Hudson Has Been Here Before

In 2018, when Gossips was doing its series on the Great War and what was happening in Hudson during that time, I came upon this article in the Columbia Republican for October 15, 1918.  

A special meeting of the Board of Health was held Tuesday. . . . The meeting was called to take action to stop any further spread of the epidemic of "Spanish" influenza in the city. Health Officer Collins said that last Saturday and Sunday the situation had not appeared to be serious in the city but since Monday morning the epidemic had gotten a start and that there were now approximately 150 cases of influenza in the city and 14 of pneumonia. The Health Officer said that the surest way to stop the epidemic from getting any more of a start in this city would be to close all public places, including schools, theatres, and churches. 

The members present discussed the matter thoroughly and were unanimous in the opinion that such action should be taken for the welfare of the city. Harry S. Rivenburg was present in the interest of the Board of Education and said that while there had been no cases in the schools as yet, the Board of Education should have closed the schools at once but as there had been none yet, had decided to await the Board of Health.

On the motion of Mr. [Thomas] Ahearn, the Board voted unanimously to give the Health Officer power to close the schools, theatres and churches and to stop all public gatherings. The Health Officer immediately issued orders to the superintendent of schools to close the school, and to the theatres and churches to close. He also asked the police to make a special effort in strenuously enforcing the law prohibiting expectoration on the streets.

To-day the public schools will not open, and The Playhouse and the Star Theatre will be closed and will continue closed until any danger of further spread of the disease is well in hand. The parents of children are asked to keep them off the streets and not to let them mix with other children, and every one in general is asked to avoid crowds on streets or other places.

The Liberty Day parade and celebration at the armory has been called off because of the order and all public gatherings will be affected by the orders of the Health Officer.

The Health Officer also suggests that landlords heat the homes where there are convalescent people. It is also suggested that the people keep off the streets and that no one should expectorate on the streets.

Following are a few good rules to adhere to:

Keep away from crowds.

Do not let people cough or sneeze in your face. Move off.

The fingers, too, are great carriers of germs. Keep them away from nose and mouth. When taken suddenly with a cold, fever and pain in the back and legs, go right home and go to bed. 

If you keep up as long as you can instead of going to bed, you are more likely to get pneumonia.

Don't dose yourself.

Respect the rights of others and if you have the grip stay at home so as not to spread the disease.

In a century, the advice for surviving the pandemic has changed amazingly little. Cloth masks, assembled by volunteers, were also a big part of the protocol for avoiding infection.

In 1918, the week after the Health Officer closed all public places, there were sixty obituaries in the Columbia Republican--not all Hudsonians but all Columbia County residents. The obituaries, most no more than six lines, took up an entire page. The vast majority contained a line similar to this: "Death was due to pneumonia, which followed an attack of Spanish influenza." A century later, although the means for avoiding the virus remains essentially the same, there is hope the outcome will be different.
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