74,874 100,159-115,526

lornajarrettblanchard January 1, 1917

–115,526 Dauer, C.C. “The Pandemic of Influenza in 1918-19.” US PHS, NOVS. 7-19-1957.
–100,159 Influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia. Census Bureau. Mortality Statistics 1917. p. 20.*

— 12,974 Influenza; death rate per 100K pop., 17.2; 1.2%. Census. Mortality Statistics 1917. 20.
— 7,298 Acute Bronchitis. “ 9.7; 0.7%. “
— 5,013 Chronic Bronchitis. “ 6.7; 0.5% “
— 74,874 Pneumonia “ 99.4; 7.0% “
— 7,858 Other diseases of respiratory system (excluding tuberculosis). 62.7; 4.4% “ **

* Census data relates only to 27 “registration” states, the District of Columbia and 43 cities in nonregistration states. Registration state and city inclusion determinations were “on the basis of approximately complete registration of deaths (at least 90 per cent of all deaths) and when the data at hand showed that the deaths were recorder properly under state law, or, for cities, under municipal ordinances.” The 1917 registration states were: CA, CO, CT, IN, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, UT, VT, VA, WA, and WI.

**Do not include these deaths in our tally given ambiguity of any relationship to influenza.

State Deaths. Influenza death rate per 100K pop. Census. Mortality Statistics 1917. P. 40, 232.

AL 71 Registration cities of Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery.
26.4 Birmingham –50
27.0 Mobile –16
Montgomery — 5
CA 285 9.4
CO 143 14.4
CT 319 25.3
66.3 Greenwich town –16
69.5 Meriden town –24
62.2 Norwalk –17
DC 86 23.3
FL 31 Registration cities of Jacksonville, Key West, Pensacola, and Tampa.
GA 59 Registration cities of Atlanta, Augusta, Brunswick and Savannah.
11.2 Atlanta –22
Savannah –27
IL 193 Registration cities, Aurora/Belleville/Chicago/Decatur/Quincy/Springfield
6.0 Chicago –154
38.0 Quincy — 14
IN 606 21.4
KS 542 29.3
35.7 Atchison — 6
46.3 Independence — 7
Kansas City –15
31.6 Lawrence –11
46.5 Leavenworth — 9 [17.2 average US death rate]
KY 583 21.4
35.8 Frankfort
40.6 Henderson
LA 155 Registration cities: Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, New Orleans
119.7 Baton Rouge — 21
29.7 New Orleans –112
ME 234 30.2
MD 235 17.1
MA 469 12.4
50.3 Melrose
52.3 Newburyport
MI 534 17.3
51.9 Adrian
29.8 Battle Creek
22.7 Bay City
25.0 Jackson
MN 220 9.5
MS 48 Registration cities, including Meridian and Natchez.
57.6 Hattiesburg
61.1 Jackson
47.5 Vicksburg
MO 815 23.8
44.6 Hannibal
42.6 Webb City
MT 43 9.1
NE 26 Registration cities of Lincoln and Omaha.
Lincoln — 9
9.6 Omaha –17
NH 145 32.6
50.8 Nashua –14
NJ 417 13.8
NY 1,694 14.4
51.5 Batavia — 7
103.2 Dunkirk –22
58.6 Little Falls — 8
657 7.9 New York City. NY Dept. of Health. An. Rpt., p. 547.
NC 403 16.6
OH 962 18.5
54.9 Bellaire
OR 17 5.5 Portland
PA 1,506 17.4
31.3 Norristown — 10
Philadelphia –249
Pittsburgh — 93
41.4 Pittston — 9
RI 125 20.1
SC 302 18.5
22.7 Columbia
TN 565 24.5
TX 131 Registration cities.
28.9 El Paso –20
39.0 San Antonio –50
UT 45 10.1
VT 152 41.6
33.2 Rutland
VA 464 21.0
22.3 Alexandria
22.1 Newport News
41.8 Portsmouth
WA 117 7.4
WV 8 Wheeling
WI 391 15.5
33.3 Appleton
28.7 Manitowoc
20.8 Sheboygan

Narrative Information

Census Bureau: “The number of deaths from influenza in 1917 is 12,974, corresponding to a rate of 17.2 per 100,000 population, as against 18,886 deaths in 1916 and a rate of 26.4. The highest rate for any year in the annual mortality reports, the first of which was published in 1900, was 32.2 for 1901.” [p. 40]

“Those [cities] having the greatest increases are Greenwich town, Conn. (from 15.7 to 66.3); Dunkirk, N.Y. (from 53 to 103.2); Melrose, Mass. (from 17.2 to 50.8); and Hattiesburg, Miss. (from 30.3 to 57.6). Baton Rouge, La., shows the highest rate (119.7) for 1917, the first year of its inclusion in the registration area, and Dunkirk, N.Y., the next (103.2). Owensboro, Ky., comes next (83), followed by Lawrence, Kans. (81.6)….” [p. 42] (Bureau of Census. Mortality Statistics 1917. Eighteenth Annual Report. 1919, p. 40 & 42.)

Dauer: “In 1918 alone, 464,959 deaths from influenza and pneumonia were registered in the registration States and the District of Columbia as compared with 115,526 in 1917.” (Dauer, Dr. C. C. (Medical Advisor). “The Pandemic of Influenza in 1918-19.” Washington, DC?: United States Public Health Service, National Office of Vital Statistics. 7-19-1957.)

Sources

Bureau of the Census. Mortality Statistics 1917. Eighteenth Annual Report. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1919. Accessed 3-18-2020 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsushistorical/mortstatsh_1917.pdf

Dauer, Dr. C. C. (Medical Advisor). “The Pandemic of Influenza in 1918-19.” Washington, DC?: United States Public Health Service, National Office of Vital Statistics. 7-19-1957. Accessed at: http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/influenza%20pan.htm

New York State Department of Health. Thirty-Eighth Annual Report of the State Department of Health of New York For the Year Ending December 31, 1917 (Vol. 1). Albany: J. B. Lyon Co., 1918. Google preview accessed 6-3-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=XE49AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Valdez Daily Prospector, AK. “Canadians Meet Death.” 12-28-1917, p. 4. Accessed 3-18-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/valdez-daily-prospector-dec-28-1917-p-4/