New-York tribune., 1890-01-17
" LA GRIPPE"
EPIDEAuCS OF THE PAST.
WHAT A FRENCH PHYSICIAN SAYS ABOUT THE
INFLUENZA.


INFLUENZA.
There is perhaps no better general account OF ia
grippe" than the article by the French PHYSICIAN Dr
Henri Gintrac in the NOveau Dictionnare de Mede-
cine ct de Chrurgc Platiques" Not thrown together
hastily for passing OCCASION but the result OF serious
study, this little monograph was written before tie
malady became suddenly and alarmnSN t'hiohaoe'
and as the standard work embOdyinG il is volumi-
nous as to be only in the largest libraries some cX-
cerpts from it may be deemed worthy of translation
"La grippe" the learned doctor says is a catarrhal
endemic affection. characterized by a congestion or
phecmasia of the nasal pharyngeal and laryngo-bron
chial mucous membranes, with a more or less pro
nounced fever severe cephaaga or headache, pains III
the limbs and general weakness The disease is es-
seniaIly epidemic. There is special mention of IL
in the classical authors of antiquity, and its authentic
history may be said to begin with 1850 when the first
endemic was noted in Spain. France. Germany Asia
and Africa In 1865 it ragged in London, and in 1919
GERMANY France and England suffered from 1t. the
famous Sydenham studying it in the latter country
There were epdemics again in 1909, 17l2 and 1'l0'
and from the last quarter of 1929 until l'33 IL was
running through the different countries of the gopc'
tracing something like a double circle in the course OF
It's immense wandcIingS. Europe had TO sustain a ne"
attack in l742 and 1913, and ii was at this time that
the Italians first invented the name influenza which
adopted into the English laI guage and when 'ho
French translated into Ia grippe" The influenza got
its gip upon various portions Of the world III l'""'
l75s and 1762 dared extend far as EoSon the
Hub OF the Universe. in 1867; even horses ana doSS
suffered from it in 1775; it could never be entirely
shaken off between 1773 and 1882 and again between
I7sS and 1701 At the close of 1893 the epidemic
started out from Russia once more; 1t prevalleu Ill
Paris and London in 1903: beginning with lo3o IL
caleered wildly the earth during several years
and France, switzerland. spain, England ana other
countries mourned its unWelcomc Vslauohs Ill 1871
1850 and 1870
Not content with making all EnrOpc miserable, " Ia
grippe. has usually carried It's nvages into Africa
Asia and America. The maady commonly spreaHs
Dver enormous spaces and aSsaiN almost at the same
lime many nations. however remote from one another.
Each epidemic ha, its mutitudes of sufferers number
Ing a fourth a half or fOur-iiiths OF country
total population 1t generally rms through different
lands i'm succession, hut before it ceases to agtc one
place il has the in its mcrclleSs clutches Inc
most common course for these epidemcs of influenza
TO take is from cast to west, and the pedigree oil many
of them has been traced hack to Russia and ASIA or
dinarly la grippe stays about two months IN each
locality but like any other hated guest it does not al
WAYS go when expected. and the longer arres the
greater its severity and the danger OF complications
some physicians believe the influenza is transmitted
by conagion and in support of this theory the story Is
told of an island Off the coast of scotland, inhabited by
twenty thirty poor families. and hearing from the
rest of the world only year, when a vessel
touched there 10 collect the rents. on one occasion
the rentcolectols had the influenza, and the very next
aay after the vessels arrival the previously htathy
ISLANDERS began to cough. Iut il is possible these
people crowded to the shore and exposed themselves to
cold and contagon cannot explain the universally OF
the maady, its simultaneous appearance III as
tant places, Its rapid propagation and sUoue'
cessation. SO many uneXpOsed people fall sloh'
and Sc many are exposed and yet escape, that the
larger number of physicians agree with Dr. Dih'rdo
in considering the disease not contagious ana III
ascrbng its spread to the fact that all are SUBJECT l"
the same Influences. " -,
coming OF Ia grippe: sudden changes of tcmpera'
ture have developed il al times more frequently II
has seemed depend upon repeated ana almost COZ
tinnal yarlat ions and iOgs great SHOWS, the aurora
hOreas. earthquakes and volcanic eraponN nave bc'h
noted before its advent II is impossible To discover
any DostiVe meteorological cause for IT, bat perhaps
some light might be gained by measuring the qudIatiV
of ozone in the atmO phcre during an Epidemic Ihls
was done in Genoa in 1-5o: the proportion OF ozone
vas normal at the end of the preceding year, IL be
came notably early in January and dropped 70 the
minimum just when the malady was ragmS n n9,I
violently April IS the month oileneNt chosen DH Inc
Influenza for its attack and next IN us iaNOr comes
December. January February and March. IL not
seldom breaks out first in pOpulOus cities ana tiich
extends its ravases 70 villages ana inc country i9n @
A time Lyons had Ia grippe every winter and our
authority attributed it 10 the constant digging up oi
rberc is vet much 10 learn about Ia grippe" and
he conditions favoring its development. Everything
ahout il is invisible and mysterious, and the powers
producing il reveal themselves only in their eucct9
average once in every Ten wears; lhoouEn noI DO
serious rapidly fatal as the cholera the nluehLa
has been known 10 cause moflaIlN dh',t a. con.
tiderable and London and pariS have in this century
seen their death rate mos Slan doubled during an
epidemic of II. - - , d, !,
CRIME whenever is symptoms display any vlrnlence
or complications appear not impossible II is certainly
best TO call in doctor.