• piggy [they/them]@hexbear.net
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        11 months ago

        I was reaidng one of those Cool Russia blogs at one point because i was researching something and it was on epidemiology in the USSR. The article was titled something like “The USSR conquered disease, but is that the whole story?”. It basically talks about soviet immunization campaigns, and then at the end complains that in the USSR the soda fountains only had 2 glass cups people shared.

          • piggy [they/them]@hexbear.net
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            11 months ago

            Nah it’s actually a real thing, it was a real thing in the United States too. My mom’s side of the fam hated the public soda fountains because they thought sharing cups with half the city was gross.

              • piggy [they/them]@hexbear.net
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                11 months ago

                Imagine a Coke Freestyle Machine that only serves seltzer, but instead of plastic cups you have 2 glasses. This machine is a vending machine that’s just installed on the street. There is nowhere to wash the glasses.

                This is an older design, but it shows the glasses well.

                This is the “classic” design that’s Sovietana

                This is a modernized replica that you’d use with paper cups

                • Gucci_Minh [he/him]@hexbear.net
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                  11 months ago

                  Looks like on the right there’s a thing to rinse the glasses, but I doubt it’d do very much. So I guess people just trusted their immune systems lol.

                • Bloobish [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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                  11 months ago

                  There’s a bunch of glasses on the tops of the vending machines from the one picture up above, I’m honestly kinda curious in how it actually worked vs the weird western pearl clutching.

  • culpritus [any]@hexbear.net
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    11 months ago

    The racistly named Spanish Flu evolved in WW1, and it has been speculated that selective pressures due to the war caused it to increase spreadability and lower incubation times. Wonder if this is a similar thing.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
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      11 months ago

      That’s what I suspect, also a fun fact is that one of the first recorded cases of the Spanish flu appeared at Fort Riley in Kansas.

      • The only reason why t’was called the “Spanish flu” in the first place, was because as a neutral nation in WW1, it had no reason to hide the news during wartime, but their national coverage ultimately associated them as the influenza place of origin.

    • Tessellecta@feddit.nl
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      11 months ago

      Since they are antibiotic resistant bacteria, I have the suspicion that this is related to an increased use in antibiotics due to war injuries. Probably made worse by shortages that make people unable to finish the full regime all the time.