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PBS Film "Influenza 1918" - Link

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Printed Date: April 26 2024 at 2:47am


Topic: PBS Film "Influenza 1918" - Link
Posted By: Guests
Subject: PBS Film "Influenza 1918" - Link
Date Posted: February 04 2006 at 10:40am
"INFULUENZA 1918"
Program Description

The first reaction of the authorities was, for many of the most important
ones, just flat-out denial. This was simply too large an event for them to
deal with, not only in policy, but to even to think about constructively.

So,the chief health officer of New York, a man named Royal Copeland,
denied it when it became undeniable. He said it wasn't any great danger.
He talked a good game throughout the entire, epidemic and there were
other people like him right across the United States. It's easy to blame
these people in retrospect, but, of course, we have the advantage of
hindsight. This was simply too big for them to take in as fast as they
needed to take it in. If it had been a slow-moving epidemic, maybe they
would have had a month, two months to realize, yeah, it really is
happening out there. Instead, down the telegraph wires would come
these almost unbelievable stories. If they were believable you're supposed
to do something, if they were unbelievable, you didn't have to do
anything. A lot of health officers were, and a lot of politicians to whom
the health officers would have to con, people they'd have to convince,
preferred not to face it.

Excerpts from PBS 1918 Spanish Flu documentary.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/filmmore/reference/
interview/drcrosby3.html

"Influenza 1918" is the story of the worst epidemic the United States has
ever known. Before it was over, the flu would kill more than 600,000
Americans--more than all the combat deaths of this century combined.

"For the survivors we spoke to," says producer Robert Kenner, "the
memory is one of horror and fear--which may explain why many
Americans were willing to let those few terrible months fade into
obscurity. Schoolchildren know more about the Black Plague from
centuries ago than they do about this episode in our recent history."


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/filmmore/reference/
interview/drcrosby3.html


Replies:
Posted By: bruss01
Date Posted: February 04 2006 at 10:50am

Buy it here:

http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=2151690 - http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=2151690

This also of interest:

http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=1756740 - http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=1756740


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: February 04 2006 at 4:15pm


Brusso1,


Thanks.


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