New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-31

AN ARIsTOCRATIC DIcEA"E ABROAD.
TX DrpIoM,T" THINKS IT NAY BE ATTRIBUTED
TO Barring TIE HEAD.

Influenza
Of the moment in Europe, but likewise very
ari.tocratic ailmcnt II differs from most othcr
cpidcmicS in that it's ravagcs among the classes
rather than the masses; and while people low IN
fine social grade and who are subjected by theIr
s,rajchtened means to all kinds of inSaubrious
surroundings. have escaped almost entirely from
the contagion the victims. as rule, belong 10
ROYALTY 10 the nobility, and 10 the rch-luS'
those. in fact who's" health would appear 10 Dc
The most efficiently protected by the elaborate
safeguards Of modern sanitary methods ana APP
/ pI-lces
II is difficult To assign any reason for these
aristocraic tastes Of the influenza bacillus whlch
! is described by Vienna scientists as queer III
tie insect with n sort of black Jockeys cap percheu
/ in a her rakish manner on It's tiny Occipu''
There seems, however, 10 be some ground Tor peeN
! inc that the practice Of barring the head-a custom
more prevalent among those Of high than OF low
! deerec-has something or other 10 do with the
matter Thus. the Duke of Clarcnc" is stated
/ by his attendant physicians 10 have contracted
/ the influenza, which terminated 50 fatally III his
case al the funeral of his cousin, Prince victor
! llohcnlOhc. while he remained standing by the
grave. barehcadcd in cold. damp wInd duflng
the whole Of The last part of the burial service
! Moreover. the Turks alone. Of all the nations IN
| Europe, have escaped any visitation OF the cpl
dcmc. an immunity which may be attributed 10
/ the fact that they never under any circumstances
remove their tarboush Or turban. lnru, too IL
| has been noted that. Notwithstanding thc w
posure Of soldiers to the most severe weather. 'hcr
| have been remarkably few eases among them
| which is due probably 10 their saIutlhg "l'"o"'
| removing their hcadgear
Another equally important effect OF the prc'ch
epidemic and of its restriction 10 the caSse~ VIII
undoubtedly De the abandonment in disgust a.
unavailing. of many of these sanitary precautions
with which the dci"ately reared and the refined
now endeaVOr 10 protect thcm>clvc> from cpid'mlt
diseases They will come II the conclusion thd'
manv Of these elaborate safeguards devised for
the defence of their health against contagious
and infections maldies are not merely useless
but also Of a character Ia decatizc them TO such
an extent as to rcnGcr them an easy prey To the
disease.
To q certain extent they Will be right; and
rs long az their abandonment OF these pre-
cautions does MOI involve the lnfracton Of that
Great law which DEGREES that cleanliness is next To
godliness.O they will have my sincere approval
and support For experience OF life in most OF
the civilized and uncivilzed countries Of the world
leads me to the conviction that these precautions
are either supcriuOus or inadequate, and in many
cases illogical. What possible Use can there be
i'm going TO the trouble of Boiling, ftcring or Of
purifying water by means of questionable whisky.
when the person who has Just adopted one the
other Of these measures of safety rctrc thcrcnpon
TO rest in hotel bed, perfectly satisfied il the
latter is merely provided with II pair Of clean
sheets? Not one hotel guest in Il thousand gives
a moments thought TO the fact that there is far
more danger in sleeping on an ordinary hotel mat
tre.;S than in quenchng the thirst with ordinary
drinking water Queen Victoria carries her own
he'd about with her wherever She goes and few
of the leading elcgantrs Of Paris and Vienna make
a point Of including cd-lircn of their own, as well
~ blankets edcrdown quilts, pillows and an india
rubber Sheet among their luggage when travelling
The ndiarubbcr sheet is spread Immediately over
the mattrcs, and beneath the lower linen Sheet
the object being 10 keep the fair occupant of tie
bed free from all contact with the bacil who
make their abode in the mattress. BIT The
ma iorty of people take 10 such precautions. give
no thought 10 the possible condition Of hcalh-and,
alas cleanliness of the person who has rcposad Oh
that same mattress and between those SANE
blankets the night beforehand probably sleep Just
as we'll How often is the hair of hotel mattresses
combcd? How long are they permitted 10 exist
without being pulled 10 pieces? On the COntl-
ncnt of Earope the peas;niy make point
Of submitting ali thcir mattresses 10 COM
picte comhing at least once, ant sometimes
twice. ycar-bUt they drink chccrlully and with
! ont the slightest evil chcct unhlt"Icd and nm
Dcilcd water, apparently alive with fever Gcrml
and typhoid bacili. So much for the masses,
The CLASSES filter, boil or diidtc their drinking
water but arr content to sleep on mattresses that
| are uncombcd, uncleanly ana altogether unsini.
iary Which of the Two j. the worst
ii the one pTccautlOn ), adOptrd why Is not
| the other:
Bu, people are ju,; Inconsistent a, this on
The score OF health all Jhc world over The
Oriental for instance. be lac Mahoinctan. jew.
! Christian. Buddhist or ir-wOrshippcr, viii alb
stain from eating porh, not on I"he".-, bui on
sanitary grounds. have seen, however in Egypt
and IN India, these very same people WHO dcciln'd
10 eat pork account Of i,s being unhealthy,
drink water from pools and equally sfdSnanl
canals IN which corp>rs OF persons who had d.ei
Of typhoid, smal pON, ctc. were being washed al
a distance of a few feet only from tie spot where
| the drinking wafer was Lrln2 drawn Nor dld
they appear 10 suffer any bad effects from their
rotations of this water, which Tcscmbled Bar
gundy wine, in that il was possessed Of much
body
Apropos Of Egypt. it is difficult To understand
! why medical men in various parts Of the world
persist IN recommending persons III drlcat" health
| TO winter at Cairo. Ihrty years ago winter
s0ourn in the Egyptian capital may have proved
| beneficial to lnValds. Bat since that time the
! climate OF the ancient clty OF the Cahphs has
IN lcrgOne an entire modification, which renders
IL unhealthy in the extreme. The change 10
! attributable to the Sucz Canal, and also 10 the
! Sweet Water Canal which russ from Cairo 10
| Ismalea, furnishing the latter as well Port
Said ana other Sucz Canal stations with drinking
water. Formerly. rain was unknown at
| Cairo and the healthy dryncss Of the mild atn,s-
| There renowned throughout the world. With
IN n few years, however after the opening up Of
the great waterway between the Mediterranean
and the Red Sea, all changed Rain now
! begins to fall in November and continues with
but Slight intermission until March or April. The.
effect Of this abundance OF rain is disastrous i'm
every way. FL Masr rs the natives call the
Cairo of modern times, is built upon the rains Of
about eight or ten other cities which have in
! turn preceded i and the soil upon which the
Egyptian capital is now constructed is formed -
the depth of from Sky or eighty feet by eight
or ten distinct layers of potshcrls pieces Of Will;
crworl bits Of broken bricks and tiles and other
debris of the former cities that occupied the site
SO long as rain fell, no iii effects were expert
enced from living this great mound of rubbish
But now that Cairo has been endowed by NJ de-
l.esseps with full-fedged rainy season the whole
,,f t,. refu and IL o,,