Introduction | Government Records | State Health Reports |
Oral History: Gillies | Activity
- Does Victoria Gillies’ story support or conflict with State Board of Health reports?
- Gillies was only 2 ½ years old when the Spanish flu struck. She was interviewed when she was 73 years old. Can we trust her memory?
- What was the percentage of flu deaths in relation to all disease deaths in 1917? How did that figure change in 1918? Use the chart below to find the ratio.
| Year |
Total Deaths |
Flu Deaths |
Ratio |
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- Do the statistics bear out Gillies’ statement that more women died of flu than men? What other information about public health diseases can you glean from these statistics?
- We have one oral history and two pages of statistics to tell us about the Spanish flu epidemic in North Dakota. What is the value of each source? What are the weaknesses of each source?
