The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-12-06
Guarding Against
Spanish Influenza
PREVENT OVER-ExERTION AT
FIRST FOR SAFETY; LACK OF
TRAINED NURSES; NEGLECT
IN CARRYING OUT PHYSICIANS
ORDERS SA.ALOUS.

A few days ago when some of the
business men got together to consider
the matter of opening hospital or
converting some building into hos
pital for temporary use for influenza
cases, physicians were consulted as
to the advisa bility of such plan
and the matter was dropped.
The Blackfoot hospital is not large
enough to accommodate many pa
tients and the suggestion of using
a school building Or church for this
purpose seemed good at first glance
but physicians advised that there was
not sufficient privacy or opportunity
to segregate the patients. If a num-
ber of patients were assembled In the
same room and one of them should
die with all attending suffering the
coughing, moaning and suffocation
attending death by influenza, 1t
would make deep impression upon
all the others and would leave them
much depressed to say the least. Ply
sicians advise that most people hav-
ing a case Of influenza in the home
would prefer to keep the patient
there, even tho it exposed the other
members of the family.
In the case Of persons who are in
hotels or r0oming houses or among
strangers, the hospital or central sta
ton for caring for them would be
an advantage provided there was
room to segregate the severe cases
from the others.
DR.. Mitchell spoke at considerable
length on the subject Of caring for
Influenza cases, and said that he had
been thru many epidemics but none
that were so trying as this present
one of Spanish influenza. He said
a person should go to bed as soon
as possible and that 1t reduced the
chances of recovery very much to
make any exertion after the first at
tack. The person who tries to keep
up and ward it off, or who tries to
get to some distant place or home
before going to bed is making the
case very much worse and multiply
ing the chances of death.
Vaccination Helps revent Disease.
A serum is being used for combat
ting the disease and they are vac
cinating with :. to prevent 1t. Those
who are vaccinated seldom take the
disease and If they do take 1t they
have it in a mild form. II q person
has not been vaccinated and takes
the disease the serum is injected into
the system to break up the malady
Very careful treatment is needed to
insure recovery and what the COM
munity needs most Is trained nurses
persons who are accustomed to re-
ceiving orders and following them to
the letter. The average person who
cares for the sick is not sufficiently
prompt and particular about carrying
out the physicians's orders in every
detail.
There are some things about the
work that the law requires must be
done by a physician or graduate
nurse. For instance, injecting the
serum into the blood must be done
by the physician or nurse. Anyone
else attempting such delicate ant
dangerous operation is liable to pros
ecution under the state law. A shght
mistake in the amount Of the serum
injected might cause the death O.
tho pat..ant, but administered in thu
right amount and at the right tim'
will save his life.
DR.. Mitchell says that death from
influenza cases is accompanied b.
much suffering for ten or twelv,
hours. The lungs swell and expan'
and cause great distress and diff
Guilty in breathing. The lungs blee,
and a fluid fills the air spaces in tn
lungs. The patient may cough VI
this blood and fluid and recover, o