"There Wasn't a Mine Runnin' a Lump O' Coal": A Kentucky Coal Miner Remembers the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919

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

This is a compelling account and good resource for introducing biology students to the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary problems such as Avian Flu.

- 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.

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

- How would you recommend using this material?
I would introduce this to groups either in the classroom or in computer lab setting. This narrative should resonate strongly with undergraduates who must with the risk of an avian flu pandemic in their own lifetimes.

- What knowledge and skills do you need?
Instructor 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.

- 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.