The Alaska daily empire., 1918-10-15

ceived at his office a bulletin from the United States Public Health De- partment on Spanish Inflenza," which notes it's widespread ravages all over the world and gives a technical description of the epidemic, and contains the following, which will prove of interest at this time:
 The incubation period is probably as rule very short though with such universal prevalence this is hard to verify. All ages are attacked young active adults being especially susceptible. In Germany there has been such a preponderance of cases among the young that it is supposed that the 1889 epidemic conferred an immunity on most of those at pres ent over 30 years of age. This has not been observed elsewhere.
 "All evidence points to human con tact as being the means of spread, and from the local symptoms it has been assumed that the nose and throat have been the points of egress of the virus and sthe points of inoculation There is nothing to show that other. animals have any part in carrying the disease.
 Discussion as to the etiOlOgy of the disease has been chiefly con cerned with the question whether the influenza bacillus of Pfeiffer in (1S92) is the specific causative fac tor. This organism offers difficult ties in recognition, cultivation, and identification, and it may be that the failure to find it in the last pandemic and the failure of many bacterologists of standing to demon strate it in the present pandemic are due to these difficulties. It is certainly found outside of epidemics and we cannot regard its absence at present as indicating that the dis ease is not epidemic influenza. For the present the diagnosis must be clinical rather than. meteorological Streptococci and other diplococcei some similar to or identical with the micrococcus catarrhalis, have been reported as very frequent in the nose and throat of the patients. Pneu mococci and bacilli of the Friendlaen der group have been found in com plicated cases. The mere predomi nance of certain Organizism in the respiratory tract can not be accept ed as proof that is causes the dis case. It may be that the actual causative factory is filterable vi rus.
 "The treatment is sympOmatic On account of cardiac weakness, rest in bed should be prolonged after defervesence in proportion to the SC verity of the case. Attention to clean Illness of the mouth, adequate ventila tion, avoidance of exposure to cold and isolation from those who may be carriers of virulelt pneumococci and streptococci are measures ad visable to prevent complications ASplIiI UT Siilildi ICmCulco uiIJ pe used to relieve headaches and gen eral pains. Watch should be kept for complications, and cases should not be discharged too early.
 Crowded offices, and particularly street cars are potent factors in the spread of the disease. In Der lin the street car conductors showed an exceptionally high incidence. The avoidance of street cars and of crowds, where possible, is therefore to be hrged during an epidemic, al though, the disease is too mild to make it advisable to stop all the ac, tivities of a citylst To prevent the Transportation of the influenzal virus to the we'll and possible causes of complications to the sick, masks for sick-room attendants are advisable. The organism is probably short lived outside the body, and attention should be directed toward keeping people apart rather than toward the disinfection of things. aside from the precautions of general cleanliness. The spread of streptococcus pneu- monia in military camps, and the fear that with the advent of cool weather severe pulmonary. complica- tions will follow infiuenzal attacks more frequently than during the past summer, indicate the urgent need for the adnntion of more stringent