In the spring of 1918, the first wave of one of the deadliest influenza pandemics began to afflict its victims (Peters, ix). Over the course of three lethal waves, the pandemic claimed approximately forty million victims, eradicating almost twenty percent of the entire world population, or approximately one in five individuals (Peters, ix). To make matters even more dramatic, the untrained medical community was exceptionally unprepared for such a large-scale pandemic: doctors had very basic tools, knew little about diseases, and had no experience with vaccinations or prevention (Peters, 1-5 ; “ The 1920s: Medicine and Health: Overview,” np). People blindly faced the epidemic, relying on folk remedies such as drinking wine, using antiseptics, and adapting the nudist lifestyle to deal with the disease that could kill within hours (Peters, 47; “ Medical ads from the 1910s”, np). Therefore, the responsibility for the Great Pandemic of 1918 was placed heavily on the shoulders of the medical community (Peters, 43). After the Great Pandemic, the public and the medical community realized that changes were needed to prevent such a catastrophic pandemic in the future (Peters, 44). Despite the obstacles caused by the pandemic and the fact that it left the medical community debilitated, the medical community miraculously began to thrive by inventing new technologies, diagnostic processes, remedies, and preventative methods in the 1920s (Scott, np; “The 1920s: Medicine and Health: overview”, np). The 1920s marked the turning point of modern medicine as it transformed art into a science that renewed and saved society. The great influenza pandemic of 1918 came as a painful slap in the face to the medical community; a slap that took away...... half of the paper ......rse: Birth control advertising in the 1920s and 1930s. January 1, 1994. ProQuest. Network. February 1, 2012.Scott, Robert. “Medicine of the 1920s.” The Roaring Twenties. 2005. NP Web. January 16, 2012. .Peters, Stephanie Vero. Epidemic! The 1918 Influenza Pandemic. Tarrytown: Benchmark Books, 2005. Print. "The 1920s: Medicine and Health: Overview." American decades. 2001.Enciclopedia.com. January 16, 2012. “Why is medicine important?” Lovely science. 2011. Np Web. 8 February 2012. Wong, George J. “Penicillin.” University of Hawaii at Manoa Botany. Nd University of Hawaii at Manoa. Network. January 8 2012.