[ad_1]
In Manchester, the call of the medical officer of health for the prohibition of the city's armistice celebrations, was ignored, resulting in a sharp increase in mortality rates during the winter. More than 3,000 people died of the flu in the following months.
Hannah Mawdsley, a doctoral researcher at Queen Mary, the University of London, and the Imperial War Museum, has searched the archives of letters, which shows the devastating nature of the disease.
The flu had alarming symptoms: some victims became blue as the fluid filled their lungs, starving their bodies of oxygen. This disease, known as heliotrope cyanosis, was a fatal sign of death and victims' bodies often became black.
Other symptoms included explosive nosebleeds, Ms. Mawdsley said.
"Delirium was another symptom and it was reported that a Norfolk baker had killed his wife and children and then hanged himself because of the depression and mental disorders he was suffering from," he said. she said.
"There was a lot of confusion because, despite a serious outbreak of what was called the Russian flu in 1889, there had never been anything like it. Some people thought it was the plague and some called it blue or black death, "she added.
Some accounts of the time show that people use strychnine and creosote as remedies. A mother recounted having revitalized her baby with a little brandy after finding her unresponsive after reading about this remedy in the Daily Mail newspaper.
[ad_2]
Source link
