Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com 17
March 23–April 27, 2020
Prescriptions for Hard Liquor,
and Other Dubious Remedies
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FOR MOST OF THE MILLIONS afflicted with influenza, medical science
had little to offer. Although germ theory was fairly well understood,
viruses were not. Some doctors mistakenly assumed the illness was caused by a
bacillus and tried to treat it accordingly, which probably did more harm than good.
Several new diagnostic tests saw more widespread use during this period,
including sputum, urine and blood cultures, but they did not really advance therapy.
The U.S. Public Health Service's efforts to find a vaccine were unsuccessful.
Common treatments included Bayer Aspirin, epinephrine and oxygen. Chest pain
was treated with hot compresses and "pneumonia jackets": hot water circulating
through coils covered in silk or muslin. Cinnamon oils or powders were sometimes
used to reduce fever while Vicks VapoRub was widely used to reduce congestion.
The outbreak also saw a boom in patent medicines. Their chief active ingredi-
ent was usually alcohol, which remained a popular sedative. In areas where hard
liquor wasn't easily obtained, doctors sometimes wrote prescriptions for it, since
there was little else they could offer patients!
An Army hospital ward for influenza-stricken soldiers, Fort Riley, Kansas, 1918. Photo: U.S. Army Archives
