Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-30
HAVE WE LA GRIPPE?



PEOPLE WHO Don't HAVE IT SAY II n ALL m
THE n6AoIxATIoN, AND TEEN sx1xxK1s AND
coUaHERs GET ANoRY-rM scIPTIcAI. HEALTH
oYFIcR-HIsroRY OF TIE NFLuKNxA.
Whether ''la grippe" 10 here or not the
whole city IN talking about IL, and hundreds
believe they have it All this talk according to
some physicians arises from IN epidemic Of
bad colds resulting from the unusually wet
weather we have had Of late, and the almost
spring like temperature for the last few weeks.
Some say that there really is such thing as
the grip in our midst, while among more are Of
the opinion that the victims are merely suffer-
ing from heavy colds and often hearing and
reading 30 much about the fashionable malady
have worried themselves half sick, while imag-
ination has done the rest.
AT THE HEALTH OFFICE.
When a STAR reporter called at the health
Office this forenoon the officers there scented
the idea of there being such q thing as a
genuine case Of the influenza in this city. They
said that there was undoubtedly an epidemic
of severe bronchial troubles, largely the result
Of the recent unreasonable weather, but they
claimed to have no knowledge Of anything
more serious.
BAD COLDS AND IMAoINETIoN.
DR.. James T. Young, when asked how many
cases of the disease he had under his care, said
to the reporter: II have not q single we'll de-
have l any personal knowledge OF one. am
not an alarmist and do not think the grip has
reached here yet 1t is my opinion that num-
Der of people with bad colds have worried
themselves into belief in the popular disease
by reading so much about it in the papers Of
late"
DIR. WALES TELLS THE STORY OF THE GRIPPE.
DIR. Philip Wales said to a STAR reporter that
he had had a number Of cases of catarrhal infu-
enza which he attributed to the change of the
weather, but none that he thought were the
grippe. THE grippe" he said, lis in no way
subject to the influence of the weather. 1t is
independent of all climatic conditions. 1t
hourishes as well in the mountains as on the
plains, and in summer rs in winter. Neither is
it respector OF persons. 1t frequently seizes
upon whole population at once. The old and
the enfeebled are, OF course, more seriously af
fected. 1t comes quickly and goes quickly, at
lacking every body, and sometimes it will re-
turn after it has once passed over. The first
record of the disease was at the beginning of
the 10th century, though it had, Doubtless, ap-
peared before that time. 1t is liable to occur
in any part Of the world frequently being Sc
we're where catarrh is not known.
I'm 1910 the epidemic was widest spread of any
known, and up to 1870 there we're recorded some
80 epidemics Of the grippe. In 1890 it started
in Malta and spread over the whole Of Europe,
attacking everybody. Pope Gregory XIII
was threatened with death by the disease. In
1857 it crossed the ocean and spread over every
quarter of the globe.
In Paris in 1880 it broke out in the autumn
and lasted for ten months-through winter,
spring and summer. At Nismes in France
everybody in the place was attacked on the
Iav ID To
and spread over the whole OF
Asia, Africa and Europe, lasting during the
whole summer in Spain. Nine hundred people
died OF 1t in Rome at this time, and Madrid was
almost depopulated. Four -fifths of the people
of the countries in which the epidemic appeared
were down with it. From that time there were
a number of epidemics, which passed over the
most of the known world. The epidemic of
l729-3O was one Of the most wide spread in
Europe. 1t lasted five months and spread over
Russia, Austria, Germany and Poland. In
Vienna $4,000 people were down with it. 1t
crossed the ocean and spread over the whole of
North America. An epidemic began in 1882
and lasted until 1877. going over the whole of
northern Europe, crossing to America, the East
Indies and Peru. In 1872 it spread over all
North America. 1t began in Russia in January,
l7o2. The thermometer in one day rose from
35 degrees below zero to above and in that
one day 10000 people were taken
down with the grippe. On this occasion
it not only spread over the whole
of Europe but attacked ships on the high seas.
1t was 80 quick in its attack that it was called
lightning catarrh. In 1890 it spread through
China and all of Asia 1t spread over all of
Europe in 1861. Almost every one in Lon
don was attacked and the mortality was great
From that time until 1874 the epidemics have
been more or less frequent. The last epidemic
in Europe was in 1874. Nothing is known
about the cause of the disease. 1t is certainly
nnt snbipcf n tho chanUoa of tho
to climate or altitude in any way. The mode
OF life, the sex or the age of the person does
not influence its attack, but OF course a weak
and nervous person cannot stand it as well as
strong one. Some doctors have observed that
the women are first attacked, then the adult
men and then children-that is, they succumb
in that order. 1t is in no way subject to local
conditions In its movement the epidemic
does not follow the lines of trade or travel 1t
starts from the east and travels west. 1t settles
down suddenly on the whole population.
1t seems to have three forms of attack and it
has varied in symptoms at different times of
its coming. Sometimes it attacks the nervous
system sometimes the chest and sometimes
the abdomen. This time it seems to attack the
chest"
THE POWER OF IMAGINATION.
A gentleman talking with a STAR reporter
said: Il think that in SO cases out of 100 there
is nothing else the matter with the people who
think they have the epidemic than a very nat
ural and ordinary cold in the head. There is
nothing unusual about such colds at this time
Of the year. In fact don't know that / ever
saw year go by when two-thirds of my
friends did not, at this season. suffer from such
a cold. But the moment the newspapers call
attention to the fact that there is new disease
prevalent in some corner Of the world every
man who has the snuffies begins to believe
that he has the SYMPTOMS of the epidemic. OF
course there is undoubtedly some truth in the
existence Of this peculiar disease. The reports
from the other half of the world prove that,
but what l contend is that in a vast majority OF
cases there is nothing extraordinary the mat
ter, but that the sufferers imagine that their
cases correspond exactly with the genuine cases
of La Grippe 1t all comes from tbs alton
ton which is called to the epidemic in the
newspapers. I-%oufd venture TO say that
where tEereis one genuine case OF influenza in
srfS city there are 80 limitations.
This same power of the press to make the
public bambOozle itself was evidenced during
the summer when somebody wrote letter to a
newspaper saying that there was an epidemic
of heas. believe 1t started IN Brooklyn. Just
as soon as that was printed folks began to look
for fleas. and they found them, just as many as
they would have found at any time if their
eyes were opened. Every man who had q dog
suddenly discovered that the animal was COW
cred with heas, and he began to tell how much
in most cases there was absolutely no differ
ence."
Yes" chimed in a third party, who was sit
ting near, land have another instance Of the
same thing.~feople used to die very suddenly
of a.dJDIexy and heart disease and lots of othnr