Hacker News Books

The Great Influenza by John Barry for some perspective on current events. A good read so far.

You're completely right, but just to highlight that it's "not guaranteed," the 1918 flu started out fairly mild and then mutated into a much deadlier strain.

(I'm reading John Barry's The Great Influenza right now.)

Older people were less vulnerable in the U.S. as well. The problem was that young healthy people were more likely to have an immune system overreaction. This applied to both genders.

(Source: John Barry's The Great Influenza)

For a fascinating, in-depth look at the Spanish flu of 1918 check out John Barry’s “The Great Influenza” [1]. The book was amazing and gives you a real sense of what one of the worst pandemics in history must have been like.

[1] The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143036491.

A few years ago I read 'The Great Influenza' by John Barry, which includes a historical perspective of US medical history leading up to the 1918 pandemic as well as digging into the pandemic itself.

I recommend the book.

It's worth noting that the phrase "shouting fire in a crowded theater" comes from a Supreme Court case in which the government imprisoned socialists for handing out flyers urging people not to submit to the draft during WWI.[1]

It's one of the most infamous decisions in the history of the Supreme Court, at one of the darkest hours in the history of the First Amendment. I think most people would be surprised to learn how far the Wilson administration went to suppress free speech during WWI. I had no idea until I read "The Great Influenza" (about the 1918 pandemic) recently.

As an aside: the Espionage Act comes from that time, and is the law that was used to jail opponents of the draft back then. It's also the law being used to charge Assange today.

1. Schenck v. United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schenck_v._United_States

Assange is being charged under a century-old law passed in order to criminalize dissent to US participation in WWI. I came across this randomly during my pandemic reading (The Great Influenza, about the Spanish Flu of 1918). It was really shocking to read how thoroughly the US government suppressed speech during WWI - it's not something I was at all aware of before.

The Espionage Act is almost certainly unconstitutional, though it's still on the books. Ever since the Vietnam War, there's been a tacit understanding that the government will only use the law to go after government employees who leak information, but that the government won't prosecute the people who publish the information. With this prosecution, the Trump administration is breaking that understanding. The precedent is being set that whenever a newspaper publishes, "Sources tell us..." or "According to documents viewed by...," they're opening themselves up to criminal prosecution.

Over the last few weeks, we have acquired enough food/supplies to stay isolated at our house for about 2 months (a combination of bulk rice/beans/grains, and pre-purchasing anything we use regularly which has a long expiration date). We also have medicines/toiletries/etc to last that long.

Maybe 10-12 years ago I read the book 'The Great Influenza'[1], and there are enough similarities between that outbreak and this one that we are taking it fairly seriously.

Although that book isn't perfect, it has a lot of detailed and fascinating explanation on (a) the development of scientific medicine in Europe and then the US (b) the way flu works, is transmitted, etc (c) the way that specific pandemic played out.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Great-Influenza-Deadliest-Pandemic-Hi...

According to "The Great Influenza" by John Barry young people died due to cytokine storms. Essentially young people have a vigorous immune system that gave an aggressive attack. 1918 flu was unique in that the deaths was not just the very young and the very old (a U shaped distribution) but rather a W shaped distribution with the middle point being 20-40 age group

Also in the book - the "spanish" flu was called that since Spain was the only place with a free press at the time (e.g., US press was not free at the time) + massing of young men in US in camps - like Ft Devens. Flu traveled from overcrowded camp to camp and then jumped to local populations along rail lines (and then overseas as troops were shipped out)
He describes it well, though would make a great visual as it moves from Boston to Chicago to NYC back into Providence/Brockton (which are just south of Boston). Transmission along rail (and shipping) lines.

There's an interesting bit at the end of John Barry's "The Great Influenza" about how Wilson got the flu at Versailles. Barry suggests that Wilson was physically and mentally affected and thus gave in on terms around punishing Germany for the war. Apparently until he got the flu he'd been pushing back hard against anything like that.

I read a great book which covers the Spanish Flu called The Great Influenza (https://www.amazon.ca/Great-Influenza-Revised-John-Barry/dp/...) by John M. Barry.

The book does a great job of expressing the history of medicine leading up to the 1918 Spanish Flu.

But above all the book goes into detailed recollection on the arrogance of leadership in the face of this deadly disease. From politicians listing it as merely a regular flu, to military generals choosing not to quarantine troops... leading to massive casualties and the spread of the disease. All leading up to a realization of severity, when proper measures are taken.

I believe a newer print also has a note about Swine Flu, my copy is fairly old and does not include this.