The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-10-18

| ing somewhere IN tne orient, spread
first to Russia, and thence over prac-
tically the entire civilized world.
Three years later there was another
flare-up of the disease. Both times
the epidemic spread widely over the
United States.
Although the present epidemic is
called Spanish influenza. there is no
reason to believe that it originated
in Spain. Some writer's who have
studied the question believe that the
epidemic came from the Orient and
they call attention to the fact that
the Germans mention the disease as
occurring along the eastern front in
the summer and fall Of 1917.
There is as yet no certain way in
which a single case of Spanish influ-
onza can be recognized; on the other
hand recognition is easy where there
IS a group of cases. In contrast to
the outbreaks of ordinary coughs and
colds, which usually occur in the cold
months, epidemics of influenza may
occur at any season Of the year, thus
the present epidemic ragged most in
tensely in Europe in May, June and
| July. Moreover, in the case of ordin-
airy colds, the general symptoms
fever, pain, and depression-are by
no means as severe or as sudden in
their onset as they are in influenza.
Finally, ordinary colds do not spread
through the community so rapidly or
30 extensively as does influenza.
In most cases a person taken sick
with influenza feels sick rather sud
denly. He feels weak, has pains in
the ewes, ears, head or back, and may
be sore all over. Many patients feel
dizzy, some vomit. Most of the pa
TENTS complain of feeling chilly, and
with this comes a fever in which the
temperature rises to 100 to 1914. In
most cases the pulse remains rela-
lively slow.
In appearance one is struck by the
act that the patient looks sick. His
| eyes and the inner side of the eye
lids may be slightly "bloodshot," or
oongested, as the doctors say. There
nay be running from the nose or
there MAJ be some cough. These
signs of a cold may not be marked;
liz, bnln he ri
feels very sick.
In addition to the appearance and
the symptoms as already described,
examination of the patients blood
may aid the physician in recognizing
| Spanish influenza, for it has been
found that in this disease the number
of white corpuscles shows little or
no increase above the normal. 1t is
possible that the laboratory investi-
cations now being made through the
National Research council and the U.
) Hygienic laboratory will furnish a
more certain way in which individual
cases of this disease can be recog-
nized
Ordinarily, the fever lasts from
I three to four days and the patient re-
overs. But while the proportion of
deaths in the present epidemic has
generally been low, in some places
he outbreak has been severe and
deaths have been numerous. When
death occurs it is usually the result
If complications.
Psychologists who have studied
influenza epidemics in the past have
found in many of the cases very
small rod-shaped germ, called after
It's discoverer, Pfieffer's bacillus. In
other cases of apparently the same
kind of disease there were found the
pneumococci, the germs of lobar
pneumonia. Still others have been
caused by streptococci, and by other
germs with long names.
No matter what particular kind of
| germ causes the epidemic, it is now
believed that influenza is always
spread from person to person, the
germs being carried with the air
along with the very small droplcts
of mucus, expelled by coughing or
sneezing, forceful talking, and the
like by one who already has the germs
of the disease. They may also be
carried about in the air in the form
of dust coming from dried mucus,
from coughing and sneezing, or from
careless people who spit on the floor
and on the sidewalk. As in most
other catching diseases, a person who
has only a mild attack of the disease
himself may give a very severe at
tack to others.
1t is very important that every per-
son who becomes sick with influenza
should go home at once and go to bed.
This will help keep away dangerous
complications and will, at the same
tune, keep the patient from scatter
ing the disease far and wide. 1t is
highly desirable that no one he al
lowed to sleep in the same room with
the patient. In fact, no one but the