October 1, 2020

Hunting an Invisible Killer

by Science Vs

Background show artwork for Science Vs

An adventuring Swedish doctor takes on a decades-long medical mystery: What exactly was the 1918 flu? We talk to Dr. Johan Hultin, Eileen Hultin, Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, Ann Reid, Rita Olanna and Annie Conger. 


Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/30mnvt6


Check out Radiolab’s episode on the 1918 flu here: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/dispatches-1918 


And the book Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused it by Gina Kolata: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429979351 


This episode was produced by Rose Rimler with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Michelle Dang, Hannah Harris Green and Nicholas DelRose. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, and Marcus Thorne Bagala. Special thanks to: Abbie Ruzicka, Abigail Collins, Davis Hovey, John White, Robyn Russell, Rachel Cohen, Warren Kakoona, Brian Crockett, Trefon Angasan, Brad Angasan, Matt Ganley, Dr. Adam Lauring, Dr. Matt Memoli, Prof. Susan Jones, and everyone else we spoke to for this episode. Plus a big thanks to Brendan Klinkenberg, Walter Rimler, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.