HISTORY

1918: pneumonia, or the Spanish Flu

Maria Fernanda Rollo *
Fight October 4, 1918: You can say that has already spread throughout the countr
y and in London she rages with intensity. Had the government not to continue the
tests in high schools, and that all establishments of education do not work unt
il further notice. Admittedly, theaters and Animatógrafo still open, and the ah
i crowd to contagion effects, is more dangerous than in schools. Opinions differ
as to the nature of the disease ... (...) Convenient would be (...) that until
the outbreak ceases, the corpses do not cross in procession to the city in long
funeral train, repeated every hour. (...) The Fight, 10 October 1918: The pneumo
nic influenza. The epidemic continues to spread. Moncorvo, 7. Continues to incre
ase dramatically (...) Samora Correia, 7. Continue extending the cases of pneumo
nic influenza, with homes where everyone in the family attacked the terrible evi
l. (...) Coimbra, 9. A terrible epidemic of pneumonic influenza will declining s
omewhat in the military (...) Miranda do Douro, 6. We are faced with a fearful e
pidemic influenza (...) Nearly half the population of the county is sick (...) A
ljustrel, 8. The epidemic of pneumonic influenza knocks at the door. (...) Erice
ira, 8. In this village is raging with great intensity (...) and the number of p
eople attacked every day 20-30, and the population is a real panic. (...)
F
az now 90 years that pneumonia killed more than 50 000 people in Portugal, among
the approximately 70,000 who perished from epidemics between 1918 and 1919. Die
d of the same evil almost 50 million people worldwide, was the most deadly epide
mic of all time. Pneumonia killed more people than World War I that was certainl
y not foreign to the spread of the epidemic, killed "only" 8 million. Despite "w
idespread neglect, pneumonia went down in history for us all. Those who survived
were silent pain and carried the memory suffered, more or less diffuse, this ca
lamity that has plagued countries, cities, towns, whole families. The spectacle
of pain and morbidity, is only very slightly closer than the press reports at th
e time showed that up and playing a mere annotation.
Morbid trilogy In Portugal, the epidemic broke out and spread, boosting the alre
ady gloomy trilogy of misery, war and death. His story must be told considering
the context of the country we were, taking due account of the Portuguese economy
and society of that time and its evolution under the sign of War I and Sidon; p
olicies and strategies of governments (or lack thereof) entered under a Republic
an, in general, and in wartime, in particular, understanding the background of p
olitical instability and financial situation of endemic economic and social cris
is, the worsening of the moment "question of livelihoods" and the growing povert
y and discontent social and political, all within the context of globalization a
nd international in that war, the economic and social situation and the conditio
n itself epidemic, fall and stem.
In this drama of adversity crossed, cometh with the growing clamor unrest among
a population that, beyond the hype of the deaths, the horror of hunger and human
misery framework installed, overcame the unprecedented deterioration of the con
ditions and level of life among all, permeated between criticism and feedback si
gnal or as contradictory, political sensitivities and ideological inspiration di
verse, is projected ideas and beliefs in a climate of thought buzzing in "output
s" political and economic and social models. War, Famine, Death, concertaramse i
n funeral procession, the red in 1918. As for other parts of the World War I the
situation, the effects of condensed triggered and, like pneumonia, focused and
leveraged, they determined a turning point. The political consequences were comp
lex and had lasting impacts in jail and a country that between hesitancy and ine
rtia in terms of its economic activity was slow in responding to the challenges
and opportunities of modern economic growth and social development. It is, there
fore, that under the specific environment in which the pneumonic happened and qu
ickly reached an unprecedented scale, or, as the precarious living conditions, o
r the widespread economic and social backwardness Portuguese, operated in the ne
gative, the current and potential spread and effects of pneumonic and scenery of
morbidity registered in our country Admittedly, crisscrossed by crises and dist
urbances affecting both domestic and international the metropolis, whether the c
olonies in the various sectors,€faced with the growth of defense workers, the R
epublican period experienced moments that were interesting developments, particu
larly in the immediate post-War, the field of industry. However, although there
has been a reasonable growth in the industrial sector, it was limited and far fr
om achieving catapult Portugal to the level of industrialized countries of Europ
e. The national economy continued to rely principally on their agricultural acti
vity, though very insufficient for national needs. Among criticisms, concerns an
d proposed solutions to the "question of livelihoods" ... continue persistently.
So it would be up
HISTORY
because it was not even clear the course that would govern the conduct of the ta
rgets of economic development of the country, atavistic view of the debate that
opposed in terms of ideas, two contradictory concepts that should guide you. On
the one hand a concept that, in the ideas of the time, defended the country's sp
ecialization in agricultural production, on the other, a set of disparate ideas,
with some ground currents of economic thought, which advocated support for an i
ndustrialization that circumstances were always doing abortions. Disagreements b
etween political, strategic blunders, financial difficulties, pitfalls and other
applicants, the country persisted between the lack of will and vision and an in
ability to initiate and enhance dynamic self-sustaining development, in which sc
enes of social misery - similar to that favored spread of pneumonia in 1918 - be
yond the usual and constant emptying of the historical memory - could be permane
ntly excluded. nerable hygiene conditions favored its rapid spread, especially b
y contamination transmitted by fleas and lice, as identified at the time Ricardo
Jorge. The Spanish flu struck the country widely, reaching a population in 1911
totaled 5.55 million inhabitants, of which 20% living in cities. A population "
fragile", characterized by a high mortality rate, particularly children, whose m
ain cause of death was, under normal conditions, tuberculosis (only between 1910
and 1920 killed about 100 thousand Portuguese), and "lived "with pneumonia and
smallpox. The pneumonic, adding their effects to the war, has provoked the inter
ruption of the shy population growth. The pneumonic influenza epidemiology Note
presented by prof. Ricardo Jorge the Superior Health Council: The epidemic wave
that rolled in early June of Spain, it is clear that treated us with marked kind
ness. Already brought in their train attacks the lungs, which served to further
characterize it, but no doubt it was the lesser evil as possible, bland, low del
ay, and even weaker than the usual diffusion (...) Since August a new wave curls
, without the relative innocence of the first. He has this way known influenza;
returns when least expected, in successive waves, and these recurrences usually
also refine seriousness. Contemporary Medicine, September 29, 1918, p. 308.
The pneumonic came abruptly, making brutally recalled the horror that marked the
course of major disease outbreaks, continuing until the mid-nineteenth century.
It was preceded by the typhus that between 1917 and 1918 killed more than 2000
Portuguese, especially the elderly, the poor, the beggars and the indigent. Typh
us, which originated in Espinho, struck with great violence the city of Oporto,
where Depla-
The black year of 1918 all started in May 1918, when Spain was declared in a flu
epidemic that soon would spread to Portugal - standing in the genesis of the na
me of Spanish Flu because he was known. It is considered today, however, as the
most likely American origin of the disease. In fact, it is known that in early M
arch 1918 the disease has manifested itself in the U.S., spreading from there to
Europe, becoming a pandemic that hit in a few weeks every continent. In June it
 was an epidemic worldwide, having meanwhile arrived in Portugal from Spain, the
Alentejo border. From there evolved in two waves: the first, between May and la
te July, more lenient, the epidemic situation has remained more or less controll
ed, which succeeded a second round between August and December, terribly dramati
c assuming truly devastating effects. The flu hit the border areas initially, bu
t soon, mainly due to movements of people, and struck the coastal areas, particu
larly Lisbon and Porto. Between June and July raged in the capital, where he lea
d more than 400 deaths a week. In mid-July, the worst seemed to have passed ...
However, in late August,€as indeed happened in many other countries, broke a se
cond wave of different characteristics with regard to the physiognomy of the dis
ease, which assumed a much more violent.
After the apparent calm, the epidemic has worsened, spreading hard by the countr
y, showing an unprecedented scale, causing panic among everybody and making it c
lear the picture of general failure to combat it. He became what it might, activ
ating measures, sometimes counterproductive, among which permits movement of peo
ple, including military. Among all, there emerged a scene of utter helplessness,
starting with the medicine ... medical science could not yet deal with this dis
ease. Among measures exploratory invaluable efforts in order to understand and o
vercome this flu, among the most consistent warnings, resulting in an environmen
t of increased awareness about the uniqueness of the tragedy, such as those prop
osed by the Director General of Health, Jorge Ricardo, the absence of medical kn
owledge and clinical processes more suitable prevented the proper treatment of v
ictims and inhibited the ability to contain influenza. Furthermore, the pandemic
had powerful allies: the war, as mentioned above, and the endless procession of
consequences, the inability and inadequacy of health services and assistance, t
he deplorable conditions of hygiene and sanitary conditions in which he lived mo
st population, widespread shortage of food and medicines in short, all that char
isma
poverty or low educational level, economic and social development in the Portugu
ese population, made up a dramatically favorable stage disease progression. The
noise grew until in October - the darkest months of pneumonia in Portugal.
Among the widespread ignorance about the ways of fighting the Spanish, widesprea
d panic or scarcity of resources, most of the implemented measures proved succes
sful ineffective or useless, and in some cases, even counterproductive, even the
most advised recommendations such as those initiated by the Directorate General
Health, had a few reflections, appearing inadequate or impracticable, not to me
ntion the hasty measures and totally inappropriate, useless or the advice of aut
hentic placebos that impo-
ties, authorities and doctors were releasing more or less at random. If, on the
one hand, how quickly it spread and size of the epidemic reached, they surprised
everyone, authorities, official agencies, general public, on the other hand, wa
s the total ignorance of the prophylactic measures to be implemented. Vainly tri
ed to mount an organized fight the epidemic. LuEm Sacavém: Mr. Dr. Sidonio Paes
was walking the grounds where it is distributed to soup Tando against poor livi
ng conditions that affected the majority of the population, the general lack of
hygiene, inadequate health services, the lack of doctors, lack of medicines, whi
ch aggravated the speculation, the pneumonic continued to devastate ... claiming
lives, without choosing victims. Despite turning up at all, between the few ric
h and many poor cleavages were increasing, social injustice, that the busi Sacav
ém: Arrival of the President of the Republic of war flaring Associates, were th
e place where he runs the "Soup for the poor "... How many is often the case, th
e tragedy fed misery: the pneumonic penalized especially the most disadvantaged.
A bit all over the show was death, bodies piled up, misery and suffering. The m
akeshift hospitals, from high schools and private homes, in addition to that the
re were not many victims came to ... there was not even able to Enno Beato: Arri
val of the Head of State Asylum Maria Pia, land ... the bodies housing the "Soup
 for the poor. " There were many initiatives, meetings group of inmates at the a
sylum that he made the honor guard d'ram has been tremendous efforts, material a
nd human resources, public and private, all ten-pneumonia, which together have k
illed for (the Taram help in order to fight the estimates vary) between 50 and 7
0 000 pesgripe and, specifically, watching his victims-ple, that quickly if he w
anted to "forget", but especially those most in need ... Palia, leaving it as pa
inful memory, the objectives, it is true, for in those circumstances, the collec
tive subconscious limbo - as if everything happened out of the earth could stop
the tragedy ... After the most dramatic period, which oc-Men (given that some co
nsider it in October, the epidemic was to deva-raram divine punishment). busines
s presence, furnishing throughout the month of November. Anyway, by that time, t
he political, and * Researcher at the Institute of Contemporary History the coun
try in general,€desProfessora were suspended from the Department of History of
War and closing of the political, ECoDI Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanitie
s nomic and national social, soon inflamed the New University of Lisbon for the
murder of Sidonius Parents.