Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-30
INFLUENZA HISTORY.
The Disease Has Ravaged Countries
Periodically for Years.
Its GRIP is FREQUENTLY FATAL
Some Cases Of a Mild Form Reported BY
Doctors in Allegheny.
an EPIDEMIC OF TYPHOID Is FEARED

4
Rankin, the physician of the Western Peni-
tentiary, says the epidemic has already
reached here, and is still coming bag and
baggage. The doctor reports that he has
several patients in Allegheny suffering from
the disease in a mild form. It lasts usually
from i've to six days, and good care is re-
quired. The patient should go to bed for at
least few days. No cases have broken out
in the penitentiary, and DR.. Rankin states
that the health Of the inmates is good. The
influenza has not yet become epidemic in
this neighborhood, and the doctor is doubt
full whether it will or not. The tendency of
the disease is toward pneumonia. and this is
why the greatest care should be taken with
patients.
In a long conversation with q DISPATCH
reporter yesterday, DR.. Rankin kindly
furnished a history of the plague. Among
other things he said:
"As the influenza or epidemic catarrh
has made its appearance in different parts of
Europe, starting with the Czar of Russia,
we have been expecting It's appearance in
the United States Within the past week
our authorizations have been realized. This
disease might be called an international
endemic, having recently appeared in New
York and Philadelphia, and within the
past three days in this vicinity in mild
form.
HISTORY OF THE DISEASE.
'sIts photography is summed up in the
following: The first medical history we
have of this epidemic dates back to the
fifteenth century, 1910. Of all epidemic
diseases it is the most universal, and the
rspidity Of its march and extent Of its range
over land and sea, sometimes in both hemis-
pheres. and in different climates, in opposite
seasons and in all varieties of weather.
among people of all classes is remarkable.
The French call it la grippe. 1t has been
called coccoluche, because those attacked
wore q cap close over their heads. The
symptoms Of the disease as it then occurred,
nearly resembled those which it has
assumed in later visitations, severe pain
over the ewes, sneezing, coryza, q difficulty
Of breathing. hoarseness, loss of strength
and appetite, fever and harassing cough.
'fOI the first epidemic reported, its course
seems to have been in northwesterly direc-
tion, from Malta to Sicily, Spain, Italy,
Germany, France and Great Britain. DR..
ShoSt, an eminent observer, states it at
tackled at once, and ragged over all Europe,
not missing family, and that none died
except some children. The next epidemic
appeared in 1857. DR.. Fonsecs says in this
wear il infested Asia, thence came to Con-
stantinople, and, having spread itself all
over Europe, afterward attacked America,
Its course being westerly. DR.. Mercatus
states that before the beginning of autumn,
1861, il attacked all parts of Spain at once,
so that the greatest part of the population of
that kingdom was seized with it almost on
the same day. Unlike the epidemic of 1910,
it was fatal to many, This catarrhal epi-
demic again made its appearance in 1880.
II was in Sicily in June, at Rome in July;
in August at Venice and Constantinople;
in September, in Hungary and Germany; in
October, on all the Baltic coast; in November,
in Norway; In December, in Denmark, Poland
and Russia, its course being from east and
south 10 west ana north.
seThe influenza of 1865, Of which DR.. Willis
has given us an account visited Europe
suddenly in April and was followed in Au-
gust BY fatal epidemic fever. In 1875
another epidemic Of influenza began in Ger
many in September and in England in Oc-
tober. The influenza which ragged during
the autumn and winter of 1923. during five
months it visited almost every part of
Europe,
WAS VERY FATAL
In many large cities, as in Paris and Lon
don. DR.. Loew states that in the latter city
more persons died than at any one time since
the plague of 1865, about ], 900 being cut of
weekly in September. Early in the winter
Il reached France. A few weeks after it
visited tie north Of Italy with great NOR
tality. In February it afflicted Rome, and
the Rhine. Turin and Milan suffered severely,
II reached Naples in March. and after this
disappeared.
''The influenza of 1882 and 1873 spread
over all Europe, and appeared also in
America. IL was first noticed about the
middle Of November in different parts of
Germany. Edinburgh appears to have been
the first place attacked in Britain, which was
on the 18th of December, and it ragged at the
same time in Switzerland. II appeared at
London and in Flanders the first week in
January. Toward the middle of the same
month it reached Paris and Ireland. In
February Leghorn was attacked, and near
the end Of il Naples and Madrid suffered.
New England was invaded by the influenza
about the middle of October. 1t travelled
southwark to the Barbados, Jamaica,
Mexico and Peru much at the same rate as
il had done in Europe
1.-The influenza of 1888 was followed bv
those Of 174 and 1742. DR.. Huxham re-
ported that in 1743, towards the end
Of April, it was general in England,
and during that spring, spread over all
Europe. InEnglsnd it increased the deaths
in London in one week to a thousand
The next remarkable visitation of the
influenza was in 1862. An excellent de-
soription of it is given bv Sir George Baker
in his DE Csttarho Epidemico ami 1892
who records its appearance in London on
the 4th of April Prcf. Razoux has given
an account of the same disease which
was epidemic In Europe generally,
in the spring. It attacked Breslau at
the end of February, Vienna was visited in
March and Hamburg in April. In Venice
it was more fatal than in other places.
Paris and the greatest part Of France was
spared. This epidemic appeared sooner in
London than in any other part of England.
It was not observed in Edinburgh and Dub
lin till May, but in June it was general and
severe. It had prevailed in America the
preceding year.
A GENERAL EPIDEMIC.
''The next epidemic catarrh in order of |
time was that noticed in London, and differ |
ent parts of Great Britain, by DR.. Fother- |
gill in the latter end of the year 1775. It |
was observed also in France, Holland and |
Germany, and was supposed to be more |
fatal in those counties than in Britain. |
The influenza Of 1882 was general over |
England, Scotland and Ireland between |
the months Of May and June inclusive. |
IT pursued a course from the east |
cit appeared at st. Petersburg in Febru- |
AIRY, in Denmark in the latter end of April. |
From the shores Of the Baltic it spread to |
Holland and the low countries. The infu-
enza Of the spring of 1903 afforded an occa-
sion for collecting greater number Of sta !
tistics from different parts Of the countries |
on the subject of this epidemic. The Lon
don Medical Society set laudable example |
BY proposing g set of queries to its corre-
spending members in circular letter. One