Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-28

TIMES sERIors-TT MAY LIAvEs PSUKNoxIA
''Is life worth living?" Us marriage fail
ure?" Where did you get that hat2" have all
been burning questions Of the day, but their
time has passed and a mightier holds the su-
premacy. Go where you will you hear the
question oft repeated: slave you got i'll" and
there is no necessity to ask, "Got
what?" You know that la grippe is
referred to. Early this morning you probably
answered mo" to the question, but by after
noon doubts cast their dark gloom over your
spirits. You imagined you could feel chills
chasing their way up and down your back, you
knew you felt dull and heavy. At length the
climax comes and you sneeZe. That settles it,
Now you are sure you have it and soon you are
standing in line before your physicians door,
Colds that last a week would have been laughed
at and cured by thsgosual remedies now ac-
quire an appalling significance.
A STAR REPORTER AT THE HEALTH OFFICE
A STAR reporter this morning felt the symp-
toms and considered it his duty to report him
self at the health Office and be quarantined.
He expected to find the Office in wild confu-
sion. To his own personal knowledge there
must be at least 5000 cases in the city. and of
course the health department would be scared
to death. On going up stairs, however, the
usual placid quietness reigned. 1t is the
calmness of despair" mummured TIE STAR
man. They have given up the ship"
Chief ERIK McGlnn was talking to a man
about Il burial Of child.
Did he have it long?" insinuated The STAR
reporter.
''Have what long?" inquired the bereayed
father.
why la grippe. of course"
Lar grip be blowed: he was kicked by
mule" and the Borrowing father gloomily
strobe away.
NOTHING OFFICIALLY KNOWN OF ''Ir" AT THE
HEALTH OFFICE.
Seriously, Mr.. McGinn." said the desperate
reporter, 'have you no deaths reported here
from the grippe2"
Not a one," said the doctor. "we know
nothing officially of the disease. 1t has not
even been reported as a primary cause of
death by pneumonia. The disease is of the
infectious order and not contagious, and in
case OF general spread the health department
could only aid IN a general way by advice and
possibly by fumigatlon with sulphurous acid
gas.
HEALTH OFFICER TowNsHEND
told STAR reporter this morning that he was
not certain that the disease had made its APP
pearance in this city. He said that he had
under treatment several patients with bad
cases OF Influenza. but as he had never had any
experience with the Russian disease could not
tell whether or not this was the malddy. He
SAID further that 1t was common for people to
be inflicted with influenza during this season
OF the year and that great many people who
really had only heavy colds we're afraid it was
the dreaded Ia grippe"
STATISTICS OF PNEUMONIA
glance at the statistics shows IL deaths
from pneumonia in the week ending December
81 of this year, while in 1885 in the same week
there were 2; in 1885, Is. and in 1887 g. There
fore, while the number OF deaths from this
disease this year lis a little above the average,
1t Is still not large enough to show any preya-
lence Of pneumonia.
THE DISEASE PREVALENT ~ ALL SECTIONS OF THE
CITY.
The Washington physicians are kept busy by
the grippe. They report the disease prevalent
in all sections Of the city. One physician with
whom a STAR reporter talked said that he and
nearly every member of his household had
been down with 1t, and that in one case in his
family there were complications with the dis
ease that made it serious.
''For two weeks have had a great many
cases. They have been SO nuns rous as to
take up all my time. l do not know that it is
exactly the same thing that Is reported from
other cities. but 1t Is a painful and rackiug
disease and Is infectious If not indeed actually
contagious 1t is IN the air. L have no doubt
1t is a germ that is breathed in with the air.
1t is
QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THE ORDINARY INFLUENZA
or cold in the head The most pronounced
symptom is motif the nose. 1t is an irritation
OF the throat in the larynx and sometimes
deeper down in the lungs. 1t is accompanied
by raking cough, which comes in paroxisms
and is terrible strain on the entire system. /
have not noticed much of the bone ache
here as is reported from other cities. In fact
there is not as much III the local cases. have
one patient who came on from Boston, where
he was exposed to the grippe and he suffers
intensely from the PAIN IN hls bones. 1t
is almost as severe as in cases of break-bone
fever. But my other patients do not suffer
as much In that way. The most painful thing
is the racking effect of the cough. have had
to almost cover the abdomen and chest with
capclpe plasters in some cases. The soreness
in the lungs and abdomen is severe in most
cases have had. Some of them have been
complicated with malaria and tendencies to
pneumonia. They then become very serious.
The disease Is serious to any one with weak
constitution. The disease is not transltory. as
a cold is, and the effects cling to one. As to
the treatment, SO far it has not been at all sat
isfactory. The ordinary treatment for a cold
does not appear to have the desired effect. The
best results have noticed as yet were from the
use of calomel."
DIR. CARROLL MORGAN SAYS IT is NO NEW THING.
DR.. Carroll Morgan is an authority on the
throat and lungs and STAR reporter asked
him today what the news was from the seat of
war. LA grippe" answered Dr. Morgan, sis
merely an old friend in little different garb
There have always been cases of the disease
although usually isolated and just now it hap
pens that the atmospheric conditions are such
that the disease Is especially prevalent, but
most people who imagine they are in the
bands OF the enemy are merely suffering from
slight colds. The danger with the grippe of
course. is that it will run into pneumonia. The
prevention would be careful sanitary regula-
tions, diet and possibly fumigation."
DIR. Sewers SAID
to STAR reporter. who saw him this morning
that he did not know whether the disease here
was the Russian" influenza or not. but that it
was very bad influenza; that il was in the air and
was epidemic in its character. 1.-The city seems
to be full of 1t" he said. Il know / am run
with calls until / am almost crazed. am kept
on the jump ali the WHILE"
DIR. TONER HAS SOME CASES. |
"Oh! yes, have some cases of La GRIPPE" |
said DR.. Toner, in answer to a STAR reporters |
inquiry today. SIT is an old disease, and there |
have been other periods when it prevailed to a |
greater or less extent. However, there is no |
real epidempic of the grip in Washington now. |
There are few people who really have it and /
any number who are lsboring under the de- /
fusion that it has taken possession Of them. /
The danger is that it may run into pneumonia /
or pleurisy. The disease is often accompanied /
by more or less severe muscular rheumatism,
noticeable about the eyes. There is |
generally also slight loss of energy and pluck |
This, OF course, does not always follow, as / /