Spit Spreads Death: The Spanish Flu Pandemic in Chester County, 1918-1922 (Virtual)

In late-1918 and early-1919, the people of the world were linked by something even more powerful and wide-ranging than the First World War: the virus that caused the pandemic struck every nation, every island, every remote corner of the world. This program will be a professional researcher’s exposition of the experience of Chester County, with a focus on the community of West Chester, during the 1918-1922 influenza pandemic. Viewers can expect a brief introduction of the influenza virus and the sickness it causes, as well as the unique features of the H1N1 virus that caused the 1918 pandemic and its unprecedented killing power. The audience will also learn where the virus originated, a fascinating story in itself. Finally, listeners will be offered a fuller understanding of how their local communities fought the epidemic and how their efforts compared to those of other Pennsylvania towns.

About the Speaker: Jim Higgins is a historian of medicine with a quarter century of experience tracking the 1918-1922 influenza pandemic from the streets of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to the anthracite fields and lumber camps of Pennsylvania’s interior. He has lectured on the pandemic in the United States and abroad and written numerous scholarly articles on influenza and other facets of medical history. He has appeared on radio, television, and other mass media and consulted with government, private enterprise, and community organizations. His second book, “The War on Tuberculosis,” will be available through Penn State Press in March 2025. He lectures at Rider University.

Admission is Pay as You Wish! Your donation is greatly appreciated. All proceeds benefit the development of future programming and the preservation of the History Center and its collections. The History Center is home to over 750,000 manuscripts, 100,000 photographs, and 70,000 artifacts. Your donation helps us to preserve and share those resources.

Register here for this pay-as-you-wish event

Presentation is via Zoom, and will be recorded and available for 7 days for all registered participants. We will email out a Zoom link the day of the presentation, and email a link to the recording within 24 hours. Note: the Zoom link emailed out the day of the presentation only takes you to the live presentation; the link emailed out the day after will contain the recorded version.

This program is made possible with support from The Haverford Trust Company.