New-York tribune., 1919-03-16
Publicity Brings Swarm of
Supposed Sufferers to
DIR. Copeland's Attention
Physicians Allay Alarm
Mortality From Disease Is
Low, and Epidemic, if
Any, Short, Say Experts

from "encephalitis lethargica" or
epidemic coma," the new disease re-
sembling African sleeping sickness
which is battling neurologists in Eng
land, Italy and the United States, was
reported yesterday to the Health De-
partment. The victim was Harry Karp
ten months old, who died in Beth
Israel Hospital March after an Ill
ness lasting six days.
AS result of the publicity given to
the new disease, forty supposed cases
have now been brought to the atten-
tion of Health Commissioner DIR. Royal
S. Copeland. number of them are
in hospitals. The Neurological Insti-
tute has two patients and Beth-lsrael
still has one. According to DR.. Harry
Loeb, of that institution, one of his
cases, "a physicians wife, died from the
tient was discharged about the same
time.
Inquiries at all the hospitals and
neurological research laboratories yes
terday brought the reply that nothing
10 positively know about the nature of
the disease, the form of treatment re-
qurcd or the manner in which it is
communicated.
Two Forms of Disease Here
"There appear to be two forms of
attack characterized by similar symp-
toms of stupor and coma," said DR..
Copeland last night. Zone is the pos
slble sequel of influenza, and further
study may show that it has no rela-
ton to what has been described as
'cncephalitis lethargica.' The other,
the true form of 'encephaltis lethar-
gica' or epidemic coma is the one in
which we are particularly interested
because of the presence of this dis
ease in other countries and other To-
calities in America. This is apparently
not post-influenzal.
"Our Investigation of the past two
days, aided by newspaper publicity,
has brought us information of forty
cases in New York City which may be
divided into about equal portions be-
tween the post-inf1uenzal complica-
tion and the true epidemic coma The
number of cases here is so small, how
ever, that there need be no anxiety
on the part of the public"
According to DR.. Loeb, of the Beth
Israel Hospital, the parents of the
Karp child were both suffering from
the hospital. It's symptoms were the
same as those developed by the ma
iority of the so-called Sleeping sick
ness" cases. 1t ran a temper rature of
about 103 degrees for six days, during
which it was unable to open its eyes
or rouse from the stupor.
Mortality Is Low
Speaking of the two cases in the
Neurological Institute, DR.. A. B. Slew
ers said:
"The progress was not as grave as
the symptoms indicated. The patients,
man and woman, ran temperature
of 102 degrees for several days and
then developed sub-normal tempera-
ture. They were unable to open their
eyes and exhibited marked symptoms
influenza. Both recovered. The per-
influence Both recovered The per-
centage Of mortality is very low"
DR.. Copeland said last night that the
post-infiuenzal conditions developed in
some of the cases were similar to those
which are known to have followed the
epidemic of grip in 1889 and 1890.
Dr. Charles L. Dana, neurologist and
chairman of the committee on public
health of the Academy of Medicine,
said last night that the so-called
epidemic coma" or slepeing sickness,
will not prove serious.
Doesn't Expect an Epidemic
There probably aren't more than
fifty cases so far in New York" he
said, land there probably won't be
many more. In England, believe,
there were not more than 1870 cases and
about the same number in France
"It is unquestionably a by-product
Of Influenza. We had touch of it
after the grip epidemic in 1889-90.
The English at that time called it
'grippal catalepsy.' 1t is winter and
spring disease, and it is certainly not
as contagious as influenza, although
it probably has some special virus of
its own. The duration of the epidemic
viii be about two months. The NOR
taIity- ranges all the way from to so
per cent. Thus far it has been light
here and think it will continue 80"
-