"Please, Let Me Put Him in a Macaroni Box" The Spanish Influenza of 1918 in Philadelphia

- How did you use this material?
I'm planning to introduce Avian Flu and wanted to revisit the 1918 pandemic. This is the third of three oral history resources I'm using an entry point to the topic.

- Did you augment the material?
Yes, I'm using mortality data on influenza for 1917-1919 as well as the biology of the H1N1 virus. Oral hstories from the Center for History and New Media/American Social History Project are used to introduce the topic. An interactive flu map from Weather Underground is another resource.

- In which courses or programs did you use the material?
Faculty workshop on interdisciplinary problem solving

- How would you recommend using this material?
Small groups of students might listen to different oral histories of the 1918 influenza and the discuss.

- What knowledge and skills do you need?
Instructors should be prepared to provide student access to resources such as the internet to explore their own questions regarding the Spanish flu. If these are biology students, connecting relevant text material on influenza helps. Students benefit from working in groups.

- Is the material appropriate?
This very human account serves as an impetus for undergraduates to consider more broadly the impact of pandemics. Comparison to the disregard of human corpses during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is likely.

- Did using the material lead to successful or identifiable outcomes?
Yes, the use of oral history is now being considered as a resource by science faculty members.