Last week I went to my friend Beth Obermeyer’s celebration for her new book When Winter Came, A country doctor’s journey to fight the flu pandemic of 1918. The book was published by the Mayo Clinic Press. The Mayo Clinic is a world-renowned medical center in Rochester, Minnesota. Her book is the first book they’ve published that isn’t a medical book
 Fifteen years ago, I was in a critique group with Beth called The Caribou Scribblers. I still have a silver pencil from the time Beth had pencils made for us with the group’s name written on the side. It was fun to be a part of Beth’s book launch. It was a happy occasion with neighbors, friends, and other writers. It was held at friend of Beth’s beautiful mansion in Minneapolis. |
Beth’s grandfather, Dr. Pierre Sartor, was a doctor in Iowa in 1918 during the flu epidemic that hit the world near the end of World War 1. The flu killed 50 million people. Dr. Sartor treated over 1,100 patients and by his reckoning only lost five. How did he do it? He was treating farm families who didn’t have electricity or indoor plumbing. They couldn’t call the grocery store for home delivery or open their freezer to find something to eat. They didn’t have a hospital or vaccinations.
From his journal, we know he kept the patients isolated. The sick person’s family would go to a neighbor’s home. He kept the windows open, burned sheets, and had people wear masks. He also prayed by the side of his patients.
He visited the flu victims regularly by car or switched to a horse and sleigh when the road conditions were bad due to blizzards. Moreover, he organized a team of townspeople to tend to the sick. And he told well people to stay home so the disease wouldn’t spread.
The book was a major accomplishment for Beth who is now 81. She said she’s been working on the book for ten years. She kept working even after her husband died suddenly and unexpectantly. When asked what she planned to do next she answered. “Play the piano.” She accomplished what she set out to do and doesn’t have plans to write another book. Though she can’t rest yet as she’s currently in the middle of promoting the book including traveling to Iowa. There she’ll be well received by the many families who wouldn’t be here if her grandfather hadn’t saved their ancestors’ lives.
As I read the book, I thought of cycles. Beth wrote the book during the covid-19 pandemic. Diseases often come in cycles. We’ve all heard of the bubonic plague in the mid-1300s in Europe and Asia. We’ve heard of polio and smallpox sweeping across the world.
There are also cycles of wars such as World Wars 1 and 2 and now the war in Ukraine and other places in the world. Other cycles include economic cycles of recession, depressions and inflation.
Seeing things from this larger overview of cycles makes it easier to accept the hard times. We know that this too will pass. Pandemics and wars end, and prosperity returns.
When Winter Came is a success story about Dr. Pierre Sartor. He was a sickly child born in Luxembourg. He immigrated to the United States where he became a doctor who saved many lives. His story mirrors many of the immigrants who have come to the United States. The story made me reflect on my relatives and what they sacrificed and suffered to leave their homes and come to the United States.
When Winter Came is available at bookstores across the country and online. It’s full of colored photos and three original watercolors
