During fall 1918, in the last months of WWI, Philadelphia hosted the
largest parade in its history. Within days, all city hospitals were
full. In this illustrated presentation, Robert D. Hicks, Director of
the Mütter Museum, will discuss the pandemic as a social catastrophe
in conjunction with the exhibit.
THE _SPIT SPREADS DEATH_ EXHIBIT OF THE MÜTTER MUSEUM WILL BE OPEN
FOR THIS EVENT.
TIMELINE:
5:30PM-6:30PM _Lecture ___
6:30PM-7:30PM _Spit Spreads Death Exhibit Open __and Reception
(pretzels & cash bar)_
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ROBERT D. HICKS, PHD, is the former Director of the Mütter Museum
and Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of
Philadelphia. He also directs the F. C. Wood Institute and holds the
William Maul Measey Chair for the History of Medicine. Formerly, he
supervised exhibits, collections, and educational outreach at the
Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia. He has worked with
museum-based education and exhibits for over three decades, primarily
as a consultant to historic sites and museums. This work led Robert to
obtain a doctorate in maritime history from the University of Exeter,
United Kingdom. Concurrent with the museum consulting, Robert worked
for the Commonwealth of Virginia as a senior program manager in
criminal justice, providing managerial assistance throughout the
state. Earlier, he performed criminal justice work in Arizona, and
obtained BA and MA degrees in anthropology and archaeology at the
University of Arizona. He also served as a naval officer with the U.S.
Naval Security Group.
ABOUT Spit Spreads Death
[http://muttermuseum.org/exhibitions/going-viral-behind-the-scenes-at-a-medical-museum/]
A century ago, a worldwide health disaster hit home. The influenza
pandemic of 1918–19, the global epidemic often called the “Spanish
flu,” killed 50 to 100 million people worldwide.
Here in PHILADELPHIA, the Liberty Loan Parade, a patriotic wartime
effort on September 28, 1918, helped to spread the disease. Soon, the
city was in crisis. Hospitals overflowed and bodies piled up in
morgues. PHILADELPHIA HAD THE HIGHEST DEATH RATE OF ANY MAJOR
AMERICAN CITY DURING THE PANDEMIC. More than 12,000 people died in
six weeks; over 20,000 died in six months.
Many of those people died young. Very few were wealthy or famous.
Their names are not in history books, but their families did not
forget them.
Spit SPREADS DEATH explores how neighborhoods in PHILADELPHIA WERE
IMPACTED, how the disease spread, and what could happen in future
PANDEMICS.
Spit Spreads Death is an exhibition and artist project that explores
both this devastating historic event and the connections to
contemporary health issues. Join us for an exploration that begins
before the exhibition opens and will continue throughout the life of
the exhibition.
_MAJOR SUPPORT FOR _SPIT SPREADS DEATH_ has been provided by The
Pew Center for Arts & Heritage [https://www.pewcenterarts.org/] and
the Institute of Museum and Library Services [https://www.imls.gov/],
with additional support from the Groff Family Memorial Trust and
the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
[https://www.phmc.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx], a state agency funded by
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania._
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Mütter members receive discounts to our events!
-Student & individual members can purchase one member ticket.
-Dual and family members can purchase two member tickets.
_Not a member? _Join at https://muttr.org/join
[https://muttr.org/join]!
THINGS TO KNOW:
-Tickets required; limited availability
-Tickets are transferable, but not refundable.
-American Sign Language interpretation is available for any public
program, with advance notice. Please contact Meredith
Sellers msellers@collegeofphysicians.org to request sign language
interpretation with two weeks notice or for any other accessibility
accommodations.
-By entering the event premises, you consent to photography, audio
recording, video recording and its release, publication, exhibition,
or reproduction to be used for news, promotional purposes,
advertising, inclusion on websites, social media, or any other purpose
by The College of Physicians/The Mütter Museum and its affiliates
and representatives.
_Questions?_ Email events@collegeofphysicians.org
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30/01/2020 Last update