Amish Country
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1900 House
PBS did a series called: "1900 House" where a modern family lives for a period of time as they would have if they were an actual family living back in 1900. The web site below gives a little bit of a glimpse into what life was like back in the early 1900's. The series shows some of the available technology, living conditions, attitudes and culture. While 1900 predates the Influenza pandemic it does give some insight into what our grandparents and great grandparents had to deal with in day to day life and how they managed. After seeing this it was easier to imagine what conditions may have been like in a home during the 1918 pandemic.
It is easy to criticize that generation for the mistakes that were made that are now obvious in the hind sight of almost 90 years. But will our generation make many of the same mistakes? They knew back then that quarantines worked against pandemics and epidemics, they recognized they had a pandemic or epidemic. Yet according to John M. Barry's book, "The Great Influenza", Philadelphia still had a parade in the mists of the pandemic. They were hesitant to close ports and business because of the monetary and job losses, the harm it would cause to the economy and hardships it would inflict on families that depended on them for food and income. Today with all our modern technology are we really that different?
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/1900house/house/
PBS did a series called: "1900 House" where a modern family lives for a period of time as they would have if they were an actual family living back in 1900. The web site below gives a little bit of a glimpse into what life was like back in the early 1900's. The series shows some of the available technology, living conditions, attitudes and culture. While 1900 predates the Influenza pandemic it does give some insight into what our grandparents and great grandparents had to deal with in day to day life and how they managed. After seeing this it was easier to imagine what conditions may have been like in a home during the 1918 pandemic.
It is easy to criticize that generation for the mistakes that were made that are now obvious in the hind sight of almost 90 years. But will our generation make many of the same mistakes? They knew back then that quarantines worked against pandemics and epidemics, they recognized they had a pandemic or epidemic. Yet according to John M. Barry's book, "The Great Influenza", Philadelphia still had a parade in the mists of the pandemic. They were hesitant to close ports and business because of the monetary and job losses, the harm it would cause to the economy and hardships it would inflict on families that depended on them for food and income. Today with all our modern technology are we really that different?
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/1900house/house/
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