UNH Speakers Bureau

The 1918 Flu Pandemic

 

Program Description:

This presentation will cover the 1918 flu pandemic (Spanish Flu) that spread across the world. While World War I did not cause the flu, the close troop quarters and massive troop movements hastened the pandemic and probably both increased transmission and augmented mutation; it may also have increased the lethality of the virus. It is estimated that 10% to 20% of those who were infected died - 3% to 6% of the entire global population. This pandemic has been described as "the greatest medical holocaust in history" and may have killed more people than the Black Death.


Speaker:

Marion Girard-Dorsey

Marion Girard-Dorsey is an assistant professor of history at the University of New Hampshire where she teaches modern world history, wartime propaganda and the history of espionage. Her research work is in the fields of European history, the history of medicine in the United State, history of law, and diplomatic and military history. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University.

Other topics offered by Marion Girard-Dorsey