The epidemic began around the end of World War I and was the most devastating epidemic ever recorded in world history. Some symptoms of influenza included muscle aches, sore throat, headache, fever, glandular disorders, eye aberrations, slow heart activity, and depression of all bodily functions and reactions. The flu is highly contagious and spreads easily whenever an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. This global disaster has been nicknamed “the Spanish Flu” or “La Grippe”. The nickname Spanish flu comes from one of the first countries to be hit hard by the flu; eight million people were killed in Spain in May 1918. The epidemic was also nicknamed by other nicknames. The French called it “purulent bronchitis,” the Italians called it “sandfly fever,” and the Germans called it “Blitz Katarrh.” The 1918 influenza epidemic, a virus that spread throughout the world, affected the world in many ways and had many devastating effects. There was much speculation about the origin of the disease. Many Americans believed that the epidemic was a biological warfare tool of the Germans due to the war. In the New York Times, one patriot said: “Let the curse be called the German plague. Let every child learn to associate that which is cursed with the word German not in the spirit of hatred but in the spirit of contempt born of the hateful truth that Germany has proven to be." Others thought it was the result of trench warfare through the use of mustard gas and the generation of war smoke and fumes. Some even blamed the pandemic on the war itself, while others highlighted the poor sanitation conditions the war had caused. Dr. Albert J. Croft states: "...I'm going to put forward the theory that the c...... middle of paper ......and killed a lot of people but some good things came out of it Influenza caused the expansion and development of the United States Public Health Service (PHS). The PHS provided financial assistance to hospitals; developed sanitation programs; high quality to anyone who needed it. After the disease years, American public health policy improved greatly, and the virus taught America important lessons that proved essential to maintaining a healthy population. Even though it had killed millions of people, the 1918 influenza epidemic had helped America better understand contagious diseases -epidemic/http://www.flu.gov/pandemic/history/1918/the_pandemic/index.html.