COVID-19: What Needs to be Documented? Insights from the Pneumonic Influenza of 1918–1919

Abstract

This article compares the influenza pandemic of 1918–1919 and the recent COVID-19 pandemic in their Australian manifestations, with particular reference to their advent and impact, the response of medical science to each, and their management by federal and state authorities. It also comments on the availability of primary sources, both oral and written, for the study of each pandemic ordeal.