Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-01-31
THE GRIPPE IN THE VALLEY
EIGHTY-ONE YEARS AGO.

Our contemporary the Rockingham Reg
lister resurrects from volume V of the
Philadelphia Medical Museum published in
1908, Gan account of the influenza as it
appeared in a part of Rockingham Co.,
Va.," by DE-. Peachey Harrison. 1t ap-
pears from Dr.. III. s account that the
winter Of 1867 was very severe and ii
was in the Spring that followed it
that the epidemic appeared. 1t had
come up the Valley appearing,
says the account, successfully at Win
chester, Woodstock and Newmarket.
Coincident with it, which the Doctor
thinks of Importance enough to mention,
there was a disease called the "bitter rot'
affecting the fruit. The opening months
of the epidemic were characterized by a
scatarrh accompanied with more OIL less
pneumonia symptoms. Later, that is to
say in the September following, there
appeared the influenza which soon became
epidemic. Dr.. Craven and MI. Benjamin
Smith are named as among it's first vic
TINS. The symptoms were chilllness, sore
ness in the muscles, pains in the head and
bones, with coryZa, inflammation of the
mucus membrane Of the nose and the cav
tiles connecting with 1t), fever and cough
following soon after. DR.. Harrison says
that in his own case, ''In one hour after l
felt the first symptoms / was extremely
unwell, and in the course of four hours
my complaint had reached its acme.' In
forty-eight hours he was well and able to
visit his patients. 1t was evidently a mat
ter of talk in that day that the comet of
that year had some connection with the
disease. In his report the Doctor says:
ga large majority of cases was so slight as
not to confine the subjects Of them single
hour, nor even to render them unfit for sur
suing their ordinary employments. Except
when they were accompanied with pulmonic
symptoms, the most violent cases did not con-
fine the subjects of them more than three or
four days. x = Its continuance in town
was about five weeks; after the fourth it be-
came evanescent. Very soon after its APP
pearance in town, it fell on the adjoining
neighborhoods, and, by the 10Th of October,
it was only heard of in the remotest parts of
the county, and had entirely disappeared by
the 23d of this month The comet was not
observed in this place until about the Goth Of
September, and was no more to be seen after
the 18th of November
AS the grippe had appeared in the San
grade blood letting days of the profession,
its victims got the usual share of that rem
edy, for the Doctor says that:
Fever, accompanied with pneumonia
symptoms of any considerable force, although
the pulse was not hard and full, called for
the use of the lancet. In these it
was found necessary, in order to subdue the
pulmonic symptoms, to let blood two OF
three times; and this operation was attended
with its usual success in such cases. Il
An infusion Of the seneca, OF Virginia snake
root was found, in these cases, to be very use
full. The few that followed this advice recov-
cred most speedily"
He note several cases of relapse by night
exposure, that, as rule were, las they are
in this year of 1890, more tedious and
severe than original attacks. One case
is mentioned where consumption was the
result.