PANDEMICS from Pg 6
nounced a ban on all assemblies. This was in line
with the health and government officials recom-
mendations.
In the following issue, the newspaper included
a large piece to inform the public on how to pre-
vent the flu, what to treat it with, and stressed that
it was important for the public to remain calm.
They even outlined that epidemics were a cyclical
part of human history, dating back to Hippocrates
in 412 BC.
Similar to toilet paper in 2020, Vick’s VapoRub,
a brand new product in 1912, couldn’t stay on the
shelves.
Its ability to “throw off the germs” had locals
flocking to drug stores, selling it out of product
for the duration of the pandemic.
While Lester Prairie had been lucky reporting
no cases during October and November, a No-
vember 21 article outlined that Winsted had not
been so lucky.
The Lester Prairie Journal reported that the
disease was “rampant, and everybody has had it
in either a mild or severe form” in the village of
Winsted, leaving two dead and many in critical
condition.
Lester Prairie was proud of the preventative
measures that they had taken up to that point, as
many villages and cities were not following the
guidelines and orders, causing an uptick in cases.
Enforcement of any regulations or laws that
were put in place was extremely difficult, and
news traveled slowly, causing many places to not
take this flu seriously.
We might have saloon keepers in Lester Prairie
to thank for inventing the “to-go” order, as the
article noted that “The saloon keepers have vol-
untarily removed the chairs and tables from their
places, and are not allowing more than a small
number in the room at a time. Signs have been
put up asking patrons to ‘take their drink and get
out.’”
In 1918, scientists believed that the flu was
caused by bacteria. It wasn’t until the 1930s that
scientists proved that the flu is caused by viruses.
This led to some interesting home remedy ideas
from Dr. Pierce’s Pleasant Pellets (a vegetable
pill), Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery (an
herbal tonic), and even a treatment of “a hot mus-
tard foot-bath and drinking copiously of hot lem-
onade.” It’s safe to say that people were willing
to try anything to prevent illness from spreading.
The media coverage until this point had been
primarily positive and proactive, exemplified by
the statement that Americans should fear “neither
germs nor Germans” that they posted proudly on
the front page.
Although the epidemic had “cost more lives
in the United States than our forces have lost in
the big war,” the Lester Prairie Journal noted, the
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the first to impact the US. One hundred years ago, locals were battling another dis-
ease: the Spanish flu. And the health advice given at that time doesen’t sound dramatically different from the
advice given by experts today.
outlook locally wasn’t nearly as serious.
slowing down.
The outlook was so positive that December 5,
On April 13, it was reported that there were no
1918, schools reopened with the headline “Pre- new deaths in Minnesota for the first time since
cautions against influenza are deemed unneces- March 25, a significant sign of progress.
sary.”
When this pandemic recedes, this will be an-
Essentially, they had done the 1918 equivalent other interesting piece of American history that
of flattening the curve, and decided that the job will be studied for future generations.
had been finished.
However, this wasn’t the first flu pandemic and
It did not take long for the village of Lester it certainly won’t be the last.
Prairie to realize its mistake.
We can only hope that we continue to make
In the December 12 issue, all public gatherings strides as a society, just as we have in the past 102
were again banned by the village council, on the years.
advice of the board of health.
This was due to the
spread of the disease
being so rapid that
they had no choice.
There were 12 cases
reported in just those
seven days.
Thankfully, cases
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