Della's mother and the Flu Epidemic

Elliot and Zach's great grandmother (Mary Alice Wellons Dixon, wife of Jerry, and my mom) is down in Florida today to visit with us.

I never got to meet my great grandmother Marinda Bell Dixon. That's because she was one of the few ancestors I have who died early from illness.

She died at age 36, in May of 1919. Of the flu.

The flu?

Yes, the flu. It was in the time before antibiotics and other aspects of medical technology that saves most flu victims today. Just like in the biographies of John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, the flu was very much a killer back then.

Curt reminded me of great grandmother's demise as we were developing the blog. Then the news today explained that the flu vaccine this year is only preventing about 40% of the flu cases this year.

PBS did a documentary and still has a great website explaining about the flu epidemic of 1918-19, sometimes referred to as The Spanish Flu. It's the epidemic that health and government leaders talk about when they worry us about avian flu or bioterrorism. It was the last great (horribly great) flu epidemic in the U.S. and the epidemic was almost at an end.

I don't know if my grandmother ever talked about those tragic days leading up to the death of her mother. It had to be tough.