The Pascagoula chronicle. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1905-1920, 1918-10-12
WHAT is SPANISH INFLUENZA? q
DIR. BLUE TELLS ABOUT IT
Surgeon General OF public Health
Service Gives Important Advice on
How to Avoid the Disease.

fluenza, sometimes called the Three
day Fever" and commonly scalle
"The Flu" 1t is the last word O
Influenza, and contains everythin
known on the subject, andaon its car
and treatment.
In view Of the wide spread Of ii
fluen2a, the Chronicle publishes tn
article of Surgeon General Blue
which follows:
What is Spanish Influenza? Is. |
something new? Does it come from
Spain? nv
The disease now occurring in ;hi
country and called Spanish Influenza
resembles very contagious kind o
cold" accompanied by fever, pains II
The head, eyes, ears, back or othe
! parts of the body, and feeling o
severe sickness. In most ofsthe case
the symptoms disappear after three o
four days, the patient then rapidly re
covering; some OF the patients, how
ever, develop pneumonia, or infiam
nation of the ear, or meningitis, anf
many of these complicated cases die
Wether this so-called Spanish" in
fiuenza is identical with the epidemics
of influenza of earlier years is no,
known II,
Epidemics of influenza have. visited
this country since 1647 Itssis in
teresting to know that this first epi
demic was brought here from
Valencia, Spain. Since that time
there have been numerous epidemics
of the disease. In 1889 and 1890 an
epidemic of influenza, starting some.
where in the Orient, spread first to
Russia, and thence over practically the
entire world. Three years later there
was another flare-up of the disease.
Both times the epidemic spread wide
ly over the United States.
Although the present epidemic is
called Spanish influenza, !" there is
no reason to believe that 1t 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 tha. the
Germans mention the disease as oc-
curing along he eastern front In the
summer and fall of 1917. sss
How can Spanish Influenza be-
recognized?
There is as yet no certain way in
which single case of Spanish in.
nuenza' can be recognized; on the
other hand, recognition is easy where
there is 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,
mus the present epidemic ragged most
intensely in Europe in May, June and
July Moreover, in the case of ordi-
nary colds, the general symptoms
tlever, pain, depression) are by no
means as severe or as sudden in their
onset as they are in influenza. Finallv
ordinary colds do not spread through
Inc community so rapidly or so exten-
SlVely as does influenza.
In most rases a person taken sick
with influenza feels sick rather sud |
ienly. He feels weak, has pains in |
he eyes, ears, head or back, and may
De sore all over. Many patients fee! |
llzZy, some vomit. Most of the
patients complain of feeling chilly, |
md with this comes a fever in which I
he tempature rses to 100 to 104. In
most cases the pulse remains relative
Y slow.
In appearance one is struck by the
act that the patient looks sick. His
yes and the inner side of his eyelids
nay be slightly "bloodshot," or "con-
ested," as the doctors say. There
nay be running from the nose, or
here may be some cough. These
igns of a cold may not he marked;
evertheless the patient looks and
eels very sick.
In addition to the appearance and
ne symptoms as already described,
of the patients blood may
id the physician in recognizing
Spanish influenza" for it has been
'und that in this disease the number
white corpuscles show little or no
lcrease above the normal 1t is pos
bic that the laboratory Investigations
DIV being made through the National
esearch Council and the United
tates Hygienic Laboratory will furn-
h more certain way in which in
vidual cases of this disease can be q
cognized. a
What is the course of the diseased
D people die of it?
Ordinarily, the fever lasts from
rec to four days and the patient re-
vers. But while the proportion of
'aths in the present epidemic has ]
'nerally been low. in some places the C
tbreak has been severe and deaths U
we been numerous. When death oc- il
rs it is usually the result of a COM n
ication. e
What causes the disease and how u
it spread? n
Bacteriologists who have studied in
Ienza epidemics in the past have m
und in many of the cases a very b,
laIl rod-shaped germ called. after its CT
scoverer. Pfeifers bacillus. In p
har casaa of annareufIy the same N,