In the Grippe of the Influenza
Kiss of Death is set during the Spanish flu (or ‘grippe’) pandemic of 1918. The suffering it brought, and the government’s struggle to cope, are key themes of the novel.
An inhalation chamber erected inside a bicycle shed in Christchurch.
An Unhealthy Inhalation
The New Zealand authorities never mandated mask use, but they did encourage zinc-sulphate inhalations. There’s no scientific evidence that the measure did any good, indeed historians now argue that the queues congregating to use the chambers became hotbeds of infection.
The Ambulances and the Blocks
Once they realised the full extent of what they were dealing with, the Wellington response to the pandemic was organised comparatively well. The city was divided into blocks, reporting to a central bureau in the Town Hall. Dozens of civilian lorries were utilised as temporary ambulances and were often crewed by volunteers.
A temporary ambulance and its crew in Wellington during the Spanish flu pandemic. Note the extended roof at the back to cover the stretcher.
Temporary hospital at St Patrick’s College, then located in Te Aro.
Temporary Hospitals
The health system soon became overstretched during the pandemic and temporary hospitals were established in halls and schools. Among the first were Alexandra Hall, and also St Patrick’s College, which was then located in Te Aro. These hospitals were primarily staffed by volunteers supervised by one or two trained professionals.
Who needs a mask?
The New Zealand government never mandated mask use during the Spanish flu pandemic. This is in stark contrast to San Francisco, where on the 29th of October three people were shot (including two innocent bystanders) in a dispute between a health inspector and a mask slacker. The masks in the gallery below inspired Madam Bouvier’s shop window in the novel.
