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A century ago, the Lorainites mourned the loss of their Aboriginal son and prayed for the swift end of the First World War.
But a rapidly spreading home disease has claimed the lives of more Lorain residents than fighting abroad.
In October 1918, Allied forces claimed victory after victory in European battles during the Great War.
But at the same time, the 1918 flu pandemic has hit the world, including Lorain.
This is a relatively brief episode compared to four years of trench warfare.
As a result, the spread of influenza and its local effects may be less well known than other historical events in Lorain, Ohio or elsewhere in the world.
"We have huge records of the First World War, but not much about the flu," said Kaitlyn Goss Donaldson, Collections Manager at the Lorain Historical Society.
But in Lorain, the flu epidemic would make 200 victims, more than the World War I and the 1924 Great Tornado combined.
It was just a city.
The flu has caused an estimated 50 million deaths worldwide, including 675,000 deaths in the United States, said Cindy Modie, Lorain Public Health County Community Health Director.
"I believe that the flu is one of the most neglected tragedies of the twentieth century," said Jim Smith, a local historian.
History of Lorain
Some historical references to the flu epidemic have emerged over the years.
The Lorain Historical Society has an American Red Cross nurse uniform worn by Mae Ginnane during the 1918 flu epidemic, Donaldson said.
Ginnane was among those caring for bed-ridden victims at Lorain High School, which has become an improvised hospital.
"A century of care," the 1992 memorial book published on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the former St. Joseph Hospital, briefly referred to the hospital and other buildings filled with victims of the flu.
Two nuns and a probationary nurse were infected with the flu and were among the 200 dead Lorainites.
Year 1918
As the weather cools, Ohio residents prepare to face the winter and flu season during the winter.
But the conditions in 2018 are different from those of the 1918 flu epidemic, said Modie.
"There was no flu shot in 1918," she said. "In fact, the flu virus was not even typed at the time."
The 1918 strain was a form of influenza A that was new at the time, said Modie.
"At the time, nobody had any protection," she said. "It was a brand new strain, so it was a pandemic. Nobody has been immune to this. "
Researchers and historians now believe that the flu began in Fort Riley, Kansas, among his troops.
"Yes, they were sick, but they were part of the army and there was a war, so they were shipped," said Modie.
They carried the disease to Europe, where it spread, and then returned to the United States.
Spain, the neutral country of the First World War, began tracking deaths.
An erroneous interpretation of Spanish efforts eventually led to a name, or misnomer, of the disease, known as "Spanish flu," said Modie.
By 2018, babies and the elderly could be more exposed to the effects of the flu.
A century ago, the 1918 flu affected young people between the ages of 20 and 30, said Modie.
"I'm trying to imagine it was a real pandemonium," she said. "Think about it, there is no effective treatment; they did not know what it was. "
In Lorain
The factors are identifiable with hindsight.
A century ago, the flu had led to drastic measures at the local level.
On October 7, 1918, the Lorain Times-Herald headlined: "The flu here but is not an epidemic."
The next day: "Here's how to check the" flu "."
City health worker Dr. Valloyd Adair advised patients to stay away from others.
Victims "would do well to stay in bed during the high fever period, not only for their own sake, but for the protection of others".
The situation quickly changed.
On October 11, 1918, the newspaper read: "Close the city to fight the flu."
Mayor A.J. Horn issued a proclamation: all movies, theaters, churches and Sunday schools, all schools and dance halls were closed.
It was forbidden to "wander" in billiard halls, soda lounges and bar-lounges, for the police to enforce.
"The measure was taken to control the Spanish flu," according to the article.
Ten days later, there were 3,000 cases of influenza in Lorain.
The next day, Lorain High School was taken over to serve as a hospital, according to the Lorain Times-Herald.
Calls were made for camp beds and volunteers: doctors, nurses, then all those who could distribute water and medicines.
The paper focused on Lorain, but there were occasional references to other communities.
On October 10, there were 250 cases of influenza in Wellington; on October 23, there were 50 new cases of influenza in Elyria, as well as 50 cases of smallpox, according to newspapers.
Stop the spread
Doctors and people have generally found that the disease is transmitted from patients to healthy in close contact.
In an article in the Lorain Times-Herald of October 8, 1918, Adair advised patients to stay away from others.
Victims "would do well to stay in bed during the high fever period, not only for their own sake, but for the protection of others".
An article in The Lorain Times-Herald of October 12, 1918 advised people to avoid unnecessary crowds, to quell coughs and sneezes, to wash their hands frequently and not to use a towel, towel, spoon or fork. , glass or cup that has been used by another person. "
It was a wise counsel, which is now, backed by science.
But in 1918, doctors treating flu did not have any antiviral drugs.
Side effects include pneumonia and dehydration, which can now be treated more easily with medications and intravenous fluids, said Modie.
"It was almost like the perfect storm to explain why it was so catastrophic," she said.
On October 29, 1918, the Lorain Times-Herald declared that the city could "be optimistic with only three deaths from influenza reported in 24 hours."
But there was also a "flu warning", noting that the danger of the outbreak had not passed.
For days, the newspaper would report more deaths due to the flu or complications.
Another reference
Over the months, the flu has disappeared from the local memory.
"I think with all the joy of the end of the war, the pandemic was quickly forgotten," Smith said. "People wanted to continue their lives."
After the great tornado of 1924, Lorain High School was used as a mortuary for the dead, a pressing necessity that has become the tradition of the city.
It was a historic second, Smith said.
The scythe of Lorain High School of 1936 was dedicated to Dalton J. Boone, superintendent of the Lorain School from 1914 to 1935.
A collage of photos in the directory includes a photo of people lying in bed.
This is not a hospital.
It shows that Lorain High School is the first time he became a medical service in 1918 because of the flu, Smith said.
"Every day of the outbreak, 267 terribly sick people lived or died in Lorain High School rooms and desks," said Dalton's tribute. "His boys and girls and their parents."
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