“Afraid to Breathe”: Understanding North Carolina’s Experience of the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic at the State, Local, and Individual Levels

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Austin, L. (2018). “Afraid to Breathe”: Understanding North Carolina’s Experience of the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic at the State, Local, and Individual Levels. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

This dissertation is the first comprehensive, detailed study of a single state’s experience of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic at state, local and county, and individual levels. Its two articles provide quantitative analyses of a unique new statewide database and traditional historical narrative integrating institutional action and individual experience. Article 1, a quantitative examination of all death certificates (N=11,836) for October 1918 and March 1919 and the 1920 Census (N=2,561,959), employed multinomial logistic regressions, OLS regressions, and ArcGIS mapping. Results (p≤ 0.05): Singles were less likely to die of flu than marrieds but more likely to die of all other causes; blacks were more likely to die from flu than whites; black subgroups received less treatment than whites; children received less treatment than other age groups; Tidewater and Coastal Plain regions had greater standardized mortality while the Mountains, less than other regions. Findings confirmed literature reporting lower death rates among elderly, but not lower black mortality nor higher rates in manufacturing centers. Epidemiological evidence suggested flu virus mutations by March 1919. Article 2, a qualitative account of people’s experience, used government archives, newspapers, and letters. Results: A growing desensitization — or "inurement" — to the epidemic as early as October 1918, due to government downplaying its seriousness and emphasizing the war effort, officials instructing the public to remain calm and maintain normality, businessmen wanting to restore sales, and boredom with quarantine measures.

Details
Author

Austin, Lauren

Title

“Afraid to Breathe”: Understanding North Carolina’s Experience of the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic at the State, Local, and Individual Levels

Physical Description

1 online resource (295 pages) : PDF

Date

2018

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

This dissertation is the first comprehensive, detailed study of a single state’s experience of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic at state, local and county, and individual levels. Its two articles provide quantitative analyses of a unique new statewide database and traditional historical narrative integrating institutional action and individual experience. Article 1, a quantitative examination of all death certificates (N=11,836) for October 1918 and March 1919 and the 1920 Census (N=2,561,959), employed multinomial logistic regressions, OLS regressions, and ArcGIS mapping. Results (p≤ 0.05): Singles were less likely to die of flu than marrieds but more likely to die of all other causes; blacks were more likely to die from flu than whites; black subgroups received less treatment than whites; children received less treatment than other age groups; Tidewater and Coastal Plain regions had greater standardized mortality while the Mountains, less than other regions. Findings confirmed literature reporting lower death rates among elderly, but not lower black mortality nor higher rates in manufacturing centers. Epidemiological evidence suggested flu virus mutations by March 1919. Article 2, a qualitative account of people’s experience, used government archives, newspapers, and letters. Results: A growing desensitization — or "inurement" — to the epidemic as early as October 1918, due to government downplaying its seriousness and emphasizing the war effort, officials instructing the public to remain calm and maintain normality, businessmen wanting to restore sales, and boredom with quarantine measures.

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

History
Public health
Government policy

Degree

Ph.D.

Keywords

1918 Influenza Epidemic
North Carolina
Public Health
Qualitative Analysis
Quantitative Analysis

Subject Area

Public Policy

Advisor(s)

Brandon, William

Committee Members

Wilson, Mark
Sabol, Steven
Laditka, James

Degree Note

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2018.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Austin_uncc_0694D_11801

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:175