, 1875-06-02

individual to another. Often, principally dur-
eng the Summer months, the disease lay in O.
sort of torpor, so to speak, both here and later
in Germany, to break out anew in the months
of autumn, winter, and spring. 1t went all
the round of France, sparing hOWeVe the GEN.
tire, and 81 local epidemics may be pointed out,
out of which SO exclusively among the sOldiery.
The mortality was here great, as many as so
per Cent Of those attacked falling victims,
IN some places, as in the celebrated fortress
OF Metz, perhaps even more. Since then it
has not shown itself in France, but suddenly
crossed the Mediterranean and broke out in
Algeria, the French province in Africa, which,
although considerably more to the South, is
yet not within the tropics. Here the fatal
cases were less, not more than Is per cent.
Here also it began in The winter. The same
was the case from 1889 to 1915 in Italy,
where the disease was confined to the Kingdom
of Naples on the Continent and the island of
Sicily. Suddenly it appeared, in 1914, at
Gibraltar, again in winter, but here among the
civil population, as in Italy. Just as suddenly
it broke out in Denmark (l845-48) in the
month of February, but only in a single small
tract in Jutland. Great Britain has been very
lenientIy treated by this disease, it having only
shown itself once in Liverpool in 1916, and in
Dublin and Belfast in Ireland. In Sweden
great and repeated epidemics have prevailed
for several years ii II time, 9g&in during win
ter and resting in the summer months. With
such violence did the disease rage here, that
Sweden must have lost some 40C0 souls by
this sC0Urgp. In the nei2h|bouling cUuntTy,
Norway, there was hardly q single case. In
the United States it has also shown itself
several times, both North and South, and
here it received the name Of "Spot}ed Fever"
from certain cutaneous eruplioEs often accom-
panying it. As a curiosity it may be here
mentioned that in New York, in 1871, it broke
out among the omnibus h0rSes, committing
great ravages. That it was the same disease
was practically proved by opening the carcass
ses. Germany which, strangely enough, had
not yet been visited by this epidemic. at last
became the scene Of one in 1896. AS
usual it was in the winter. The mortality here
was about 81 per cent. Finally there was q
small attack again in Denmark last year, in
the period from December 1873 to near the
spins Of 1874, c]olfaed, however, to a certain
small part Of the country, Of II cas-. 6
we've fatal.
All these epidemios presented the same
heterogeneous picture as the disease itself,
8s shall be shown presently. They were ct
times quite local, at others widely spread, at
times Of short duration, at others lasting long,
at times attacking many, at others few. Often
the epidemics showed a prediction for the
children at other times adults, even from
among the strongest men, were principally
attacked at ether times again women and
delicate individuals were the victims, but
very rarely old people. There appears to
be no case on record Of persons above 60 hav-
ing been attacked. Two properties may be
considered inherent of these epidemics. The
one is their pronounced tendency to more
from place to place So sudden leaps. The
epidemic suddenly appears in one place,
dies out in appearance or reality, and months
after, perhaps, it breaks out without previous
notice in a distant locality. This property IS
absolutely characteristic Of the disease, and
GhiS property ii has also sA0aVn here. This
circumstance seems certainly to signify that
the disease as not contagious, that is, commu-
nicated by contact (s f. in. measles, small
pOx ETC. even ifa single author does not alb
%solutely deny the possibility of such commu-
~nication. This fact is, of course, reas-
suring for a population where the disease
breaks out. The other property is that near.
ly all the ep5demjes hare began m the winter
or coolest autun2x months, hare lasted through
the spring months and been ertnguisAed IN
the summer. This is a positive Indication
that heat as such las no influence on its rise,
nay, there is not known, as already men,
toned, q single epidemic of the kind from
the tropics. Ours is the first in these ATTITUDES.
and knowing that these epidemics, as a rule,
are extinguished during summer, it is legiti-
s,sO.