Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-12-10
INFLUENZA is
ON The WANE
HEALTH OFFICER REPORTS THAT
THERE HAVE BEEN NEARLY
1000 CASES HERE
HAVE BEEN EIGHTEEN DEATHS
Early History OF Spanish influenza
Epidemics Is Given

The opening OF the schools of the
county and the lifting of the ban on
public gatherings has had no apparent
effect on the influenza epidemic in this
county and for the week ending today,
County Health officer DR.. Fry. reports
that there have been but two new re-
ported cases of Spanish influenza and
that if the people take reasonable pre-
cautions there will be but little if any
more spreading of the disease
In this county the mortality percen-
tage was ia which is far below the
estimated percentage for other parts
of the United States of four to seven
per cent.
During the epidemic in this county
a total of 53S cases of Spanish infiu-
enza were reported and the local doc
tors know of 1873 cases which were
not reported. Health officer Dr. Fry
therefore estimates that in the past
seven or eight weeks there have been
at least 1000 cases of the influenza in
Boundary county. Todate there have
been IS deaths resultant from the
disease.
The following article in reference
to the disease, Spanish influenza, Is of
interest just at this time:
Although the invasion period of the
present epidemic has most probably
passed, we shall undoubtedly exper-
fence sporadic outbreaks of the disease
during the coming winter and probably
through two or three successive win
ters. This, at least, has been the his
tory of past epidemics. Not a year
hoc .a1n sod 81 h.
of 1SS9-90 without local outbreaks of
influenza in some parts of the world.
In the winter of 1907-OS a widespread
epidemic occurred in the United States,
confined chiefly to the large centers of
population, but nearly one-third of the
Inhabitants of Chicago were attacked.
Throughout the history of civiliza-
ton there has been large number of
epidemics of influenza. Very little is
known about the earlier epidemics,
but we do know that in 1887 A D.,
severe pandemic of influenza was
spread by the Crusades. About the
middle of the 18th century, John Prin-
gle, founder of modern medicine and
originator of the Red Cross idea,
named influenza Pfeiffer, during the
pandemic of 18S9-90 discovered the
bacillus that bears his name and
claimed it to be the cause of pandemic
influenza. Contrary to his observa-
tons this bacillus has been found by
numerous investigators with or with
out clinical symptoms of influenza and
psychologists have been unable to is
oiate Pfeiffers bacillus in only small
percentage of the cases during the
present pandemic. 1t is to be hoped
that much valuable information re-
Oft .1
learned from the present pandemic and
that by the application of new princi-
Piles of hygiene and protection, out
breaks of influenza may be controlled.
The outstanding feature of the pres
ent pandemic is the very high mortal
ity In former epidemics the mortal
ity has been Oh percent to GA per-
cent of those stricken. The mortality
of the present epidemic is many times
greater. 1t seems as though it will be
from 40 to 10 percent. A mere
glance at these figures shows what
terrible death dealing scourge influ-
enza can be and the absolute necessity
for the use of urgent and stringent
precautionary measures on the part of
, the public and the medical profession
The death rate for tuberculosis has
been doubled for the year following
, the epidemics of the past. although in
; succeeding years the rate usually fell
below the normal which seems to indi-
cate that influenza causes a fiare-up of
latent cases of tuberculosis and merely
hastens fatal termination.
Past epidemics have been followed
in a large number of cases by chronic
} cough, loss of weight and other SYM
toms stimulating tuberculosis but
without the presence of tubercle ba-
cilli in the sputum Past epidemics
2 have also been followed by a tremen-
dous increase of disease of the middle
} ear, mastoid and meninges"