Whether or not to mask, who should be masking, and where and
when masks should be worn are questions of millions of Americans in the
Covid-19 era. It isn’t the first time questions were pondered. Americans wore masks during the Spanish Flu era, 1918-1920.
One-hundred years later, masking is not without controversy and has come full
circle.
Merriam-Webster online
dictionary says, “full circle” is an adverb meaning “through a series of
developments that lead back to the original source, position, or situation or
to a complete reversal of the original position – usually used in the phrase
‘come full circle’.” Masks have come full circle.
Uncle Sam was providing advice on the epidemic and issuing
health bulletins as early as October 1918. Surgeon General Ruppert Blue said
that the infection was “probably” not Spanish in origin and that people needed
to guard against “droplet infection.” He continued saying whatever the germ
might be, it was spread through the air, and no doubt spread as dust coming
from dried mucous, coughing and sneezing, or from the carless who spit on the
floors and sidewalks. It was pointed out that while one might have a mild
attack of disease, his germs could cause a severe attack in others.
Blue urged communities to prevent any public gatherings as a
means of stopping the spread of disease, however it was each municipality that needed
to act on its own. Blue called upon single women and the wives of soldiers to
serve in Army camps and for others to serve on the home front. The Student Reserve
Nurse Corp was born. Carlton’s Anna Mae Kocmich was among the 7 Kewaunee County
women applying to the nursing program and was the first to be called. Anna Mae
died at Fort Green Greenleaf at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, within weeks of
entering government service. Anna Mae is the lone Kewaunee County woman listed
as giving her life for the war effort.
During 1918, a top military physician touted another of the
advantages of masks in a contagious situation: the wearer has a tough time getting
his hands to his mouth thus remembers safety and does not soil his hands. The
doctor pointed out that until one can make masks of several layers of fine
gauze, a handkerchief will do for safety. It was stressed one should take care
not to turn the mask inside out or the blunder would be like the man who washed
cherries in a glass of water, and then drank the water after eating the
cherries.
Additionally pointed out in 1918 was that those with the contagion
needed bed rest. If the caregiver flitted around too much, the patient was
affected. Such unnecessary movements also increased the chance of picking up
more germs and carrying the infection to others. If one took care of a patient,
the caregiver was advised to wear a gown or apron to cover one's clothes, and immediately
remove it for washing after leaving the patient.
When Algoma Record Herald published on December 18,
1920, it continued warning about hand sanitization, pointing that hands needed
frequent washing, and immediately after handling the sick, the bedding and the handkerchiefs
into which one sneezed, coughed or spits. Disposable tissues had yet to be
invented and cloth handkerchiefs were used, as were sleeves. The handkerchiefs
were to be burned or put into a covered container until they could be boiled
for 15 minutes, washed, and dried to be used with safety. Were sleeves immediately sanitized?
Just as in 2019 - and it was repeatedly called to attention
- few realized how many times a day one’s hands touched one’s face, nose, or
mouth. Those habits were hard to break and frequent handwashing was called for.
It is estimated that during
World War l, at least 50 million people died in the world-wide pandemic. Army
medical staff worked to control the spread by requiring “victims” to wear
masks. Military physicians felt that civilians who cared enough to practice
disease prevention could profit by wearing masks “without being forced to do so
at the point of a soldier’s bayonet.” Since contagious diseases are spread by
sneezing, coughing and spitting, Army surgeons felt if they could catch the
spit and destroy the germs before it reached the uninfected, they would be
safe. Army hospital staff wore masks to prevent incurring infections themselves
or carrying their own germs to patients. Surgeons felt since they could control
spit in the operating room through the use of masks, mothers and other
caregivers could do it too.
Mothers were advised to make
their own masks, using 3 or 4 layers of fine gauze, cut into 7” squares. A
piece of tape was to be sewn to each corner. The tape from upper corners were
tied behind the head while the lower tapes were to be tied behind the neck. When
the masks became moistened, they were to be replaced by dry masks. Wet masks needed 15 minutes of boiling after
which they could be handled, dried and worn again.. Masks of the 2020s are
generally disposable, however many wear washable masks.
The website https://www.businessinsider.com says, “The face mask is a political symbol in America, and what it represents has changed drastically in the 100 years since the last major pandemic.” The same site says that masks during the Spanish flu pandemic were symbols of patriotism for many but not for all. Most objectors were men.
Public health officials called attention to personal hygiene as being patriotic while featuring men and boys in ads and cartoons. It was said men did not practice a high level of personal hygiene and men felt masks were too feminine. Where mask wearing was enforced, many refused to do so while citing civil liberties. Men were also shown in ads calling for an end to the spitting on the floors and streets, something quite common in 1918. Spitting was also thought to spread tuberculosis and other contagious diseases. Ad from www.businessinsider.com
As silly as it seems in 2021, the high numbers of men in the
1918 ads pointed toward a time in history in which it was considered indecent
to show women in activities such as coughing or sneezing.
According to https://www.history.com/news, that although
the methods of 1918 were followed again in 2020-21, there are differences. The
electronic devices of today did not exist in 1918, when few even had
telephones. Newspapers and posters spread the news. Streetcar signs in
Philadelphia touted “Spit Spreads Death.” New York enforced no-spitting
ordinances and encouraged coughing into handkerchiefs. The health department
even warned against kissing except through a handkerchief. How much did that
happen, and who enforced the kissing regulations? San Francisco Chronicle
called those who did not wear masks “dangerous slackers.”
Abraham Lincoln said, “We cannot escape history.” That was
in 1862. History repeats itself and often goes full circle.
Sources: Algoma Record Herald, Kewaunee Enterprise; https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com; https://www.history.com/newsWikipedia
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