‘How to make the flu fly’. Anti-flu remedy ads in the British press (1918-1920)

Background. This paper proposal is inscribed in an ongoing project that explores how ‘products aimed at improving one’s health and well-being’ (from drugs to remedies of any sort) were and are being advertised in the press from the 19th to the 21st century, through the changes introduced in the late 20th century, when a European directive banned prescription drug ads in 1992. In order to explore this change, British newspapers and periodicals have been consulted, collecting advertisements of medicinal and similar products. Material and aim. For this specific study, the focus will be on anti-flu or flu-related ‘remedies’ as advertised in British newspapers in the years of the Spanish influenza (c. 1918-1920), one of the earliest and largest epidemics of the 20th century. The aim is to determine what kind of products were advertised – their content, properties and effects (if specified) – and the linguistic strategies used to advertise them. Method. The method employed will combine studies on domain-specific languages (medical and legal English in particular) and approaches in argumentation, media studies, advertising and discourse analysis. Expected results. Based on the analysis of the material retrieved, and comparing the findings against the scientific knowledge and the legal framework of the time, the changing notions and definitions of ‘remedy / drug / medicine / etc.’ will be discussed from a linguistic and discursive viewpoint. The study hopes to better illustrate a specific aspect of a well-studied historical event that nonetheless still presents with interesting sides to explore.