Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-14
THAT rKRR1pLK GRIP.
Largo Number Of Deaths In This Cafy Ss-
ported Last Week.

MANY OF THE CASES WERE rRAcEABlH TO III
PREVAILING xPrpEMIc-wHAr SEVERAL PHYsI
cIAxs HAVE TO SAT- UPON THE DISEASE AND IT
ErFEcrs-oooD WEATHER WILL DRIVE IT AWAY
With few more days good weather the girl
will be virtually over, SO doctors say, % man!
patients who were confined to their homes las
week improved under the influence OF tn
bright sun yesterday and Sunday and toda!
many Of them were out again.
1.-THE only difficulty" said a doctor to STAR
reporter this morning, sis that just because thu
weather is SO fine people are likely to get care
less. One trouble is that too many persons
change their thick clothing for thinner wearing
apparel and in many cases their colds, which
grow from bad to worse, end in pneumonia OF
the grip. With little care in short while
think there will be but little grip left in the
CITY,"
THE GRIP IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
DR.. Chas G. Stone of Brightwood speaking
toa STAR reporter, said that the grip had
ragged in Montgomery county along the line Of
the District worse this year than it did year
ago Whole families" he said. 'have been
sick with the disease. The disease is not ss bad
as IT was few days ago."
Has the grip proven fatal to any extent2'
inquired the reporter.
.No, there have been but few deaths consid-
ering the nature of the Illness" replied the
doctor. 1.-THE grip this year has generally
come in a violent form, although the symptoms
were different with different patients. In
most cases the grip started with violent head
ache and flushed face and, in many instances.
severe neuralgia pains were combined to in
| crease the suffering. In some instances, espe-
cially among the younger children, the patients
| are delirious."
DR. poyEr's OPINION
DIR. J. Wesley Bovee. the visiting physician at
the Washington Asylum. has had a great deal Of
experience with the grip. Speaking Of the dis
ease to STAR reporter today he said:
Il regard the grip as being very dangerous
disease 1t, in many cases. when mild. seems to
be but bad cold, and as the sufferer progresses
toward recovery, danger is not thought OF.
and the first exposure TO open or bad weather
brings on severe bronchitis or worse pneumo-
mia. The more severe forms of the disease
immediately produce intense depression, both
physically and mentally. 1t IL probably for
this reason that some people suffering With
the grip have committed suicide or have at
tempted to take the lives of others. In nearly
every case there is more or less depression
and convalescence from it Is quite similar to
that from long illness. The pain in the head,
back and extremities, quite regular symptom,
feature of this disease is the cough, which is
usually of dry, hacking character, and
almost incessant. causing severe pains in the
chest and abdomen. 1 have not only seen
others suffering with it, but was myself unfor-
tunate in having one attack that chung to me
with wonderful tenacity. / think the grip is
perhaps more prevalent and severer than dur
ing the epidemic OF it of one year ago, and
think its prevalence has not been affected by
the few warm days we have recently had. l am
called to new cases Of it every day. 1t seems o
little remarkable, however. that at the Wash
ington Asylum Hospital last winter there we're
treated about 600 cases while this season there
have been very few suffering from this malady.
Last year every trip of the work house van for
some weeks brought recruits for the grip beds"
THE ACTING HEALTH OFFICER.
Mr. Benjamin F. Peters is acting health off,
Ger during the absence of DR.. Townshend and
Chief Clerk McGinn, who have been i'll with
the grip some days.
Having had several attacks Of the fashion,
able disease myself, said the acting health Off
Ger to o STAR reporter today, II know some
thing about its effects. Last week there were
ISL deaths, the largest number Of deaths that
has ever occurred in any one week. and is an
increase over the corresponding week Of last
year of 81
''This increase" he continued, sis chiefly the
result Of lung troubles following an attack Of
the grip. Exposure in the open air and drafts
indoors Immediately after the violent symp-
toms OF the disease have abated is no doubt the
cause OF most Of the pneumonia, bronchitis and
other troubles Of the throat and lungs, causing
this increased mortality. All convalesoents,"
he concluded, should be extremely careful
not to expose themselves too soon after recov-
ering. and should not leave their homes lust
after getting out of bed because the sun hap
pens to be shining"
GREAT MORTALITY LAST WEEK.
The weekly report Of the health Office for last
week was made out to today and 1t shows the
days. The cause of this large increase Is shown
In the number Of deaths from such diseases as
pneumonia. bronchitis and congestion of the
lungs. such as follow the grip. The
classification shows 46 deaths from PINE umonia.
Is from congestion Of the lungs and II from
bronchitis. In many Of these cases the grip
was given as the primary cause Of death, while
in others, while the grip was not designated,
that was the disease which was followed by the
one stated in the returns to the health Office
The highest number Of deaths during the
prevalence OF the epidemic last year was 16l,
which occurred one week in January. The
other causes Of death were: Group, l: diph-
| liberia. !; consumption, 10; typhoid fever, 1;
maiarial fever, 2; measles, 2; wlOoping cough,
2; cancers, 2; diseases of the kidneys, s, and
| meningitis. 2. Ninety-six of the decedents were
over forty years old, So over sixty years, 81 un-
| der hve years and 80 under one year.
DIR. s. s. BOND ON THE EPIDEMIC.
DIR. s. S. Bond was at the health Office today
making inquiries about some cases of scarlet
fever and the putting up of the warming signs.
He had eight cases in one house, four in
| another and two in another, but the houses
| were in different sections Of the city,
When asked about the grip the doctor said
| that nearly one-half the doctors are in bed with
| the grip, and those who were not in bed were
| sick on their feet He said that there were
more cases Of the grip this year thar last, and
| SO far as his experience went he thought the
disease lef. the patients in q more PROSTATE
| condition, especially so far as the pulmonary
orga1s were concerned. and they were more
like to take the pneumonia or congestion of
| the lungs unless considerable care was exer-
cised.
THINKS THERE Is LESS THAN LAST YEAR.
DR.. John E. Bracket said that as far as his
experience went there were not as many cases
Of grip in the city as last year. He thought
that there was no question but that the grip
| was more OF nervous than q pneumonia dis
| ease. Its true symptoms, he said, were, in his
opinion, want Of vitality ard heavy influenza,
and when he found q case where the want Of
| vitality was out Of proportion to the local
symptoms he invariably put it down as the
| grip. There was a great deal Of influenza he
said, in the city, but not as much grip as re-
ported. The great scare Of the grip was in his
estimation, good thing; it made people care
| full.
Mr.. A. 8. Pratt, who has been i'll with the
grp for some days, is much improved.
This morning another death from the or;n