Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-05-17
MICROBE OF THE GRIP.
PECULlARITIES OF THE LECLESS
AND WNCLESS coNQUERoR.

HE influenza, like most other
pathological denominations,
has microbe, and microbe
distinguished, unfortunately,
for its vagabond proclivities. 1t is
ever on the march, and any mode of
locomotion-it is wingiess and legless
and requires to be carried-serves its
turn, from ocean going liners to the
winds of heaven.
According to an American scientist
Turkey was the headquarters OF the
nuisance last winter. Following the
lines of the international traffic, it
has since found it's way to innumera-
lble localities, but IN particular to New
York, London and Paris.
The promised land viii ch the influ-
enza microbe has in view throughout
its wanderings is the respiratory Or
gans of human beings. Elsewhere it
Vegetables, it exists as best it can; but
in these essential regions of our Or
ganic economy it fourishes and is for
the first time thoroughly at home
Especially if the ground has been pre-
pared in advance by chronic bron-
chitss CT consumption. The oxygen
of the lungs is necessary for its
healthy and normal development, and
when deprived of this elixir it mopes,
becomes torpid and eventually gives
up its tenacious ghost.
! Indeed, the idiosyncracies of the
thing are all of them of such nature
as to induce it to regard our bodies
as the most eligible residence on Of
fer. For instance, bath of twenty
four fours' duration is ordinary water,
however stagnant and inviting to the
average bacillus, is fatal to the in
huenza microbe, while, on the other
hand, it will exist for weeks in per-
feet bliss in human saliva.
1t is not the mic1 ODE itself that does
the harm, but a poisonous liquid it
excretes. A measure of consolation
is afforded by the fact that this poison
lis even more deleterious to the microbe
than to the human being in which it
is deposited, for the microbes end by
being destroyed by their own horrible
exhalations, whereas their victim, of
course, has many chances of recovery.
The microbe is an egg-shaped thing,
but gifted, in spite of its roundness
and smootEness, with an extraordinary
capacity both for adhering to any con.
ceivable surface and for passing from
one resting place to another.
It's goal is human nose or mouth,
land once in the vicinity of these
organs its future is assured, for the
mere act of breathing is sufficient to
dow NJ tho 4
there it propagates itself with amaz.
ing rapidity. 1t lengthens out, and,
after twenty minutes of this process,
it breaks in twain, and there are two
fully-aedged microbes iu the place of
one. In twenty-four hours the origi-
nal invader will, in this way, be sur.
rounded by a progeny of over sixteen
millions OF his poison producing kin.
dred.
In short, the doctors know almost
everything about the influenza microbe
except an effective method OF exter-
minating it.
DR.. Albert Prieur gives some de.
balls in regard to the whims of infiu-
enza and the peculiarities of its mi.
crobe. Here is what DR.. Prieur
says:
Influenza, that queer and ugly
word with which the grip clothed it.
self in 1902, when it was raging in
Italy, was first and, unfortunately,
brought into the medical vocabulary
by Professor Huxham. 1t is true
that he was never very proud of his
invention, and up to comparatively
recent date doctors and patients con-
tinued to employ the good old word,
grip, invented in the last century by
Sauvages de Montpelier, doubtless to
depict the peculiar expression OF
countenance which belongs to those
who are unlucky enough to contract
the disease.
without going into the de.
tails of pathological chapter
on the subject it may be necessary
TO call attention to the fact that
the word grippe or influenza is
too often carelessly and enormously
employed. OF course, for doctor
the grip, strictly speaking, is difficult
to diagnose at its commencement,
and it often happens that the medi-
cal man cannot tell whether he is deal.
ing with catarrhal OF hay fever, or
with serious infection, like angina,
smallpox or typhoid. But, neverthe-
less, the grip has an appearance Pc
culiar to itself, which, at a given mo-
ment, outside of all archaeological cx-
animation, at best, vague in the be-
ginning, facilitates itD diagnosis.
But to attempt to describe the
various and capricious symptoms of
the grip outside of medical literature,
properly speaking, would be to at
tempt the impossible. Sometimes it
starts with furious attack, and some-
times it begins with little indisposi-
tions that last three or four days.
With the grip all sorts of forms are
possible. But there are three forms
which are noteworthy: First, the ner-
vous form, with its terrible head
aches, neuralgia, lumbago and alter
natives of physical and mental de-
nree sion followad bu axoitamant +bot /