My good gal sings the dust pneumony blues;
My good gal sings the dust pneumony blues;
She loves me ‘cause she’s got the dust pneumony, too.
-Woody Guthrie
"Dust Pneumonia Blues"

Folk singer Woody Guthrie sang of the perils of the Dust Bowl with his song Dust Pneumonia Blues. This program will look closer at the “brown plague” that killed hundreds, possibly thousands, through the inhalation of the swirling dust. Those that inhaled the dust suffered from shortness of breath, asthma, bronchitis and silicosis. The elderly, infants and children and those with pre-existing illnesses were most at risk for dying.

Sheila Simons is a professor in the Department of Health Studies and a specialist in the field of epidemiology and human diseases. She has spoken extensively on disease prevention, transmission and treatment. She has also spoken on the history of many diseases, including smallpox, during the Victorian era and the 1918 influenza pandemic. Simons has been with the Department of Health Studies since 1992.