Illustration of a Spanish influenza patient with cyanosis of the head and neck. Cyanosis, a bluish discoloration of the skin caused by a lack of oxygen, was common in cases where the lower respiratory tract (the lungs) was infected with the influenza virus. It is thought that a severe immune system overreaction, known as a cytokine storm, was responsible for the lung damage, which was often fatal. The 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, which occurred in several waves between 1918 and 1920, infected one fifth of the world population and killed between 20 and 50 million, more than had been killed in the First World War. The second wave of the pandemic, from August 1918, was much deadlier than the first, with high mortality rates among young healthy adults. Illustration from 'Studies on Epidemic Influenza' by Members of the Faculty of the School of Medicine of the University of Pittsburgh (1919). | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / National Library of Medicine |
Taille de l’image : | 4055 px × 2594 px |
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Property Release : | Non requis |
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