Journal Published Online: 01 January 2000
Volume 45, Issue 1

Ground Penetrating Radar Surveys to Locate 1918 Spanish Flu Victims in Permafrost

CODEN: JFSCAS

Abstract

The “Spanish Flu” killed over 40 million people worldwide in 1918. Archival records helped us identify seven men who died of influenza in 1918 and were interred in Longyearbyen. Svalbard, Norway, 1300 km from the North Pole. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used successfully, in a high-resolution field survey mode, to locate a large excavation with seven coffins, near the existing seven grave markers. The GPR indicated that the ground was disturbed to 2 m depth and was frozen below 1 m. Subsequent excavation showed that: a) the GPR located the position of the graves accurately, b) the coffins were buried less than 1 m deep, and c) that the frozen ground was 1.2 m deep where the coffins were located. The GPR assisted in planning the exhumation, safely and economically, under the high degree of containment required. Virologic and bacteriologic investigations on recovered tissues may give us an opportunity to isolate and identify the micro-organisms involved in the 1918 influenza and expand our knowledge on the pathogenesis of influenza.

Author Information

Davis, JL
Sensors & Software Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Heginbottom, JA
Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Annan, AP
Sensors & Software Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Daniels, RS
The National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK
Berdal, BP
University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine and Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
Bergan, T
University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine and Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
Duncan, KE
University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Lewin, PK
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
Oxford, JS
Retroscreen Virology St. Bartholomew and the Royal London School of Medicine Dentistry, London, UK
Roberts, N
Roche Discovery Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, Herts., UK
Skehel, JJ
The National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK
Smith, CR
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
Pages: 9
Price: $25.00
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Stock #: JFS14642J
ISSN: 0022-1198
DOI: 10.1520/JFS14642J