What happens when disease strikes a city of two million people, sickening half a million and killing more than 12,000 in just six weeks and 16,000 in two months? During fall, 1918, in the last months of World War I, Philadelphia hosted the largest parade in its history. Within days, influenza casualties overwhelmed hospitals.
In this illustrated presentation, Robert D. Hicks, Director of the Mütter Museum, discusses the pandemic as a social catastrophe and considers its memorialization today. He shares highlights of the museum’s most ambitious exhibition to date, opening during fall, 2019, Spit Spreads Death; The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 in Philadelphia.
Ages: Adults and Teens
Presented By: Robert D. Hicks, Director of the Mütter Museum
Cost: Free
Contact: Mary at shannon@haverfordlibrary.org
