J. Alexander Navarro

Professor of History of Medicine, University of Michigan.
Alexander Navarro photo
Medicine at Michigan
The History of Ignoring Pandemic Precautions
People paid a price for prematurely celebrating the end of the 1918 flu pandemic.
 1918 crowd in public area with trolleys in black and white
Health Lab
People Gave Up on Flu Pandemic Measures a Century Ago When They Tired of Them – and Paid a Price
The deadly third wave of the 1918 flu shows what can happen when society prematurely returns to pre-pandemic life, a medical historian cautions.
 policeman in seattle in 1918 wearing masks
Health Lab
Mask Resistance During a Pandemic Isn’t New – in 1918 Many Americans Were ‘Slackers’
The last pandemic killed around 675,000 people in the U.S. alone. Widespread acceptance of cloth face coverings could help to stop history from repeating itself today.
 old hospital beds lined up
Health Lab
Lessons From the 1918 Pandemic: A U.S. City’s Past May Hold Clues
A medical historian says striking similarities exist between how we reacted a century ago, and how we’re responding now.