The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-05
LA GRIPPE.
w Orcester In
Its Grasp.
GENER EPIDEMIC
That Numbers Its Cases in
the Thousands.

the city limits, and nearly one-third OF
the population of the suburban dis
tricts is also afflicted.
The physicians are nearly worn out.
as they are obliged to answer calls at
all hours of the night and day, and for
the past three or four days they have
labored with their afflicted patients
without taking time to sleep.
La grippe, commonly called the
grip" is not respector of persons. 1t
attacks both the high and the low, the
rich and the poor. The man with mil
lions suffers as much as the man with
out cent, and the best physicians in
the land cannot entirely alleviate grip
patients sufferings, as the disease
seems to take fiendish delight in TAX
ing Its own time to run it's course.
The present epidemic started in
Pennsylvania nearly ten weeks ago and
travelled leisurely eastward. Jersey
City, N. j., coughed and sneezed for a
week or ten days, and Greater New
York awoke and found itself in the
grasp of the relentless and persevering
little microbes and for weeks all sorts
and kinds of people were afflicted and
many deaths resulted. The germs con-
tinued on their eastward journey, and
Connecticut, the land of wooden nut
megs, coughed and sneezed and were
under the doctors care for days.
The germs were first felt in Worces-
ter about four weeks ago. The inmates
of the house of correction were all at
tracted at the same time. 1t seemed as
If the advance guard of the army of
the germs" came to Worcester to look
over the field, and finding the people so
very susceptible, they settled down at
the Jail and sent back messengers to
tell the main body of the army to come
on at once.
The army travelled night and day to
get here, and now the germ soldiers are
bivouacked in all sections. They are
doing sentinel duty in nearly every
household and they never sleep on their
posts.
Yesterday a large number Of the
proprietors and the clerks of the large
and small mercantile establishments
did not report for duty, but sent a mes
senger to say that they were in the
midst of the grip agony
Many Well-known faces among the
professional men of the city were miss
Ing, and when people asked for them
the same old answer was received
they also had an attack of the dis
ease,
Factory employees were also mum
bered among the sick ones, and the
pretty girls in the central telephone
office felt the grip, as they did nothing
from noon till night but call up the
offices Of the different physicians for
patients who wanted u doctor and
wanted him at once.
Many prominent physicians were in
terviewed by The Spy man. They all
agreed that there was an epidemic, and
nearly all of them said that 1t is al
most as prevalent as it was four years
ago. They say that it is mild in form
and does not last over three or four
days, but 1t seems bound to see if II
cannot carry the battle into every
household.
The physicians attribute the epidemic
to the presence of the germs in such
large numbers.
In Greater New York the physicians,
the board of health and the people at
tributed the large number of cases to
the condition Of the streets. The snow
and slush they claimed were excellent
breeders, and bemoaned the fact that
Col Waring was dead and gone, and
pointed to the fact that when he was
in charge Of the street cleaning depart
ment the grip went away almost as
quickly as II came.
''Worcester's streets, crosswalks and
cutters are in bad shape, and il the
germs do breed in snow and slush they
have an excellent field" said a promi-
nent physician yesterday to The Spy
man.
The warm easterly winds and the
dampness that enveloped everything
and has been with us for day or two,
is said by people who have studied grip
to be the best kind of weather for the
germs to thrive in. 'They love it," say
these people and ARE as risky as
young kittens"
For the benefit of those who have not
had the grip, the following catechism
on how we are to know when we have
the dread malady is printed. 1t is well
worth a perusal and might be learned
by heart:
What are the premopitory syEnp-
toms of grip?
Distinct chill or chilly sensations,
followed by an elevation of tempera-
ture from 101 to 103 Fahrenheit;
pain in the head, headache, pain in
the limbs and back, aching all over
the body, mental depression, loss OF
appetite and muscular weakness,
often accompanied by hard cough
with little expectoration.
How may one be sure 1t Is real
grip that has attacked him?
The continuance of these symp-
toms without local Inflammation to
account for them practically as
sures the nature of the disease.
What should one take to neutral
iZe the attack?
Consult a good physician at once.
Different cases require different
treatment. There is no specific for
grip.
How may one tell whether the at
tack is severe enough to make it
necessary to go to bed, or only to
stay indoors?
Ask the advice of your physician
before Venturing out.
What will be the symptoms when
1t is safe for one who has had the
grip to venture out again?
Return of appetite, freedom from
fever and pain; relief from mental
depression; general return Of nor
NAL conditions
How may one guard against the
dangers of relapse during the three
weeks period of convalescence?
Your physician must instruct you:
different conditions require differ
ent precautions.
What precautions should be taken
when one member Of the family has
grip TO prevent the others being
affected?
Do not allow members of the fam
lily to so near the patient unless alb
solutely necessary. Ventllate the
sick room; change the air as often
as possible.
The above questions have been an
swered by some of the best physicians
in this part Of the country in very near
ly the same language. But an occas-
ional physician may be met who does
not be lieve that it is contagious.
The epidemic at the jail has subsidized,