How Legionnaires' pneumonia changed the narrative of disease discovery in modern American culture

Legionnaires' disease appeared in the United States in 1976 and created sensational news reports in both newspapers and magazines. This massive press coverage created an environment in which local, state, and federal politicians became involved in the medical discovery process, thus politicizing the study of this disease.;This thesis examines how Legionnaires' disease fashioned a new social paradigm that impacted future studies of newly emerging diseases in the United States. Specifically, this study looks at the 1976 emergence of the swine flu and the 2003 SARS epidemic and compares them to the pattern established by Legionnaires'.;The swine flu outbreak occurred in February 1976. This thesis concludes that the Legionnaires' disease model did indeed impact the swine flu case. Because of the massive speculation about what was causing the Legionnaires' epidemic, the United States Congress passed a bill that indemnified flu vaccine makers from legal liability. Prior to Legionnaires' appearance the bill had been rejected. The press coverage of Legionnaires' disease caused the politicization of swine flu.;The SARS epidemic struck throughout the world. The press reported on both the international aspects of the disease as well as the circumstances in the United States. SARS' publicity caused the U.S. Congress to hold no fewer than eleven hearings about various aspects of the disease. These and other examples of political interference in the disease discovery process demonstrate that the Legionnaries' paradigm prevailed even though SARS appeared twenty-seven years later.