Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-10-05
United States Public Health Serv-
Issues Statement As To
Causes Of Disease
is 1T NEW? DOES 1T
COME FROM SPAIN
Cover Up Each Cough And
Sneeze. IF You Don't You'll
Spread Disease

"a" resembles a very contagious kind
of cold" accompanied by fever, pains
in the head, eyes, ears, back or other
severe sickness. In most of the cases
the symptoms disappear after three or
four days, the patient rapidly recov-
ering: some of the patients, however,
develop pneumonia, or Inflammation
of the ear, or meningitis, and many
of these complicated cases die. Wheth-
er this so-called Spanish" influenza
is identical with the epidemics of in
fluenza of earlier years is not yet
known.
Epidemics of influenza have visited
this country since 1917 1t is inter
esting to know that this first epi-
demic was brought here from Valen-
cia, Spain. Since that time there have
been numerous epidemics of the dis
ease. In 1889 and 1890 an epidemic of
influenza, starting somewhere in the
Orient, spread first to Russia, and
thence over practically the entire civil
lized world Three years later there
was another fiare-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
fbox call affan4;on e., fha 20 of fbof IL, a
Germans mention the disease as oc-
curing along the eastern front in
the summer and fall of 1917.
There is as yet no certain way in
which single case of Spanish in
fiuenza" 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
intensely in Europe in May, June and
July. Moreover, in the case of ordi-
nary colds, the general symptoms
(fever. pain, depression) are by no
means as severe or as sudden in their
onset as they are in influenza. Final
ly, ordinary colds do not spread
through the community so rapidly or
so extensively as does influenza.
In most cases person taken with
influenza feels sick rather suddenly
He feels weak, has pains in the eyes,
ears, head or back, and may be sore
all over. Many patients feel dizzy,
some vomit Most of the patients
complain of feeling chilly, and with
this comes a fever in which the tenn
perature rises to 100 to 104. In most
cases the pulse remains relatively
slow.
In appearance one is struck by the
fact that the patient looks sick. His
eyes and the inner side of his eye
lids may be slightly ''bloodshot," or
"congested," as the doctors say.
There may be running from the nose
or there may be some cough. These
signs of cold may not be marked;
nevertheless the patient looks and
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 num-
Der of white corpuscles shows little
or no increase above the normal. 1t
is possible that the laboratory inves-
LEGATIONS now being made through
the National Research Council and the
will furnish more certain way in
which individual cases of this disease
can be recognized.
Ordinarily, the fever lasts from
three to four days and the patient re-
covers. But while the proportion of
deaths in the present epidemic has
generally been low, in some places
the outbreak has been severe and
deaths have been numerous. When
death occurs it is usually the result
of complication.
Psychologists who have studied
influenza epidemics in the past have
found in many of the cases a very
small rod-shaped germ called, after
its discoverer. Pfeiffer's bacillus. In
other cases of apparently the same
kind of disease there were. found
pneumonococci, 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 droplets of
mucus, expelled by coughing or sneez-
ing, 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 care
less people who spit on the floor and
on the sidewalk. AS in most other
catching diseases, person who has
only a mild attack of the disease him
self may give very severe attack
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