The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-02-13
KNOWN TO ANCIENTS.
Though Described by HippOcrates
La Grippe lis Not Yet Quite
Understood.

So prevalent has the grip been of late
that perhaps few persons are now pre-
pared to put forth the oft-expoded
claim that it is merely new name for
an unusually severe cold" As a mat
ter of fact, the disease has been known
and described from the time of Hippo
crates, who was born in the year 400
| B. G.. and though its name has been
changed at various periods, it has al
ways been a form of epidemic catarrh
more or less severe, according to cir
cumstances. In 1910 it was called
"coccoluche," because the sick wore
a cap close over their heads. Afterward
the Italian physicians named it ''influ-
enza," and in later years the French
doctors gave it the name of ia grippe"
which is now anglicized into 1.-THE grip"
though it seems best to retain the
French spelling for the word when
meaning this disease, so as to distin-
guish it from other grips 1t is known
all over the world, and there is dispo-
sitlon in every nation to shift the odium
of it upon some other country. Then
the Russians call it the Chinese ca
tarrh, the Germans often call it the
Russian pest. the Italians name it the
German disease, end the French call
it sometimes the Italian fever and some
times the Spanish catarrh.
The occurrence of grip, as we'll as
of most other epidemics, is apparently
connected with some particular condi-
tion or contamination of the atmos-
phere, but what that condition is or
what may be that kind of contamina-
tion no one knows. The poisonous in
fiuence, whatever its nature may be,
wings its way with greater celebrity than
the speed of human intercourse. while
its progress seems Influenced by the
season of the year. whether hot. cold,
damp or temperate. 1t is said to travel
from east to west and it seldom stays
in one district more than six or seven
weeks. Some visitations have proved
more severe than others; one in 1872.
which extended over the whole of Eu-
rope, was very fatal, but at another
time when it ragged over all Europe and
was said not to have missed a family
and scarcely a person, none died, ex-
cept some children. When it broke out
in London in 1s47 il appeared in single
day over every part of that great city
and affected upward of 100000 persons.
In December, 1889. there was an epi-
demic of grip in the city of New York,
said to have been caused by germs
conveyed in letter from Russia which
was received by patient of an eminent
uptown physician" That epidemic
lasted six weeks and was extremely Sc
we're. resulting in hundreds of deaths.
In March, 1891, it broke out again and
eight weeks, and the regis
trar of the health board says: while
it was less impetuous in its attack and
less speedy in its elimination. its more
protracted duration made il the most
fatal of all the epidemics we have had.
Since 1891 the severity OF the disease
has been gradually declining, although
more or less prevalentevery year, /
Prof. Northnagel. of Vienna. who |
made special study of the grip, made
a report in 1892 in which he said that
the malady was miasmatfc, Infectious
and contagious, and declared that no
specific remedy was known. though the
sufferers might be relieved somewhat
by various drugs. One ply ysician is can
lid enough to say frankly that, ewtile
1rugs may help TO relieve the suffering,
The best cure is a week spent in bed
Chicago Chronicle.