Fever of War

The Influenza Epidemic in the U.S. Army during World War I

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Fever of War by Carol R Byerly, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Carol R Byerly ISBN: 9780814789636
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: April 5, 2005
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Carol R Byerly
ISBN: 9780814789636
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: April 5, 2005
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed more people in one year than the Great War killed in four, sickening at least one quarter of the world's population. In Fever of War, Carol R. Byerly uncovers the startling impact of the 1918 influenza epidemic on the American army, its medical officers, and their profession, a story which has long been silenced. Through medical officers' memoirs and diaries, official reports, scientific articles, and other original sources, Byerly tells a grave tale about the limits of modern medicine and warfare.
The tragedy begins with overly confident medical officers who, armed with new knowledge and technologies of modern medicine, had an inflated sense of their ability to control disease. The conditions of trench warfare on the Western Front soon outflanked medical knowledge by creating an environment where the influenza virus could mutate to a lethal strain. This new flu virus soon left medical officers’ confidence in tatters as thousands of soldiers and trainees died under their care. They also were unable to convince the War Department to reduce the crowding of troops aboard ships and in barracks which were providing ideal environments for the epidemic to thrive. After the war, and given their helplessness to control influenza, many medical officers and military leaders began to downplay the epidemic as a significant event for the U. S. army, in effect erasing this dramatic story from the American historical memory.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed more people in one year than the Great War killed in four, sickening at least one quarter of the world's population. In Fever of War, Carol R. Byerly uncovers the startling impact of the 1918 influenza epidemic on the American army, its medical officers, and their profession, a story which has long been silenced. Through medical officers' memoirs and diaries, official reports, scientific articles, and other original sources, Byerly tells a grave tale about the limits of modern medicine and warfare.
The tragedy begins with overly confident medical officers who, armed with new knowledge and technologies of modern medicine, had an inflated sense of their ability to control disease. The conditions of trench warfare on the Western Front soon outflanked medical knowledge by creating an environment where the influenza virus could mutate to a lethal strain. This new flu virus soon left medical officers’ confidence in tatters as thousands of soldiers and trainees died under their care. They also were unable to convince the War Department to reduce the crowding of troops aboard ships and in barracks which were providing ideal environments for the epidemic to thrive. After the war, and given their helplessness to control influenza, many medical officers and military leaders began to downplay the epidemic as a significant event for the U. S. army, in effect erasing this dramatic story from the American historical memory.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book The Post-Secular in Question by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book Economics and Youth Violence by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book Postracial Resistance by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book Benevolent Repression by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book The Punishment Imperative by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book The Notorious Elizabeth Tuttle by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book The Disability Pendulum by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book The Urban Church Imagined by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book Shadowing the White Man’s Burden by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book They're All My Children by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book Capital of the World by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book American Law in the Age of Hypercapitalism by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book The Force of Domesticity by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book Japan's International Agenda by Carol R Byerly
Cover of the book Our Schools Suck by Carol R Byerly
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy