The Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society will mark National Historic Preservation Month by hosting a four part film series entitled "Cornering the Deadly Foe: Medicine vs. the Epidemics of the Early 20th Century." Film showings will be held at the Santa Clara Armory Building on Highway 180 East, beginning at 7 p.m. on four consecutive Thursday evenings, May 4, 11, 18, and 25.

The first showing is entitled "The Great Fever," and traces the efforts led by Army Doctor Walter Reed in the struggle against Yellow Fever, climaxing during and just after the Spanish-American War in 1898. Retired history professor Doug Dinwiddie will introduce the film, and will include actual recollections from Spanish-American War veterans about the deadly disease as part of his talk.

On May 11, the series will continue with the showing of "The Polio Crusade." Dinwiddie will introduce the film by placing it within the historical context of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's affliction with the crippling disease, which helped call national attention to it. Local resident Ron Henderson will then speak about his experiences after being diagnosed with polio as a child.

On May 18, Dr. John Bell, well known Silver City physician, will introduce the film "The Forgotten Plague," which examines the impact of tuberculosis on American society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fort Bayard became a world-renowned treatment center for the disease, and Silver City was home to several sanitariums devoted to treating victims during the first decades of the 20th century.

The series will conclude with the showing of "Influenza 1918," which documents the effects of the worst epidemic the United States has ever endured. In the final year of World War I, the "Spanish Flu" struck down millions of people worldwide, and took a toll in the hundreds of thousands in the US. Virtually every community in the nation was affected, and Grant County was no exception. Dr. Bell will introduce this film as well, and will lead a question and answer session about the medical aspects of the epidemic.

All of the films are free to the public, and donations are welcome. Anyone desiring more information can contact Doug Dinwiddie at 388-4862, or Cecilia Bell at 388-4477.