Pandemics and Epidemics (Archives and Special Collections)

Pandemic and Epidemic Resources Found in the SWHA

The SWHA has organized their resources by outbreak.

“SPANISH" INFLUENZA PANDEMIC OF 1918-1919

Survey magazine, a progressive reform and social work serial that included articles and visual information on social issues. Issues of Survey and related publications are available in the Umedia digital content site and in Hathitrust Digital Library

Here are few examples of articles that include information on the social work and public health aspects of the pandemic.

TUBERCULOSIS

National Social Welfare Assembly records, National Social Work Council, 1911-1956.

Monthly Meeting, 1944 (Box 10, Folder 98) Minutes of June 2, 1944 meeting of the National Social Work Council. Lengthy discussion of the program and funding of the National Tuberculosis Association. Document starts on page 142 of the digitized folder.

National Conference of Charities and Corrections/National Conference on Social Welfare proceedingsThe proceedings date from 1874 to 1982 and are full text searchable online. The Conference was a meeting of reformers, educators, prison and institution officials, social workers (and their early counterparts), members of various civic, religious and charitable groups, academics, etc.

  • How to find papers in the NCSW proceedings:
    • Click "simple searches"
    • Select "table of contents" or "full text" from the drop down menu.
    • Enter your term in the "find" box.  Search for consumption, consumptive, tuberculosis, public health, sanatorium, or the names of specific state hospitals, sanatoria, or institutions.
    • You may also choose a range of dates to search using the drop down menu.
    • Click search.
    • You will get a list of individual volumes of the proceedings that contain your search term. The list of volumes appears in chronological order.
    • Click on "results details" to open the results for a particular year.
    • You will see the page numbers where the search term appears. Click on a page number to open that page. You may need to click "back" to find the beginning of the paper.
    • If searching the table of contents, then make note of the page where the paper you want to read starts. Use the drop down menu to find that page and click on the page to open it.
    • Click next to move through the paper
  • Examples from the NCSW proceedings:

Survey magazine and related publications include extensive references to prevention and treatment of tuberculosis; related public health issues and programs; sanatoria, hospitals and institutions; and TB in the context of providing social casework assistance to individuals and families.

Myers, J. Arthur, and Minnesota Public Health Association. Invited and Conquered : Historical Sketch of Tuberculosis in Minnesota. Minnesota Public Health Association, 1949.

 

POLIO

Survey Associates. The Survey, June 2, 1917. (Volume 38, Issue 10). 1917-06-02. University of Minnesota Libraries, Social Welfare History Archives., umedia.lib.umn.edu/item/p16022coll336:2916 Accessed 30 Jul 2020. Seymour, Gertrude. Poliomyelitis: A Winter’s Work and Study

Contact Us

To contact the SWHA specifically, please: 

  • Email: swha@umn.edu
  • Phone: 612-624-6394 
Last Updated: Jan 5, 2024 11:41 AM