“They Buckled on the Armor of God”: Kentucky Catholic Sister “Nurses” in the 1918 Flu Pandemic

Abstract

During 1918, the “Spanish Flu” took millions of lives worldwide and remains the worst influenza pandemic in history. The worldwide transmission and the number of deaths from this flu were increased due to the conditions of World War I. In September 1918, the first cases of flu in Kentucky appeared at Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville. At the time, over forty thousand troops were stationed at the camp. Within a week of the first cases being diagnosed, thousands of soldiers were ill, and the base hospital was quickly overwhelmed. By the end of September, 20 percent of the barracks had been converted to emergency hospitals, and urgent appeals went out for additional nurses. During many previous health crises within Kentucky, dating back to the early 1800s, Catholic sisters had volunteered to work as caregivers. A Roman Catholic Army chaplain at the base requested help from various orders of Kentucky nuns, and within days, eighty-eight sisters from seven orders arrived to help, despite knowing they were placing themselves at great personal risk. The majority of the sisters were teachers rather than professional nurses. The care and vigilant observation provided by the sisters was vital to saving many soldiers’ lives, yet they received little recognition for their contribution. In this year of the centenary of the flu pandemic and the end of the war, it is appropriate to acknowledge the work of the sisters who sacrificed to help the stricken soldiers.