If you’re like me and COVID-19 has sparked your interest in understanding viruses and previous pandemics, then look no further than The Great Influenza by John M. Barry. This is a book that looks back at another global pandemic that happened just over a century ago. The book explores the launching of modern medicine in America and the condition of medicine in America prior, the founding of the John Hopkins University and the Rockefeller Institute, the importance of philanthropy in shaping medicine in the 19th and 20th centuries, how both government and the military fought the influenza virus on both the frontline and the home front and Barry speculates about how World War II may have been adverted if it wasn’t for the virus. Barry also looks at what the world would need to do to avoid and manage another global pandemic, which, unfortunately, we weren’t well enough prepared for.
So, what I have taken away from this book? In my opinion, there are three key ideas to take away from this book.
Firstly, leadership is vital in times of a pandemic. During the 1918 pandemic, there were people who stepped up to their leadership roles, such as Army Surgeon General William Gorges, who worked to save as many lives as possible. However, there were many others, mayors, governors, and generals, who neglected to take the pandemic seriously and therefore suffered the…
