Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-10-07
The Flu==HoW Best to
Guard Against an Attack

rome in Nav. June and July of 1918.
Moreover, in the case of ordinary colds
the & nera: symptoms Qever' pains oe-
PIE SOM are by no means as severe
or as sudden in their onset as theF aF'
in influenza. Finally. ordinary colds 40
not spread through the community SO
raridIy or so extensively as does in
flLenZa.
In NEST cases a person taken sick
with influenza feels sick rather sudden
H.. He feels weak. has pains III the
ewes, ears, head or back. abdomen. etc.
and may be sore all over, Many pa
ITEMS feel zzy, some voui't. Most OF
the patients complain OF feeling ch'lIN'
and with this comes a fever in when
the temle.atIre rises 10 10 TO l9 de-
grees. In most cases the pulse remains
&C comparative. slow.
In appearance one is struck by the
fact that the patient looks sick. His
eyes and the inner side of his eyelids
may tie slish,ly BIZ odshot, or congestsd
as the dcctcrS say. There may be rum
ming frcm 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 a
numte- of instances during the Secent
paEdemic large proportion of the
cases of influenza showed an intestinal
OiarrhaeaD type OF infection.
In addition to the appearance and the
s!mpt- ms as al eady described. exami-
nation CT the patients blood may aid
the ply stefan in reccg izing Spanish In
fCenza: for il has been found that in
this di cas-, the number of white cor.
Huscles shows little or no increase
above normal.
What Is the Course Of the Disease?
Do People Die Of It?
AS already mentioned most of the
cases are apparently infections of the
re pi:a,cry organs and resemble a very
Contagious kind of cold" Sometimes
oWever, re.pi. atCry s, toms are en-
tirely absent and there are merely Sc
yer. depression. weakness. aches and
pains thrc ughout the body and some
a pre- intent symptom.
o dinar L. the fever lasts from three
TO four days ana the patient RECEIVERS.
But while the proportion of deaths is
usually low. in some places the out
break is severe and deaths are numer-
Gus. Were death occurs it is usually
the result Of enlmon a or some other
omrl:cation.
What Causes thu Disease and How
10 It Spread?
Psychologists who have studied in.
nuenza epidemics In the PAST havs
found In many Of the cases a very
small rod-shaped germ callel after it,
discovery Pfeiffer's bacillus. In other
cases Of apparently the same kind OF
disease there were found pneumococci,
the germs of lobar pneumonia. Still
others have been caused by reptococci
and by other germs
Several European observers. on the
basis CT experiments conducted during
the recent pandemic. believe that tn.
germ of Influenza is not ordinary bac.
ter.um but that it telongs to a class OF
fXceedin ly small germs spoken of as
nj. eratl |, viruses," because they can
pass Il r ugh the res of unglazed Dor.
ce'ain RI ers
NO matter what kind of gems cause,
ire epidemc, it is now known that in
u enzl Is sHread directly and indirectly
from person to person. Moreover.
Judt ing from experience in other dis
eases. it IS probable that the germ
WI aiever its nature. is carried not only
by these who are ill with influenza but
by persons who may be entirely we'll.
Everyth ns which increases personal
therefore. should be regarded
as factor in spreading influenza.
1t is clear that there are many differ
ent ways in which such germs NAV be
spread from person to person. Thus
they may be spread quite directly by
being carried with the air along with
the very small droplets of mucous ex.
PEELED by coughing. sneezing, forceful
talking and the like. by one who already
has the germs CT the disease. To guard
against this mode of spread the use of
gas masks has been advocated. Though
the use of suitably constructed masks
will reduce the interchange of respira.
tory germs through inhalation. il must
be remembered that there are manv
other paths by which such germs ara
spread. either directly or indirectly
Soiled hands. common drinking Guns.
Improperly cleaned eating and drinkipo
utensils in restaurants. soda fountains,
etc. roller towels. infected food-these
are only few of the common vehicles
OF germ transmission. The use Of face
masks appear to make people neglect
these other sources Of infection and
therefore such use has not been attend
ed with the success predicted for them
II we would be more successful in COM
oatlng influenza, greater attention must
be paid to the factors Just enumerated
What Should Be Done by Those
Who Catch the Disease?
II Is very important that every person
VINO becomes sick with influenza should
go nome at once and go to bed. This
VIII help keep away dangerous compli-
cations and will at the same time keen
the patient from scattering the disease
tar and wide. 1t is highly desirable
mat no one be allowed to sleep in the
same room with the patient. In fact
no one but the nurse should be allowed
in the room.
II there Is cough and cputum or rum
ming Of the eyes and nose, care should
be taken that all such DISCHARGES are
collected on bits of gauze or rag. or
rarer napkins and burned. II there "a
darrhra, great care should be taken
to prevent spreading the disease
through soiling the hands, clothing or
he'd linpn pYaoftca