The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-12-18
Mapping the March of Influenza.
(lfred B. Williams in Richmond
Times-Dispatch.)

(Afred B. Williams in Richmond
Times-Dispatch.)
Charts of the influenza epidemic,
now being prepared from official re-
ports by the bureau Of public health,
will be ready in few days for study
by the doctors. They seem to prove
! that neither climate nor climatic con-
ditions affect the spread Of the Vlru-
ilence of the disease. 1t swept over
the American continent in SIX weeks
seemed to burn itself out and prac-
itically disappeared. Now II is IN
Puerto Rico, and is paralyzlng lnous-
try and causing general dlstresS
there.
I The first report of it in this country
| was at Lawrence, Kan, in Marcn. II
was kept within narrow limits there,
apparently being merely local cpl
idemic. About the same time It be-
came prevalent in southern RuSs1a.
From there it spread westward
through Austria and Germany and
eastward into India. It first touched
tour. territory in June, when it reach
ed the Philippine Islands, where 1t
ispread with startling rapidity and
made havoc Then it aroused atten-
!tion and anxiety at Washington, and
was closely watched. 1t appeared at
Honolulu in August.
| From the other side it arrived in
!Spain late in April or early in May. A
case was reported at an American
naval base in France July 26. A
month later, August 26, cases were
reported at Boston and earlier in
august the disease was at Newport
News and Norfolk. Coming from the
Philippines and Honolulu, in the Pa
cific, and from France, on the Allan
tic, it reached our eastern and west
,ern shores almost simultaneously and
then moved like wildfre. 1t was rec
.ognized as epidemic at Boston the
second week in September and reach
the week ending October 5, in which
it caused 1,214 deaths. The follow
ing week the deaths were 1,127, and
four weeks later the number had fall
len to 76. In New York City the
peak was reach ed October 26, three
weeks behind Boston, with 5,156
deaths, nearly II per cent. of the
cases. The peak was reached in
Philadelphia a week ahead Of New
York, with 4,21S deahs. Richmond's IS
worst week was the same as Phila-
delphia, with 4,717 cases in that week
and 1877 deaths, comparatively a
small percentage of fatality. In Vir-
ginia, outside Of Richmond, however,
the week ending October 26 was the
worst, 27,327 cases being reported.
Philadelphia suffered more than
any other large city in the country
in proportion to population. This is
attributed to the number Of large
camps IN the neighborhood and to the
hosts Of shipyard workers. st. Louis
was the most fortunate of the cities.
The worst week there was that end
ing November 5, with PSI deaths.
The States south Of Virginia We're at
Illustrating the difference in the NOR
tally rates, the reports show that
while the epidemic was raging most
violently it caused in Philadelphia
.260 deaths to the 100000, in Wash
ington, 160, and in in St. Louis, 20.
The disease is not new: 1t has
been traced back to the 18th century,
when it was epidemic, and with the
same characteristics that mark it
now. Always its spread has been ra-
Ipid and the decline has been sudden.
In 1892 it was known to have started
'at ConStantinople, and reached San
Francisco in SIX weeks. In l84f II
was more violent and fatal in this
country that st any other time, the
records show.
Scientists in this country and Eng
land are sure they have found and
identified the bacillus, and are equal
ly sure they know the means of COM
cunication; the dispersal Of drop
lets from the infected. The expert
ments with incubation as a preyen-
tive have not been successful thus
far. Therefore the fighting Of the
disease must be left to the public, in
cooperation with local health autfo-
rites. We are warned Of the posi-
bility, if not the probability, of an
early return, perhaps next spring.
The best preparation for it will be
to have all in readiness at the very
first notice to take to the masks and
to accept and enforce the rules 20
thoroughly taught us. One fact very
definitely learned is that influenza
does not follow lines Of direction, but
spreads all ways at once and more
swiftly than any other epidemic
disease. 1t was in its fercest nla,ig-
nant force simultaneously in Arizona
and the District of Columbia