Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-05
NEW YORK LETTER.
GOTHAM HAVING A VERY LIVELY
WRESTLE WITH IA GRIPPE.
a Boom In Qninins and Handkerchief
The Tcpmost Topic--views
of Physicians.
,corresponaspce Of the Richmond oispa,ch.l

talk with difficulty and a decided sub-cel-
lar infection Of voice. II a man, he weeps
tears of anguish as he addresses you on
the most commonplace topic; If woman
she convulses her features and Du IIvs
them in q multitude of handkercmeis. Inc
theatres are afflicted with cracked sopranos
frOegy teuors. and husky leading iadIes,
who lose their voices early IN the hrst ACT
nnd never find them again TIL the curtain
falls. Twenty per cent. OF the popuiaIlon
male and female ~ indoors nuis nosoS
and anathematizing the RUSSIAN Nl.. .',y'.
that New York isn't the only sufferer Tor
nearly every city along the Atianue sea-
bosrd and not a few inland arc joining IN
tbs stcrnutatOry chorus.
This singular condition or AFFAIRS mas eX-
cited Great flutter among the doctors,
and n Ivclv dispute Is now in progress as TO
the iGeptitv Of tho influenza epidemic now
racine here with that which has hall
million victims in its grasp IN Europe at
the present moment. While q majority Of
Inc leading New York physicians regard
The two as identical Ia every respect,
save in the mItiga,cd severity OF the
a0liction we are enduring there are q
few who stick TO IL that we haven't got the
real article yet. hat only mild tOretaste,
and that when the grippe does come every
body will know II. his IS the attitude
taken by the medical officials in the Health
Board and the different Institutions, but
IL is significant that one and all seem 10
think It inevitable that some time during
The winter we are 20 have the RUSSIAN
visitor here in full yigor, and that 1t would
be well 10 prepare for him.
ropMosr TOPIC.
Meanwhile there Is feeling OF subdued
excitement over the matter and the grip Is
the topmOst topic Of course. Those who
lave the influenza. and their name. IS ie-
cion, are certain thcv have the genuine ar
iiclc from st. Petersburg and Paris. Those
who haven't got II rs yet are iii hourly ex-
recitation of feeling Its ungentle grasp;
imaginative people, hypochondrlacs, ana
others are worrying over II and hundreds
have fitted southwark. believing that NE
middle zone alone can act as barrier totho
visitor from theiugid lettudesot Northern
Europe. large number ot cases nave
been reported to The Health Board and a
still larger number arc unreported. many
fearing that the ard WILL order the
ararantuug in their own homes OF per
sons 50 afflicted. In most cases the attack
Us slight and lasts hut few days; buJ
10 is quite severe cnou Ia 10 PROSTATE the
victim. IL frequently runs through a
whole family and number OF cases OF
this sort have been reported. IN one
fanilv-the klamroths-the disease at
tackled the first member on Thursday and
bv SUNDAY evening eight other, had been
FRUSTRATED in rapid Succession, with chliis;
vertigo, fever, and nausea, accompanied
hv sore throat cardiac pam. catarrh'
and complete muscular urOstratIon. 1hls
DIAGNOSIS describes every c.9e, the only
variation being IA the intensity and dur''-
tion of the attack.
had a chat with Dr. c. i. Bryant. the
leading medical adviser of the Health
Board. about the epidemic.
People here ENJOY the great American
privilege Of having anything they want"
said h. iCcularly. land II their magma
tion lead them to think they have the grip
lot them think SD. don't say they haven't
the grip, hut mind you. # the Russian m.
HuenZa which !, now raging IN PARIS and
Berlin should come along We Will be apt &c
know 1t without any effort Of the lmagi
nation. How could people avoid ~ We'll
If il comes in It's true form II VIII be At
tended by such atmospheric and othei
conditions rs 10 bep practically unavoidable
II viii not be an Isolated case here aut
There but general ailmeui that would
affect pretty nearly everybody
Easily SCARED.
"Since some people are scared very
easily,n DR.. Bryant continued, one man
came 10 my office yesterday lie rang tho
bell. and. though invited IN. preferred &c
stand Oh the stoop. | had to see him there.
He told me be had the grippe. aud didn't
want 10 come IN and infect my house. Now
the grip isn't thing to be communicate
that way, but rs he Ind made up his mind
nboutit IT,, him funk So. ! don't know
of any remarkable features about the pres
cnt influenza" he added Here soc wha'
the Medical Journal saws"
And he pointed to nm article on tho pre-
vailing epidemic inferohtialy identifying
n "a "A 4 -pe-o Of the same character 2S tnat
which visited England IN 1878, when
5000 deaths occurred IN six weeks. the cpl
denic ranging at the same time in Venice
and Milan. After looking over these state
meuts Dr. BRYANT evidently thought his
reference had been an unfortunate one
and calculat al to excite instead OF allaylng
apprehension.
There Won can form your own cOnclu-
sion.n he added. IF people want to have
the grippe so hid that they imagine they
have il the best plan Is to let them think
What conditions are favorable to its
DEVELOPMENT ?"
THAT is difficult to answer. Bad weather
such a. Va have had lately always brings
lots of influenza. which Is severe on the
weak and the AGED. But ! cannot say the
grippe ls here vet" he repeated. People
NAV claim 90 have the honor of being the
first victims. and some doctors may de.
clare that they have diagnosed me hIs'
ce-eOf the epidemic. Well, let them. The
Tvlergrippe which we had many years ego
Wa. / suppose, pretty much the same sort
of thing We are now enduring an agra
waited influenza. afcctinG every BODY, more
or less Certain ATMOSPHERIC conditions,
loue-continued and unfayorablc, produce
debility that prepares the system ior
the germs of any disease. But u IL non
sense 10 say that the grippe Is the precur-
soro uuv more serious epidemic. Otcourse,
ia a case Ike this il may he that We are
inst at the beginning and that with the
winter before rs We Will yet have an oppor-
tuntty 70 cultivate the acquaintance OF the
guppein proper form. As to the statement
in the papers that 2 per cent. OF the eases
in Russat4rminatef fatally we know nothing
about 10. Our board isn't II all AFRAID, and
We don't propose 10 quarantine people, nor
have we sent ont any prescription Tor UNI
Vcrsal use. as some Unauthorized persons
has stated"
This is the official statement, and OF
course il is adopted with the view of allay.
ing popular apprehension. But there Is q
conflict Of opinion IN the Health Board
about the grippe. Not al the members ~
feet to pooh-pooh II. as Or. Bryant does
said "a member yesterday.
oTBIE WINS.
II don't think II Is transmitted across
the ocean, as some have asserted; II rs not
a disease that would travel in that way,
AID the long stretch of sea would act as g
natural dlsluteCtdnt. ltS appear ancc mere
Is due 10 recent ATMOSPHERIC Conditions,
confined rains, heavy fogs. and facilitating
weather generally. 1t Is difficult TO dag
nose the grippe. there are so many grades
al u; Only u small proportion of those
thus far afflicted are confined 10 their
rooms. In the more severe cases the
violent symptoms are present, including
nausea. chills. vertigo aches. and prostra'
ton. Bihousness will preciptate 1t and SO
will cold. 1t is a native of the nroitheIr.
laUudes and is seldom found along the
southern coast countries of Europe. III
Russia il has assumed an endemic form
We are not quite prepared 70 say, that ths
true grippe IS here yet" he added eau
tlCuLy.
There hos been violent run on ,qui-
nine. and the fancy goods stores have
made small fortune IN handkerchlei.
since the grippe arrived. All the arguments
and persuasions Of Drs. Bryant, Wilson;
Sanborn. and Edison, Of the Health Boara
and quarantine Office, cannot do away with
the patent, palpable evidences OF its pres
euco At the Grand Central depot, the
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