New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-27
TUE GRIP.

THE GRIP.
That half the civilized world should De going
n he'd with a sneeze and backache seems pam
fullv absurd. 1t seems to involve such h'ilhli
;ot;no confession of human weakness. The
theories by which medical scientists seek 10 eA-
plain the presence of those mysterious ana
malignant influences that sometimes seize large
bodies of men and deal sickness or death among
them. are, after all, rather consohng. When
human skill is unable to discover means OF
preventing calamity, it is pleasant to beiieVe
that no such means exist There are, more
over. in Natures physical forces many that are
strange and fearful and that may almost be SAID
to illustrate the germ theory OF infectious DIS
eases. One who has watched the weird yellow
blue spark it necessarily flashes from
DYNAMO in action, and thinks what the eHect
would be of its communication to himself need
experience no difficulty in believing that from
foul conditions of matter may be generated
death particles which, floating unseen and I'M
felt in air and water, may creep into the human
system poisoning the blood and wasting the
body But the qualities of mystery and resist
lessness which make a cholera germ hateful ana
dreadful make an influenza germ funny ana
if the disorder now so earnestly at work IN
Europe had not been in some few cases, asso-
ciated with serious disease of the throat or
lungs the spectacle it has created would be
perfectly comical.
Such an epidemic has not been seen abroad
before in this century. 1t does not make tS
home in dirty garrets and foetid cellars eN-
cIusively. BroomS and chlordes neither I'M
pede nor defeat it. 1t pounces upon kings ana
commoners. bishops and beggars, with abb
solute impartiality and apparently with equal
zest. Cabinets have paid it the respect OF
prolonged adjournment. Affairs of state lie
waiting while premiers rub their streaming
ewes and blow their redeemed noses. Inc
schools, the market-places, garrisons and courts
all and alike are paying homage to the MAD
FRANKS of La Grippe" which now Is mounted
upOn the backbones of half of Europe, perhaps
making ready for grand spring across the sea.
Indeed some physicians profess to believe that
it is here already, though many more are heard
declaring that the appearances reported from
dav to day are insignificant. This is the season
of colds and following long period OF con-
tinuousy damp weather, 1t would be only
natural. they say that all such troubles should
be severer than usual This is entirely reason
able. The presence of one or a hundred cases
of influenza will not justify the conclusion that
"the grip" is here On the contrary, the eX-
perence they are having in Europe now, which
is entirely similar to the experience enjoyed IN
this country in 1913, warrants the suggestion
that when =" the grip" arrives we shall know 1t.
The "Russian Influenza" of 1889 does not
appear to be essentially different from the
"Tyler Grip" of 1913. Why it was the "Tyler
grip" history and the ancient men omit to say,
but in those days there was tendency to as
cribe blessings and curses to the Chief MagiS-
tate and the epidemic was probably laid at
Mr. Tyler's door in much the same spirit that
would have availed to make him responsible for
"hard times" Perhaps, too, there was some
thing of satire in it, since a grip was the thing
most cOnspicuously absent TO Mr.. Tyler. But,
to whatever circumstance it owed its name, it
was great and memorable grip. 1t took hold
with an energy and determination not to be
mistaken. Nobody who had it was in the least
ignorant of what allied him. 1t ran an alto
gether victorious course over the country and
subsidized almost as suddenly as it had risen. 1t
was in no sense a fatal disease nor does the
present epidemic have any such result Some
deaths have been carelesSly attributed to it, and
to-days dispatches state that its attack upon
the Car of Russia threatens to end that mon
arch's life. But a more truthful discrimination
would probably show that the serious disease
was something else than the influenza. 1t MAJ
lead to fatal complications when engaged upon
system already impaired, but, in genera
physicians are agreed that it is more annoying |
than dangerous. II seldom runs for more than
five days and often leaves its victim within
three. There seems as yet no reason to believe |
that it will have any career at this tine in
America which is not encouraged by the IL |
agination.