2023/01/01 by Carole Bennett · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis #History of Medicine and Tropical Health #Migration, Health, Geopolitics, Historical Geography
paper · doi:10.5325/nursinghistory.31.0171
openalex publication_date 2023/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/12/27
On September 18, 1918, the Charleston News and Courier reported a few cases of influenza at a local naval training camp just north of the city but assured citizens that the “blue jackets,” as the cadets were called, had been ordered to quarantine to prevent further spread of the disease.1 Up to this time, the local citizenry of Charleston had paid little attention to the flu epidemic that was devastating major cities along the East Coast like Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, and official reports seemed to downplay the threat. Indeed, the following day naval officials proclaimed that “the disease seems to be well under control.”2 Health Officer Mercier Green, MD, told Charleston residents that the “Spanish influenza is not here yet, but it is coming.”3 Nevertheless, Anna DeCosta Banks, district visiting nurse for Charleston’s Ladies Benevolent Society (LBS), knew firsthand that the flu had already arrived. On September 18, the same day cases had been reported at the naval base, Banks made a home call to Lawrence Miller and diagnosed him with influenza. Over the course of three visits, Banks provided bedside care, took Miller’s pulse and temperature, bathed him to lower his fever, and changed his bed. She provided nourishments such as soup and cocoa from the LBS Supply Closet and left his family with a small amount of money for food. She had advised his family to provide fresh air to aid his recovery and use ice to keep his fever down. After three visits, she reported him as “recovered.” Miller, who lived at 86 Nassau Street in “the neck” of Charleston near the cigar factory, may have been the city’s first case of community spread influenza.4 The epidemic had found its way to Charleston.When the flu epidemic hit the United States, the country was at war with Germany and had recently deployed hundreds of nurses and physicians to Europe to care for the thousands of troops who were sent there. At home, physicians and nurses were in short supply. In Charleston, a military seaport, the population swelled from sixty thousand to eighty-five thousand as sailors prepared to embark.5 The daily headlines reported the progress of the Allied campaign in Europe, and patriotic fervor for the war effort filled the city. The progress of the flu was always relegated to the last page of the local morning and evening paper.Focused on the health of Charleston citizens, Anna DeCosta Banks met each morning with the agent of Associated Charities, picked up messages of patients’ calls from the night before, gathered nourishments, linens, and hospital garments from the Loan and Supply Closet, and began her nursing rounds within the city. Under Banks’s direction, her group of Black nursing students at the Cannon Street Hospital and Training School for Nurses staffed the hospital. They also nursed in the community when hired by the LBS as “watch nurses” for very ill patients. Banks was the nursing superintendent for the small twenty-four-bed hospital, which provided inpatient acute care for the Black and White poor of the community. The LBS members kept the Loan and Supply Closet at Associated Charities filled with food and other comforts for their “cases.”6 Although they had experience and they had of the of and they were to in Charleston, Black and were very in the war effort and for They had a home nursing course and met on September to its The met on September to in the be The of made of the flu epidemic for a the LBS and from from with the local health Although the LBS district visiting nurses had been in Charleston for and their the of the community and to have been to the nurses of the Anna Banks and her students were in to of the Ladies Benevolent from local and reports from to 1918, and the of the the this the and of the LBS and the nurses in Charleston the the and of each and the of poor in small city in the The of and its is this that Anna DeCosta Banks’s Charleston residents and the of the local LBS the and of the influenza Banks and her small but a of and provided by the were to provide bedside nursing care to the residents of Charleston, a at for a of The nurses from the in Charleston for from and had other in other that had war the Charleston was to as to the of the and the to the of their in major cities the flu that the of their and on and with local and health and local this of on the of the health officials and its to with local such as the LBS had a in the their the of the in a the epidemic arrived. for and hospital and as well as and The made by with hospital and nurses they also a to provide for nurses Although not the in Charleston reported in the for their of for the influenza They were on the war with the flu was In Charleston, the at Associated Charities began to day and The which the LBS to their in Charleston, sent to the LBS to a The LBS as they had of fever, fever, and On September the of the of nursing to the local of were to nursing were made but the influenza had already LBS to members and of the of their The Ladies Benevolent of White was in the city of Charleston, a city for its and following the of when the Charleston and residents were on the was to the of the poor and the of the in its the LBS White members had made the home to the poor and in the a and as its on her and her was was of to her lived in of as her and for their knew the of She had and nursing care and her to care for the poor when she took as superintendent of the the of Nurses in on the of in that the LBS a nurse to the home she “the of care, at the of the well is in their and to and the of they The its was to care for local citizens of Charleston and was by and of which in of was At the of the members and of the of its The was by the community and to be a of their the the was to be a to prevent of their by a as was for a her in her of the was by and The superintendent of the her in case that was a the members They had to up their of hired a nurse under a of from the LBS she hired a White but her a Over the to keep a White nurse the White nurses that the was ill and of when the LBS had hired Anna DeCosta Banks, who for in a in from the White nursing and LBS a Black hired Banks as the district nurse for the LBS of the of the in the when the paid the LBS to care for from the LBS had not from the Charleston for The for their In to their LBS met with from the a group of who not care that with their In when the Charleston of Health was this health on health and the the poor to from the of her for their and with for their of Anna Banks’s care of their and the nursing she from the Society she in the local The of with was but of her as superintendent of the Ladies Benevolent Society as a in the following the from the the and as they in in with she to of their on when the of the day be to the she physicians of the LBS and the nursing care for their of paid to a for a and she and for poor who were their was also the to her nurses were DeCosta Banks, a was in Charleston in She at the in Charleston, a for Black by the in to The was a and Black community in Banks a to in she with her and with for their and She was who was to her to The same Banks from began the Training School for as the Hospital School of in Banks she was their first and was hired to be the nursing superintendent of the at the Training Banks first the of The hospital hired the students to who had a family in of nursing The family paid the for the Black that not have to their training for nurses this to the to their Banks’s experience in home visiting prepared her to care for in their the hospital the of a a White from the Hospital Training and nurse the They the as and that students that the in the community was the to community members and physicians that Black nurses and the care they provided were also that was a of the Black to be as little a of to a for the health care of poor Black citizens with very few Charleston which for White and Black a from the as the White School of for the Black Hospital and Training School for Nurses was of the Black and training their like was a that to Banks’s experience in her she to Charleston in the Banks was and to be hired as of the Hospital and Training School for to as Cannon Street her Black and White physicians her her the Society Banks as a nurse in the first of nurse in Banks with the community. she home for the LBS from and community but she also provided care at to at the and the very of in on the of to as “the to In to the Banks of the the Ladies on and the Black nurses at this to the community. Banks found and in she to the Cannon Street Hospital for nursing She the the nursing of and their the with the LBS to provide visiting nursing to the thousand in with in New York, had to be the was its the Anna Banks the of with as and in with they in the and have a to their of cases of The a nurse at a nurse to Anna DeCosta Banks was a health care home visits, for and and care in the small twenty-four-bed hospital to which she The in the hospital were to the of they made with and Banks a and for food for the and she her money to food that be The hospital was to her The nursing students were provided on the of the hospital, but when the hospital was of and their were the students a few in the was they provided care by Anna Banks the of hospital in her to for this community to care for the poor was provided by the LBS and the They Anna Banks’s and paid students day as “watch was paid to the very but was by the of and the of the and Banks was by the LBS as their visiting nurse for the of her at which the just the United be the in Europe, to to the to the war effort in that the were the of the in the local of the which had money for and provided to that its be and in the were for community and of nurses and for the war community was in Charleston for in care and a first aid course by and a course in for Charleston up for for and by the Charleston for war was with and were to to be Charleston citizens to the the local to and The in for each to garments and hospital to aid the war The local up at a and to hospital garments for They reported that from their and were garments and The Charleston of the and of they for and in the members for were very in their for the the Black citizens of Charleston to their of the In they a Black as They at the local and made their and they a for from on Black citizens to for the as in their a of citizens, was a as of on this the local made to who who members of the to to a of the day for this patriotic and and that they may the of the were in the of the of 1918, and in local They patriotic Over and of and provided the and very in and in were the which the patriotic fervor for the community. In a to for the and the war thousand and who Street the of nurses and nurses from the three local in the The of the the White the in to their campaign was as a to to the in in The was as from In was as a with in their in to the The reported that from the were on each their money to to the On the News and Courier reported that Charleston its Charleston was a of by the but the and in The community was when it from the of the local of the for White citizens, Black citizens, and were in the war home from were in the local White and Black who were in in patriotic and the for and hospital to the community by the of the community that was by the war effort and to the epidemic the flu was in Charleston and On September the local for flu in Hospital Charleston at the had a health for a city its with a and of nursing to the the city also had The of the city health was other city its and that amount The in the city health to prevent the spread of for and provided the flu their was and to the to and prevent They not to on a the first nurse hired by the health was with citizens with and to At the time, this health nurse had a to that and not other to the family and to prevent The was very in in 1918, with a population of Charleston, their Nurses had a and each with a nursing to their In Philadelphia, with a population of and the city Nurses city nurses to In Charleston, with a population of to with the community nursing at that was of Anna Banks, her who were paid nurse and nurse of the local Charleston a from the of the in for of the city and nurses for epidemic nurses with for and the for local the influenza within the community September cadets on the the local military who had had with the naval very The the the was The very same September the LBS had a in calls for nursing care for with On Anna Banks that her first influenza of the day to be to the Charleston’s seemed little the spread of the disease in the city. patriotic on and officials in as hundreds of and patriotic citizens, the local that nurses and home nurses were to in the Loan In cities this was but in Charleston patriotic took as citizens, and nurses in the Mercier was to keep the of Charleston but not On 1918, to the cases of influenza have been reported to that on health officials a quarantine and and further They to keep their and to provide the air was The of health on the of to the for The health were Banks and her to cases had not been nursing care and of were the her Banks that in each she to lower and provided prepared and family members to She for with and always She for ice to be and by the family to The LBS had with and Banks ordered from him for The and the of with ice and provided Banks and the LBS cases with Banks provided to the LBS Supply Closet, to and to be which had been made by and by the the was filled with linens, Banks her a made Banks had to small the LBS had been by a for the of his Black poor and The provided with a which the LBS for the of her the was to care for Black citizens in money to who had been by a who to provide for their The which the was the at the that provide care for of Anna Banks was the to use that the of 1918, Banks the to for from the Charleston nursing she ordered to who it for the In the LBS that in the of 1918, from the paid for of sent to Banks not her bedside nursing but also money for for in the and garments for the for the to provide she to a “watch the to the hospital. Banks that who had was sent to the hospital in a that she which she family members who were not ill to care for their In Banks a and her three the with She for a “watch for this the of the family members were by influenza with in the family well to provide care, Banks the of the Banks with her small to the of the she she the their to provide and care for the met in on September 1918, to their on a and to nurses to for the In of the the in not on when they the Charleston News and Courier with the following The reported that the of had been to of the was to the in for the The for for nurses and a of and for nurses and in to and this her for and by the to in influenza. They a small amount of money to the health to the in the to the and to with the to the On ordered the to nursing and to local the News and Courier reported that were thousand flu cases the of health that the had the epidemic that Charleston at the of the made for the in other The their on and to have the picked up the following from the the of the Benevolent The of the and the were in this the and the for to the district The the to their of Charleston were to their but to to care for flu in their a of the Charleston reported flu cases in Charleston at thousand with and reports in the last that be in of the they be in to the same day reported further were to at is not and on the be as as the epidemic was and the health was to the and the citizens to quarantine and the local as for from the of the the attention was on with such as and in and were war were the of the the in Charleston was In the the were ill that nurse found three in with the In the nurse found with to provide In the home with a family of members were already and the three family members who were were ill that they not their of to care for nurses were the was on the of and nurses to flu which Charleston was a small community on a to took the when flu spread the took were nurses on their to and not to the use of and was In the was in cities like Boston, and New York, and a to The who had prepared for war by to had a The up a and it in the along with the and to nurses up the to the reported at a at the near the to food and and provide Nurses the of the the nurse in of the nursing that Charleston had the home nursing course and were their to provide care at the under the of In the hospital group of Black nurses and who had the home care under the of and provided care to in and Charleston They were by the not to the health Anna Banks’s that the influenza was in Charleston by September 18, and she was already the the to for flu The citizens on to money for the war The local nurses to in the cities this and but Charleston to with the On the with the health it and the and the local for The city on On in the with a devastating the health that the of influenza was with the was reported to be this following the of the that they to and They the city as had been in and which was the a nurse to each district with to be by the from the the local that they provide and reported at to the Charleston to for to at to with the they the city was at the of the on the News and Courier reported on the care that the LBS had been that Associated Charities and Ladies Benevolent Society the at Associated Charities who took calls for the LBS nurse been day and night the cases this been in with the and other that calls from of the community were The nurses visiting calls with and to their They have from morning have for a nurse to nurses for the three Although the had and they to be the LBS who the Associated Charities a by their nurse in the the in in Charleston, citizens influenza that with a of a the may use a well but a is influenza had the attention of the citizens of Charleston, who were in to was with that on reported that the of cases seemed to be Health in with the provided to the population and the provided to They also provided the to food to with The Charleston following the its the and the to and to with the flu in their the was The in the School the had been in and in the were by to the for the the to provide in the morning and at to and in the The reported that for the which been is the of the be kept up at its as the epidemic be the a to the LBS nurse Banks LBS and to the for In the local and made calls to The with in three each the was and the was nursing care was not well On 1918, for to on nurses as well as nurses who nursing under the to when and on The of the be on a is kept of the nurses and on the of and their LBS nurses Anna Banks and to made home visits, and In Banks and made home to LBS of had to and for their bedside nursing care was and was by nurses hired as “watch In this of care and attention to In reported to the that “the was very that had been their be that in was a of LBS who had to be from a of influenza. They had made when the was as the local as a and by the a to and They care by nursing with nurses and in district the city. this very in the Charleston influenza cases reported by were by were and by were The of reported cases in Charleston was The influenza with the a of in three it in the of the in and but in the from the LBS to the LBS of Anna Banks’s and her a of home to cases White and Black cases for the LBS and White and Black cases for the In on the to her members at their that as of they had flu cases and She the which had provided for the LBS and the use of a in the to the She also that nurse Anna Banks and her calls and and as well as on and She also that Anna Banks had home in health reported a and In his to the on the in that influenza was not a it was were it was epidemic but was to attention with the of cases at The hundreds in the community were by to they from of of and hundreds in this and took that the city had poor of care, and case within the community. The with a population of and of for each the for was of for the population of Charleston at a which was to be a and but with of The of the LBS reports for the same three a of cases with of for 1918, the LBS reported cases with to that the following the LBS reported of were influenza from who the following from LBS and Anna Banks, with within the community and with with ice and for to which were to their by of and their of who were for by Anna Banks, her students and had a of who not her At the it that Banks’s and to were in this of the to the influenza the United the Charleston community to the for patriotic to money and effort to the war the Charleston by and and and community of the White and Black hospital garments and and to the in the war They and took care of members took care of White and met and troops who members of the community were and on the of the to provide with and the influenza epidemic in the United States, the of the of the its attention on the such as the in the in The health of their community members was a the to the that the United in the the local Charleston had not been to their and were to for from the The made it for the Charleston to to the of the community as the flu the LBS was local and to their they were to to as they the that the White members had in their made home visits, by when the flu that had been from their and of the members were as community care they hired a the were to the care Anna Banks and her few The LBS not have a for to use LBS members as this was and had been their community nursing Charleston health were to their with the on in nursing and which be to local the health were by the of and their in the of and to prevent this of three the local and the health their of care with other to their the United the Charleston and on the war In Charleston, local Black and for and to the of in Europe, and provided hospital and by and garments and for the The citizens the war as the local headlines of the Allied in morning and evening its in the of citizens of the had to to the not the LBS had been for and their for the and poor of Charleston was local of had also a group of local like and who in this effort to to the In by Anna DeCosta Banks, and her students as a small but the LBS had found a of to which have been a to and this the hit Charleston, the local had to from their very and war and to to a local epidemic for which they were Charleston was hit not to the call to provide the local began in Charleston to the they not to they from the of the in they to a effort was in by local who had experience in In the health nurses and the nurses to and to health nursing had not been in Charleston, and the LBS was as a local that have met and have with the and of LBS Black community nurses of and to was to the community. the and in for the city with nurses in and under their and for a and to and the influenza epidemic had already The for who had and to the local and the LBS in the have the care and to the of In which had that the was very in Charleston, the was very that of the first of the the was with Black and White the of was a way of in the the of the had Black nurses to in the war and nurses who had from hospital with Black nurses who had in the in small hospital such as the School of Anna Banks to the Hospital and Training School for Nurses in Charleston, she and of Black students were not that White nursing care as her and the LBS as her Anna Banks nursing care the of nursing care, and that her She the that to in that Black were to and with White in to provide to Black and White The here that Black were at at the of and to their White White were the in which the to with Black their was of Anna DeCosta Banks and They were in health care to the poor of Charleston for who the of White have had of the of Anna the it that Banks was paid the epidemic and a a of which was a when the epidemic In the of the and Banks, it was Anna Banks who was the and and the LBS provided Banks the the and the within a community and Black and her their Banks was a within the of She is as in it not a to who have to