The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-01-04
WHAT is THE GRIP7
Present Visitation of the Disease
Serious in Some Localities

| tubes, shooting pains in the head and
back and a peculiarly cramped feeling
in the joints; If you have high fever
and an equally bad temper, its a sure
bet you've got the grip. 1t is equally
as certain that you are not alone in
your affiiction. There are lots of 9th
ers in Bennington; in fact the entire
country is suffering with it, or has
suffered with it within the past
month and chances are that there
| will be many other cases. According
to DR.. William Osler, the noted medi-
| cal authority, the grip is "pandemic
| disease appearing at irregular inter-
walls, characterized by extraordinary
rapidity OF extension and the large
number of people attacked"
The last months of 1914 saw the be
| ginning of the present pandemic and
it has spread with such rapidity in
America that almost every communi.
| ty has suffered with it. Few indeed
| have escaped it's aflliction. The dis
ease first came into prominent notice
several weeks ago in Chicago, and
| then reports from Pittsburg, Harris
burg and Philadelphia. Pa, showed
| people suffering acutely from it there.
New York next came in for an epi-
demic and now il has invaded New
! England
DR.. Osler has written an elaborate
work on this form OF influenza. Moth.
ing apparently was heard of it, or at
least it was not distinguished as a
special disease, until the 16th cen
tury. II lay rather dormant for sew.
eral hundred years, but reappeared
in the shape of four serious
pandemics in the 18th century. The
first came in 1893, the second in 1886
1887, the third in 1S47-1S4S and the
fourth in 1882 and 1890. Since the
pandemic of 1890 there has been still
another, the pandemc of 1908, which
is still remembered with none too
pleasant memories,
Probably the most noted of these
was the one commonly referred to as
the pandemic of 1890. which is still
rendered. This pandemic is sup
posed to have started in Buchard in
May 1889. 1t was reported as an
epidemic in Moscow in September, in
st. Petersburg (Petrograd in Octo.
Der. 1t reached Berlin in November
and was in London in December.
Within 10 or IA days it reached New
York. As DR.. Osler characterized it,
|. il was highly contagious and spread
with remarkable rapidity." This
Characterization is equally true of
the present epedemc, which has al
the appearances OF pandemic. The
mortality resulting from the grip Was
estimated as one-tenth of | per cent
in the German army in 1890 In the
civilian population 1t is higher, how
ever, and figured onehalf of per
cent one-half Of which was caused by
pneumonia resulting from IT,
Pfeiffer, the noted bacteriologist,
discovered in 1892 that the true epe-
demic influenza or grip was caused by
definite bacillus. Since then other
noted discoveries have been made in
connection with the disease There
seems TO be no definite means of es-
Gaping il although there are people
who appear to be entirely immune
from the disease. People seem to be
the common carriers of the disease
germ, and possibly the only precau.
tion that can be taken is the isolation
or quarantine for the afflicted per
'Thic ie nSnncinll,- nT
sons in a household, where it is pos.
sibe TO take such steps.
According to prominent physicians
| and bateriologists, the idea of educat-
ing the public is excellent. especially
in disease like grip. Medical
science, however, has not yet found
out any special means for driving out
| the germ and the person once afilict-
| ed with it must run the gaumut OF the
| disease, being careful not to foster
| conditions that aggravate it.
The common conception OF the grip,
says the New York Times, is usually
| connected with cold in the head and
| Inflammation of the mucous mem
brane of the nose and throat. This
| however. is but one form of the dis.
ease There are four to be reckoned
! with. The first Is the most common,
! the respiratory. This, as stated be.
| fore, attacks the membranes OF the
| nose and throat, and respiratory
| tubes, and has the same symptoms of
the ordinary cold for which it is of
ten mistaken. This form. If neglected
very often develops into the more Sc
rious disease called bronchitis
Another form affects the nerves.
This shows it's presence by severe
shooting pains in the nerve centers,
that is, the head and back together
with a cramped feeling in the joints
These symptoms are too often allowed
to pass, and In many cases lead to
certain forms of nervous disease, for
which the patient cannot apparently
account.
The third specter in this array is
known as the iebrile from. The
name explains itself, the disease be-
ing accompanied by high degree of
fever very much like that of typhoid
A good many pneumonia cases result
from lack of attention to the symp
| tons that characterize this form