Dr. Wise on Influenza

A hard-hitting public information film made at the height of the Great Influenza 1918-18.

Dr Wise is here to advise! As Britain fell under the grip of the Great Influenza of 1918-19, the Local Government Board (later the Ministry of Health) commissioned this dramatised public information film. Its hard-hitting message was designed to shock people out of their complacency towards this common illness and take preventative measures, as recommended by Dr Wise.

In 1918-19 the deadly ‘Spanish Flu’ ravaged Britain, claiming nearly a quarter of a million lives. At the time of filming around 2,500 people were dying every week in London alone. Look out for some impressive microscopic footage of the deadly microbes in question, as well as some impressive location footage of London’s West End.