ranging from 30 cents to $1).<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/img><\/span>
Dr. M.R. Bow was Regina\u2019s medical health officer and Dr. M.M. Seymour was Saskatchewan\u2019s provincial health commissioner during the Spanish flu epidemic in fall 1918.<\/span> Morning Leader<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Masks for protection<\/h3>\n

On Oct. 1, Seymour had advised that patients wear masks,<\/a> and people coming into contact with patients wear masks. On Oct. 24, he restated that the use of masks was \u201cimperative among those attending the sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the same day barbers across Regina began wearing \u201cflu masks,\u201d recognizing \u201cthe danger to the barbers in having to work over persons for so long as 15 minutes without any protection.\u201d This was after Mr. Heisy, a barber from Rouleau, died of influenza.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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On Oct. 25, \u201cMrs. L.Y. McKinney of 2145 Albert St., was the first person to appear in Regina streets wearing an influenza mask. The mask was soaked in Lysol and was worn as a precautionary measure.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Leader on Oct. 30, R.H. Williams and Sons\u2019 store ad read:\u00a0\u201cEminent physicians throughout the country advise all women to wear chiffon veils as a protection against influenza.\u201d The store offered four colours: \u201cmaise, blue, sand and black.\u201d<\/p>\n

That night, Regina city council\u2019s influenza relief committee directed citizens to wear gauze masks as a preventive measure in closed quarters \u2014 but not on the streets.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMasks worn on the street prevent the inhalation of fresh air, which is generally recognized as the best germ-fighter in existence,\u201d the Leader wrote.<\/p>\n

Likewise, about a month into COVID-19, it was being recommended to wear masks while in public.<\/a><\/p>\n

Liquor\u2019s healing properties<\/h3>\n

When Saskatchewan announced its list of essential businesses on March 25, 2020, there were a few comments criticizing the decision to keep liquor stores open.<\/p>\n

In 1918, the government in another way deemed alcohol essential \u2014 by withdrawing part of the Temperance Act. Before that order-in-council on Oct. 29, alcohol was only legally obtainable at a pharmacy with a doctor\u2019s prescription. With the legislation change, pharmacists could sell up to eight ounces of liquor to a person living within five miles of a store without a doctor\u2019s prescription.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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E.A. Jolly, owner of Jolly\u2019s Drug Stores \u2014 which ran ads for eucalyptus oil as the \u201cbest thing\u201d to prevent Spanish flu \u2014 said this would help meet the \u201cterrific demands\u201d of the virus. With 11 doctors in the city ill at the time, prescriptions were harder to come by.<\/p>\n

Jolly \u2014 who was pulling 18-hour days during the epidemic \u2014\u00a0attested on Nov. 3, 1918, that \u201cdoctors, many of them, have told me personally that brandy was not only a preventive for influenza, but also a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cI have no hesitancy \u2026 in saying that I could not recommend a better preventive or more certain cure for influenza than brandy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Leader also cited a \u201cleading druggist,\u201d who \u201chad no hesitation in recommending whiskey as a splendid means of breaking up a cold if taken hot in bed and if the patient kept warm,\u201d although he couldn\u2019t guarantee it as a cure.<\/p>\n

In 2020, doctors have not touted alcohol as a cure for COVID-19, but one person on the Leader-Post Facebook deemed it necessary for something else: \u201cStay locked indoors with your wife and kids and tell me after 14 days if alcohol or pot is essential.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/img><\/span>
A collage of articles and advertisements from The Leader in October and November 1918, during the Spanish flu epidemic.<\/span> Morning Leader<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hoarding illegal<\/h3>\n

Toilet paper hoarding didn\u2019t seem to hit Regina circa 1918. According to printed ads \u2014 which never screamed \u201csold out\u201d \u2014 toilet paper that fall ranged from 13 cents a roll at its most expensive, to five cents at a bargain.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Food hoarding was on the radar, however, due to the First World War. And unlike today, it wasn\u2019t simply taboo or inadvisable; it was against the law.<\/p>\n

The Canada Food Board regulations implemented in 1918 prohibited hoarding on penalty of imprisonment and fines of $100 to $1,000. In early November, four men within a week had been fined for having excess amounts of flour and sugar in their possession.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood hoarding is being made a perilous occupation in Saskatchewan, due to the activity of the provincial police detective bureau, whose operatives are now waging a vigorous campaign against infringers of Canada food board regulations,\u201d the Leader reported on Nov. 5.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What privacy?<\/h3>\n

The Leader printed names and addresses of people who died during the Spanish flu epidemic, alongside the place of their death (at home, Regina General, St. Joseph\u2019s, Grey Nuns, Regina jail, etc.). Often, there were brief obituaries.<\/p>\n

Communities affected by the epidemic were no secret: On Oct. 11, 1918, the Leader wrote, \u201cSome of the points reporting the disease were: Prelate, Leader, Expanse, Avonlea, Sedley, Wolseley, Assiniboia, Willow Bunch, Bethune and Brownlee.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few days later, the names of sick doctors appeared in print.<\/p>\n

This is all markedly different from today\u2019s COVID-19 reports.<\/a> Citing individuals\u2019 privacy rights, the Saskatchewan Health Authority will not name specific communities outside of Regina and Saskatoon as having been affected by the virus \u2014 the exception being in cases of mass gatherings, like a snowmobile rally at Christopher Lake.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Gathering bans<\/h3>\n

Saskatchewan\u2019s first suspected COVID-19 case was on March 12, 2020, and gathering bans were implemented almost immediately. Schools and city facilities were closed within days. People criticized Saskatchewan\u2019s 2020 leaders for moving too slowly; keep that in mind as you read the following.<\/p>\n

Despite the first influenza death on Oct. 6, 1918, doctors agreed \u201cit would be altogether too drastic a step to impede the commercial and social life of the city by closing down all large institutions and gathering places such as churches, schools, theatres, picture palaces and the street railway system.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It wasn\u2019t until mid-October \u2014\u00a0with 12 deaths and 210 cases in Regina to that point \u2014 that the city\u2019s medical health officer Dr. Bow implemented so-called \u201cinfluenza bans\u201d and closed \u201call places of amusement, including theatres, moving picture theatres, poolrooms, billiard rooms, bowling alleys and dance halls; all public assemblies and public meetings, including churches and Sunday schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s three separate schools closed and were used as field hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst closed night sees deserted streets and empty street cars,\u201d the Leader reported on Oct. 18.<\/p>\n

Sports were cancelled. Collegiate evening classes were suspended. Regina College voluntarily quarantined. Eventually, non-criminal court proceedings were adjourned and business hours were limited. Restaurants were never ordered to shut.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Six people died of the flu on Oct. 22, the day public schools were closed \u2014 three weeks into the epidemic \u2014 in part because several teachers were sick and so many children were being kept home as a precaution.<\/p>\n

Social distancing and quarantines<\/h3>\n

You didn\u2019t hear \u201cflatten the curve\u201d in 1918, but there were orders that sick people stay home. As of Oct. 8, per an order-in-council, anyone with the flu had to isolate for a week, and their house had to be placarded.<\/p>\n

But there were \u201chandicaps\u201d to containing the spread, including \u201cthe impossibility, under the present system, of enforcing quarantine; (and) the large number of people who are walking around the city on their usual business suffering quite unknowingly from mild cases of influenza, but who are capable of giving infection, which frequently is of a serious nature, to those with whom they come in contact.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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(The latter point is a concern in 2020, too; to the former point, there are fines today for breaking quarantine.)<\/p>\n

On the first Sunday without church, people found other places to gather: \u201cThe parks were popular resorts for family parties.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, when it came to the war, social distancing was quickly forgotten. On Oct. 22, plans went ahead for a \u201cmass meeting\u201d of canvassers for the Victory Loan to finance the war. When the Armistice was signed on Nov. 11, \u201cHamilton Street was packed from curb to curb.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a train of 120 soldiers returned to Regina on Oct. 11, it was taken directly to the exhibition grounds\u2019 new grandstand for a week of quarantine \u2014 but the soldiers were \u201callowed to receive visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch for Part 2 of History Repeating tomorrow, exploring the Spanish flu\u2019s impacts on entertainment in Regina, and how it compares to the COVID-19 situation.<\/em><\/p>\n

amartin@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author of the article:Ashley Martin \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Regina Leader-PostPublishing date:3\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 7 minute readA monument to the victims of the Spanish Flu stands in a graveyard in Regina. BRANDON HARDER \/ Regina Leader-PostArticle contentRegina\u2019s news headlines today bear a striking resemblance to those in The Morning Leader 102 years ago.Back then, the health concern was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[120,162,161,157],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12379"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16322,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12379\/revisions\/16322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}