The Spanish Flu in Statesboro: 1918
The Spanish Flu was a deadly virus that killed more than 30,000 people in the state of Georgia. This particular strain of the influenza virus was especially deadly because it attached the lungs until they were no longer able to function. Oftentimes, the lungs would fill up with so much fluid that the afflicted patient would end up drowning. Nurses who treated these patients knew that the patient’s time was coming when they presented with an extremely unique symptom, “mahogany spots over their cheekbones.” Shortly after presenting with mahogany spots, some patients would being turning a bluish-black color indicating that they were no longer getting the oxygen they needed; to check and see which patients needed to be treated first, they would look at the patient’s feet and if they had turned black, then they were considered beyond help.
In the Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, the earliest reference to the Spanish Flu was published on Thursday, October 10, 1918. The front page of the newspaper stated “Steps Taken to Combat Influenza. Schools Ordered to Close and Public Gatherings are Barred.” The schools, as well as other large public gatherings, remained banned and/or closed for several weeks. In the paper's Thursday, October 24th edition, a column that provided an update regarding the banning of large public gatherings also stressed the importance of protecting yourself against the flu. The column advised readers on the importance of taking a drug called Tanlae, stating: “Nothing on earth will strengthen you and build you up like Tanlae, the powerful reconstructive tonic, which contains the very elements needed by the system to give you the fighting strength and ward off the influenza germ.”
The Spanish Flu had a great impact on not only Georgians' daily lives, but also on traditions and the general ongoings of life. The Georgia State Fair in Atlanta was no exception. The fair was supposed to have opened on Wednesday, October 30. However, the date was pushed back to November 11, 1918. Due to the flu, the fair was not able to operate under normal conditions. As reported in the press, “Under an order issued this afternoon by the State Board of Health, every person entering the grounds of the Southeastern Fair will be required to wear an anti-influenza mask.” As schools remained closed, parents began to express concerns about the school closures. On Dec. 12, 1918, the editors at the Bulloch Times and Statesboro News reminded readers of the larger picture. though, stating "It would be better to have a sound boy or girl whose training is delayed than to have to follow such child to an untimely grave."
Bulloch County was not immune to the economic consequences of the spread of the flu. As Christmas approached in 1918, Trapnell-Mikell Co. announced that they were overstocked due to the loss of business resulting from the public's reduced activities. The store's owners accordingly cut prices deeply to gain the cash they needed for operating costs.
After initial reports of large public gatherings being banned, advertisements for cold/flu medications begin to increase in the following months. These medications often claimed to treat cold and flu symptoms like coughs and grippe. In the Thursday, November 21, 1918 edition of the Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, a man identified as Dr. King claimed to have a treatment that had a “fifty year record behind it.” Also in the same printing, the paper also gave an update about the overall death toll in the US, reporting “Influenza Deaths Exceed War’s Toll. Forty-six Cities Show 82,306 Fatalities While Deaths Overseas Only 45,000.” The November 28, 1918 edition contained more than 4 different ads for flu related medications.
As the fight against the Spanish Flu went on, people became more aware of the effects that the Flu could have on the body. On December 5, 1918, the Bulloch Times and Statesboro News dedicated an entire column to tuberculosis. The column warned “Influenza Convalescents Should Have Lungs Examined–Colds Which Hang On Often Beginning of Tuberculosis. No Cause For Alarm if Tuberculosis Is Recognized Early–Patent Medicines Not To Be Trusted.”
For the early months of 1919, the warnings about the flu in the newspapers remained the same, consisting of advertisements for different treatments and flu preventatives. On February 6, 1919 an ad made the claim that the “best preventative for influenza is active liver.” The column then went on to claim that a medication called Calotabs was the best laxative to use in order to prevent catching the flu. After not mentioning the flu for several months, the September 16, 1919 edition of the Bulloch Times and Statesboro News warned that there was the possibility of the flu returning for the winter. However, health officials suggested that, should it have a resurgence, “it will not be as severe as the pandemic of the previous winter.” 
In the Georgia State Board of Health annual report for the year 1918, the Board of Health stated that Statesboro was one of 38 cities to which a Red Cross doctor was dispatched. In this report, the Board also claimed to be actively working on a vaccine that would prevent influenza-pneumonia complications.
Much like the rest of the state, the Spanish Flu had a profound impact on Bulloch County. Residents of Bulloch County were unable to allow children to attend school, were forced to cancel large public gatherings, and had to battle misinformation that came in the form of dozens of advertisements claiming to prevent/treat the flu.
Works Cited
Annual Report of the Georgia State Board of Health for 1918 (Atlanta, GA: Byrd Printing Co. 1919)
Sara Francis Fujimura, “Purple Death: The Great Flu of 1918,” Perspectives in Health, 2003, https://www.paho.org/en/who-we-are/history-paho/purple-death-great-flu-1918.
"Strong Effort made to Stop Spread "Flu"," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 17 Oct. 1918, pg. 1.
"Must Wear Masks at Atlanta Fair," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 17 Oct. 1918, pg. 2.
"Spanish Influenza is Rapidly Spreading," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 17 Oct. 1918, pg. 11.
"The Flu Situation is as Bad as Ever," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 12 Dec. 1918, pg. 4.
"County School News," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 12 Dec. 1918, pg. 4.
"All Public Schools are Ordered Closed," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 12 Dec. 1918, pg. 7.
"Advice to Flu Convalescents," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, pg. 10.
"Great for "Flu" and "Grip" Coughs, Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 12 Dec. 1918, pg. 3.
"Big December Cash Clearance Sale," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 5 December 1918, pg. 16.