Taking pandemic sequelae seriously: from the Russian influenza to COVID-19 long-haulers

Abstract

In January, 1892, the English social reformer and women's rights campaigner Josephine Butler wrote to her son, Stanley, to complain of fatigue and a general declension of the spirits. Butler attributed her symptoms to an attack of “Russian influenza” the previous Christmas, which had left her with painful conjunctivitis and inflamed lungs. “I don't think I ever remember being so weak, not even after the malaria fever at Genoa”, she confessed. 3 months later there was little improvement. “I am so weak that if I read or write for half an hour I become so tired and faint that I have to lie down,” Butler informed a friend.