The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-01-23
stLA GRIPPE."
Epidemics Ofthe Past-What a French
Physician Says About the Famous
Influenza.

Epidemics Ofthe Past-What French
Physician Says About the FamOui
Influenza.
There is perhaps no better general &C.
count of Ia Grippe than the article by
The French physician. DR.. Henri Gin
trac, in the "Noveau Dictlonaire de Med
eciene ct du Chirurge Pratiques. Not
thrown together hastily for a passing
occasion, but the result of serious study
this little monograph was written before
the malady became so suddenly and
alrming fashionable, and as the standard
work embUdying it is so voluminous a
10 be only in the largest libraries, some
excerpts from il may deemed worthy OF
translltion.
La Grippe, the learned doctor says, is
catarrhal epidemic affection, charac-
t5rized by congestion or phlegmasia OF
the nasal. pharyngeal and larry ngo-bron-
chial mucous membranes, with more
or less pronounced fever, severe cephal
agia or headache, pains in the limbs and
e. neral weakness. This disease ia essen
Tally epidemic. These is no special
mention of it in the classical authors of
antiquity, and is authentic history may
bt Hdlu W DtBiil "ibI lOCOi "hCh tit III ob
epidemic was noticed in SPAN, France,
Germany, Asia and Africa In 1858 it
ragged in London. and in 1915 Germany,
France and England suffered from it.
the famous Sydenham studying it in the
latter country. There were epidemics
again in 1909, 17l2 and 17l6, and the
last quarter of 1929 until 1888 it was
running through the different countries
of the globe, tracing something like a
double circle in the course of its i'm
mense wanderings. Europe had to sus
tain new attack in 1742 and 1743, and
1t was at this time that the Italians first
invented the name influenza, which was
adopted into English language and
which the French translated into la
Grippe The influenza got it's grip upon
various portions of the world IN 1853.
1858 and 1862; it dared to extend as far
IA Boston, the Hub of the Universe, in
1857; even horses and dogs suffered from
It IN 1775;it could never he entirely shsk-
en- off between 1779 and 1882 and again
between 1888 and 1891. AT the close of
1899 the, epidemic started out from
Russia once more; it prevailed in Paris
and London in 1903; beginning with
1880 it careered wildly over the earth
during several years; and France. Switz-
erland, Spain, EngIan and other coun-
tries mourned it, unwelcome visitations
1s47. 1860 and 1870.
There is yet much to learn about la
Grippe and the conditions favoring its
development. Everything about it is
invincible and mysterious, and the pow
ers producing il reveal themselves only
in their effects. A study Of ils past his
tory shows that it comes upon an aver
age once in every ten years. Though
not as serious or as rapidly fatal as the
cholera, the influenza has been known
to cause mortality almost as consider.
able, ana London and Paris have in this
century seen their death.rate more than
doubled during an epidemic of it.
Slight and unlmportant as are most
cases Of la grippe, whenever its symp.
toms display any yirulence or compiled
tions appear not impossible. it is Ger
'ainly best TO call in a doctor.-N Y.
Tribune.