AUBURN - There are fewer and fewer people who know the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic ever happened, let alone the deadly impact the virus had until it was eradicated.
The Cayuga Museum of History and Art will explore infectious disease and public health with the “Sick of It” exhibit opening Friday night. The exhibit will show how the past plays into fresh pandemic fears of the avian flu and the public debate over mandated vaccinations to prevent cancer causing human papillomavirus.
“It's timely not only from a historical standpoint, but as a contemporary issue as well,” museum curator Carrie Barrett said.
Scientists are studying the Spanish flu pandemic as they prepare federal response should another influenza outbreak sweep the planet.
The battle over mandated vaccinations for HPV isn't unfamiliar territory for American policymakers.
“Each vaccination that was mandated in the past was just as controversial,” museum director Eileen McHugh said.
The idea for the exhibit struck McHugh when her son contracted meningitis, an infectious disease that affects the spine. It drove home the realization that while some illnesses like small pox and polio have disappeared from the United States, others continue to threaten public health.
In 1918, newspapers tallied the death toll daily as the flu enveloped the country. Eventually the disease faded both from existence and from memory.
“Many young people have never heard of it,” McHugh said. “It's dropped out of public consciousness.”
The exhibit collects newspaper clippings, home remedies and bizarre “quack” equipment from the pandemic age. The museum also plans to gather memories from those who lived through the outbreaks.
Forms will be available to volunteers at the museum. The first-hand accounts will be recorded and archived as part of the museum's collection.
“A hundred years from now, no one will remember the days before antibiotics,” McHugh said.
A companion exhibit will recognize the 90th anniversary of the Red Cross in Cayuga County. Vintage posters, pins and uniforms will accompany the story of the Red Cross.
Red Cross efforts in times of pandemics give the exhibit a loose connection with the “Sick of It” display. The Cayuga County chapter operated a temporary hospital in the city during the 1918 pandemic, McHugh said.
Both exhibits run through June 17.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
If you go
What: “Sick of It: Infectious Disease and the Public Health System” and “Cayuga County Red Cross 90th Anniversary”
Where: Cayuga Museum of History and Art, 203
Genesee St., Auburn
When: Opens 6 p.m. Friday, on display noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday until June 3
For details: Call 253-8051
“It's timely not only from a historical standpoint, but as a contemporary issue as well,” museum curator Carrie Barrett said.
Scientists are studying the Spanish flu pandemic as they prepare federal response should another influenza outbreak sweep the planet.
The battle over mandated vaccinations for HPV isn't unfamiliar territory for American policymakers.
“Each vaccination that was mandated in the past was just as controversial,” museum director Eileen McHugh said.
The idea for the exhibit struck McHugh when her son contracted meningitis, an infectious disease that affects the spine. It drove home the realization that while some illnesses like small pox and polio have disappeared from the United States, others continue to threaten public health.
In 1918, newspapers tallied the death toll daily as the flu enveloped the country. Eventually the disease faded both from existence and from memory.
“Many young people have never heard of it,” McHugh said. “It's dropped out of public consciousness.”
The exhibit collects newspaper clippings, home remedies and bizarre “quack” equipment from the pandemic age. The museum also plans to gather memories from those who lived through the outbreaks.
Forms will be available to volunteers at the museum. The first-hand accounts will be recorded and archived as part of the museum's collection.
“A hundred years from now, no one will remember the days before antibiotics,” McHugh said.
A companion exhibit will recognize the 90th anniversary of the Red Cross in Cayuga County. Vintage posters, pins and uniforms will accompany the story of the Red Cross.
Red Cross efforts in times of pandemics give the exhibit a loose connection with the “Sick of It” display. The Cayuga County chapter operated a temporary hospital in the city during the 1918 pandemic, McHugh said.
Both exhibits run through June 17.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
If you go
What: “Sick of It: Infectious Disease and the Public Health System” and “Cayuga County Red Cross 90th Anniversary”
Where: Cayuga Museum of History and Art, 203
Genesee St., Auburn
When: Opens 6 p.m. Friday, on display noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday until June 3
For details: Call 253-8051
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