Spanish flu: Photos show how United States battled the 1918 pandemic

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Photos: America fights the 1918 influenza pandemic

These images from the U.S. Library of Congress Photographic Collection, the National Institutes of Health and the National Archives show how Americans battled the 1918 influenza pandemic known as the Spanish flu.

The St. Louis Red Cross Motor Corps on duty in Oct. 1918 during the Influenza epidemic. To see more photos from the Library of Congress collection, go here: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/ CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

New York City, October 16, 1918 -- A letter carrier in New York wears a mask for protection against influenza. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives at College Park, Md.

Demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Station in Washington, D.C., during the influenza pandemic of 1918. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

September 13, 1918 -- A nurse wears a mask as protection against influenza. In October of 1918, Congress approved a $1 million budget for the U. S. Public Health Service to recruit 1000 medical doctors and over 700 registered nurses. Nurses were scarce, as their proximity to and interaction with the disease increased the risk of death. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives at College Park, Md.

Demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Station in Washington, D.C., during the influenza pandemic of 1918. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

New York City, October 16, 1918-- This typist wears a mask while working. The flu prevented day-to-day operations from going smoothly. Officials advised all persons to wear face masks, even indoors. Many believed that a person could contract the disease by handling documents and equipment. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives at College Park, Md.

Demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Station in Washington, D.C., during the influenza pandemic of 1918. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

The Red Cross Emergency Ambulance station of the District of Columbia Chapter was usually a busy place. But during the influenza epidemic of the autumn of 1918 it was worked overtime. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

In New Orleans, the Sophie Gumbel Home had just been completed when the Red Cross turned it into an emergency hospital during the Influenza epidemic. Dr. G.M. Corput of the U.S. Public Health Dept. was in charge of the hospital. The Red Cross furnished beds, nurses, orderlies and everything else. $30,000 was spent in the start-up process. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

Original photo caption: “Her sister had not seen Mrs. Brown for almost a week and with Mr. Brown a soldier in France, she became so worried she telephoned Red Cross Home Service, which arrived just in time to rescue Mrs. Brown from the clutches of influenza.” CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

Precautions taken in Seattle, Wash., during the Spanish Influenza Epidemic would not permit anyone to ride on the street cars without wearing a mask. 260,000 of these were made by the Seattle Chapter of the Red Cross, which consisted of 120 workers, in three days. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

The interior of the Red Cross House at U.S. General Hospital #16, New Haven, Conn.,during the 1918-19 influenza epidemic. The beds are isolated by curtains. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

Even abroad, Americans battled the Spanish flu, as shown in this photo from the American ward at the Fourth Scottish General Hospital in Glasgow. Most of the patients were influenza cases from incoming convoys. The Red Cross had a staff of American officers and women visitors who looked after their welfare, and there wass a large warehouse full of comforts and luxuries for the troops. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

Nov. 1918 -- A nurse takes a patient’s pulse in the Influenza ward at Walter Reed Hospital, Wash., D.C. CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

A traffic cop in New York City wearing one of the gauze masks common during the 1918 flu pandemic. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

Men gargle with salt and water in an attempt to protect themselves from influenza after a day working in the War Garden at Camp Dix. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

Love Field, Dallas, Texas. Preventative treatment against influenza, spraying the throat. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

Red Cross workers making anti-influenza masks for soldiers in camp. Boston, Massachusetts. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

American Red Cross activities in Middletown, Connecticut. Emergency Hospital equipment is being inspected by the committee of the Middlesex Chapter. This equipment was sent to Wesleyan University at the outbreak of the Influenza epidemic. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

December 1918 -- Policemen in Seattle wear masks made by the Red Cross during the influenza epidemic. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives at College Park, Md.

Trolley car windows were kept open to prevent the spread of Spanish Influenza, which did much to slow up war progress in this country. This photo was taken in Cincinnati. The practice of keeping windows open was nationwide. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

Special Hospital for Influenza Epidemic, Emery Hill, Lawrence, Massachusetts. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

A scene from the emergency hospital at Brookline, Massachusetts, set up to care for influenza cases. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

Police and court officials of San Francisco hold a session in the open as a precaution against the spreading influenza epidemic. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

Fighting Influenza in Seattle with flu serum injections. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

The 39th Regiment on its way to France marched through the streets of Seattle, Washington. Everyone was provided with a mask made by the Seattle Chapter of the Red Cross. CREDIT: U.S. National Archives

In this 1918 photograph, flu victims crowd into an emergency hospital at Camp Funston, a subdivision of Fort Riley in Kansas. The flu, which is believed to have originated in Kansas, killed at least 20 million people worldwide. (AP Photo/National Museum of Health)

A Naval Aircraft Factory float with hull of a patrol seaplane in Philadelphia's Fourth Liberty Loan parade on Sept. 28, 1918. Today, historians blame the packed event for the spread of the devastating influenza epidemic in the city. MUST CREDIT: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command

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The St. Louis Red Cross Motor Corps on duty in Oct. 1918 during the Influenza epidemic. To see more photos from the Library of Congress collection, go here: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/ CREDIT: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / American National Red Cross photograph collection

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