The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-19
TRYING TO oHEOK MENINGITIS.
me Deadly Disease which the Health
DepaTtment IL Now Btudyfng.

Inc Deauiy uiaoaeo Wnion ho ho-Ah
Department IL Now studytng.
The spread Of the deadly cerebro-splnal
meningitis has aroused the Health De-
partment 10 the necessity Of Systematic
and thorough investigation into the cause
Of the disease and the possibility OF, II not
a cure, at least a remedy by which the high
rate Of mortality Of meningitis may DO
lowered II IL a curious thing that In spite
Of the thousands Of victims carried on by
this form Of meningitis and in spite OF the
progress made In medical science In the
last fifty years there seems TO be little more
Of practical value known about this disease
than there was three OF -four decades ago,
when It was popularity called the spotted
fever.
Slnoe then Il has been discovered that 1t
is a germ disease and that the miorobe enters
the nose and finds lodRrnent in the brain.
Occasionally the public is informed that
some cure for It has been discovered, but
none Of these nostrums thus far tried has
effected the slghtsst decrease In the number
Of deaths caused by the disease.
Epidemics Of meningitis have apparently
no regular periods Of recurrence, nor do
they seem to arise from any we'll defined
set Of conditions. It In trle that most Of
the victims are children, especially those
! from 10 years Of age, and that the vast
majority Of them come from the poorer
! classes
At the same time It IL confined 10 no one
| district, or street, OF block Of the city,
where special conditions might give rise
10 its spread. The popular belief lie that
! epidemics of meningitis follow evere
yriv Ht.k ~ Aiaaaaa ghOWH
that this ia not entirely true,
The last great epidemic OF the disease 10
this city prior TO the present outbreak
occurred in 1872. In ten months OF that
year, or from Jan TO Nov. 1, there were
reported TO the Health Department total
Of 900 cases, Of which 1911, or nearly II per
cent, proved fatal
At that time the methods Of gathering
and classifying vital statistics were NOT
nearly 30 complete as at present, and II IL
safe 70 assume that great many cases
| either were not reported at all OF were re-
ported under some other head. In almost
every case the victim lived in the tenement
districts Of the East Side, but the disease
ragged as fieroely among families who kept
their rooms scrupulously clean as among
those who lived In filth and squalor
For nine months preceding the streets
were usually dirty, Just as they are now,
but from a different Cause Instead Of
unusually cold weather in 1877, the tenn
perature was abnormally high The sum
mer was excessively hot, with scarcely
any rain II was during this period thai
most OF the deaths occurred
For years prior to 1872, Just az for year
prior to 1904, little or nothing was hearc
Of the disease in this city. Thus In 1881
only eighteen cases were reported In 1857
thirty-two; in 1888, thirty-four; In 1889
forty-two; in 1870, thirty-twO, and in 1871
forty-eight.
Despite the inoreaAe in the population
In the meantime there were only al fata
cases here In 1908, while in the following
year the total fatalities ascribed to 1t hac
| Jumped to the enormous total Of l,2ll
In January, 1904, there were twenty-five
deaths from the disease, while in January
Of this year there were io7. In February
1904 there were twenty-siT deaths, while
last month there were 14e.
The onset OF the disease In sudden anC
its course rapid and fatal. Even thos'
mentally or physically, as they were befor'
the attack.
1t has been known only since the be
ginning of the nineteenth century, beinl
hrst recognized in Geneva, Switzerland
II made its first appearance in this countrl
in Massachusetts, In 1902. The disease
visited Ireland in a very fatal form In 1874
and again in 1855 and 1883.
Any conditions which produce bodily
or mental depression predspo5e TO thu
disease. and II has assumed its most fata
type during times of famine and anon
squalid tenement dwellerS or soldiers II
crowded barracks.
The course and symptoms vary re-
markedly in different types. In the malig
nant or fulminant type the disease ma!
prove fatal in a few hours Remitten
and intermittent forms are recognized, IL
which the fever Is lower, o. entirely absen
for two or three days, and there Is form
that much resembles typhoid fever.