Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-27
INFLUENZA.
Conclusions of an English Physician
About the MaIady Cpml,nied.

From the Medical Record. -
In the recent bulletin of the department
of health of Chicago are published the NOR
tality statistics of influenza and its compIi-
cations. 1t appears that since the last
great pandemic of Influenza which occur
red In Chicago as the epidemic of 1891 80
there has been no period altogether free
from the disease. and it would seem to
have become permanently donesticated
In 1891 there We're $3.50 deaths from in
fuenza reported to the department; in 1892
there were 1903; IS in 1893; 81 in 1891 165 in
1895, II in 1896. 10 in 1897, 2Sl in 1898 and
3oi up to The close of July, 1899.
The Bulletin, commenting upon this state
Of affairs, says: While these figures are
not in themselves very alarming they have
a serious significance for the student and
worker in preventive medicine. 1t is true
that the Influenza epidemic of 1861 added
less than IA per cent to the deaths
from all other causes and the 304 influenza
deaths during the first six months of this
year are only "a per cent of the total
deaths from all causes But the indirect
results Of the epidemic diseases swelled the
total mortality rate by IL per cent over the
average mortality rate of the previous five
years during which there was no influenza
The Increase of the death rate this year is
not SO marked, but it is still more than II
pei CENT efSdtef- IMAM the average OF the
previous hVe years, the lesser comparative
increase being fairly attributable to the
prevalence Of influenza, in minor degree,
during the previous five-year period"
The experience of Chicago is similar in a
greater or less degree to other large centers
of population in which Influenza has set its
root. DIR. Foster Palmer, writing on the
prevalence of influenza in the different
countries of the world, says that although
the epidemic respects neither race nor
country, we find that Russia, France and
the United States suffered in far greater
proportions than Great Britain. Some want
OF balance in the organic functions must
be the cause of this excessive receptiVity
but what the special condition is 1t is hard
to say. for those three nations have little
In common.
Ethnical idiosyncrasy may account for 1t
In the case of Russia and France, but the
inhabitants of New York who are for the
most part of the same race and presumably
of similar constitution, also suffered far
more severely than did the inhabitants of
Great Britain. For some reason therefore
1t would seem that men of the English race
IN America have less resisting power than
in England This is quite consistent with
the history OF our race in that continent,
winch. although in some of the wilder prai-
| RE regions it has attained high pitch of
| strength and cultivation of the senses. has
IN many parts, especially in the towns I'M
dergone a certain degree of physical de-
| terioration."
With these conclusions of the English
physician most American medical practi-
TONERS Will take issue Statistics do not
snow that even in the towns the death rate
| IN the United States compares unfavorably
| on the Whole with that of the towns in
| Great Britain. and where such is the case
/ the cause is found in inferior sanitation,
| ana not the less resisting power of the
| americans. The greater mortality from in
| f1uenza in this country is probably owing
| 10 the higher nervous Organization of the
| inhabitants. Influenza Is pre-eminently a
disease affecting the nervous system, and
given a people with highIyY strung nerves,
| 1t 1oilows, as matter of course, that they
would suffer more thar Those of phleg-
matte temperament. ,5EIf
| The most valuable researches into the
| causation of influenza hareE been made by
| Ut, Nyhkoop. who has succeeded by meth
| ods introduced by himself in bacterially ver-
| ifying the presence of the Influenza bacillus
IN very large prop6rtioh of the cases
| diagnosed as such. The conclusions of DR..
| Parsons. published in the lancet in 1894
| are that the epidemics sconfh on at almost
| any time of the year; that they are not
| greatly influenced in their prevalence by the
| weather, but that their mortality is in
| creased by cold weather. that an attack af-
| lords, II not complete protection against at
| any rate modification-rof future attacks,
poth in the individual and in the locality
that 1t AFFECTS different localities with diff
tefent degrees of severity its relative fatal
lty depending chiefly on the average of the
population, being most fatal to quite young
| infants and to old people, In fact we can
| ascertain the number of fatal cases in pro-
| portion to the population but not to the
| number of people attacked.