Doyle also lost his younger brother to the flu in 1919, while his wife’s brother had been killed in Belgium in 1914.Īfter the war, both men lectured widely in the U.S. Doyle’s son Kingsley had been wounded in France in 1916 and died of pneumonia in 1918, likely brought on by the influenza pandemic. Lodge’s son Raymond had been struck down by a shell fragment while fighting in Belgium in 1915. Lodge was a respected physicist known for his work with radio waves.īoth men had a longtime interest in the supernatural, and both had lost sons in the war. Doyle was, of course, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. The two most prominent proponents of spiritualism were British: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Oliver Lodge. WATCH: The Spanish Flu Was Deadlier Than World War II Famous names gave spiritualism credence A February 1920 headline in the New York Sun said it all: “Riddle of the Life Hereafter Draws World’s Attention.” Not surprisingly, spiritualism, which promised a window into the afterlife, saw a sudden resurgence in the United States, Great Britain, France and elsewhere. In both cases, most victims were young-between 20 and 40, in the case of the flu-and left behind parents, spouses, sweethearts and children. And if that wasn’t sufficiently staggering, the influenza had taken at least 50 million lives. World War I, which ended in November 1918, had racked up a worldwide death toll of 20 million soldiers and civilians, according to one estimate. The flu pandemic wasn’t alone in spurring this search for meaning. They struggled with more eternal concerns, such as what happens to us after we die and whether it’s possible to communicate with dead loved ones. Their questions weren’t limited to what caused the pandemic or might prevent the next one.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |