The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1919-01-16
EXPERT ADVICE
ON EPIDEMIC
OF INFLUENZA


Public Health Association regarding
many important points in the charac-
ter and treatment OF influenza, is re-
ported in the daily press NeVerthe-
less a substantial agreement on some
other points quite as vital appears
clearly from a reading of the medical
Journals, and practical suggestions
for the homecare of patients VIII De
found in a statement issued by the
British Royal College of Physicians
quoted at the end of this article. EX-
perts would seem to be at one in LOOK
ing upon the present epidemic as sim
ply a variety of a well-known disease
prevalent, with occasional outbursts
of violence, for hundreds OF years.
Thoy agree that it is germ disease
and that it is very contagious at close
range. although probably not COM
muniCable through air, water, or ma
terial Objects that its danger con
sists largely in the likelihood that 1t
will be accompanied or followed by
peculiarly virulent type of pneu-
monia, whose occurrence is favored
by neglect or wrong treatment, and
finally that not all persons are equally
susceptible, those in weakened physl-
cal condition usually succumbing first.
st; ~ liGplGCinn the
reasons for epdemiCs in general and
for this one in particular, the nature
OF the precise germ or group OF germs
responsible Tor it, and the efficiency
OF various forms OF preventive ana
curative treatment, including quaran-
tine, as generally practCed, inocula-
ton with serum, the influenza
mask" and the use OF various drugs
Regarding the outbreak itself, whose
worldwide character has earned 1t the
name OF "pandemic," the writer OF a
leading editorial in The Lancet tLon-
don, November %, speaks as follows:
If those who feel i'll would stay at
home; ii those who are well would
avoid travelling in railway carriages
with the windows closed, or in unyen-
tilated Trans and busses; and, above
all, ii the public would forego picture
palaces or other crowded places of
amusement so long as the epidemic
continues, much would be done to
limit the spread in populous centers. y
The fact that the army camps have
been excellent places TO study the
disease unaffected by local conditions
makes recent article by DR.. George
a SOpcr. major L. S. A.. one of the
most interesting reports on its prog
ress. Dr. Soper, writing from the
armys division of infectious diseases
and laboratories in Washington to
The journal OF the American Medical
Association Chicago, December y
states his belief that had it not been
for the pneumonia, the pundemlt
would no have attracted much at
tcntion." The disease has come il
waves often with the violence o.
an explosion, He goes on:
"WIn about week after the
outbTea the influenza. there OC
ours an nous prevalence of pneu
monia. T. pneumonia does not cxis
as a separate epidemic, but is always
follower Of influenza. How the two
diseases are related is not positively
known 1t is clear that the infuenza
pavCs the way for the pneumonia, il
il does not actually produce it,"
Steps taken by the military authori
ties to combat the disease fall under
three heads, and apparently any eff
forts elsewhere must be similarly elias
sitied Major SOper gives them a.
Isolation. sanitation and education.
These he briefly explains as follows
a. By isolation is meant any anC
all procedures by which infected
could be separated from the suscep
tible persons Included in this lis
were steps for the prevention o
Crowding, quarantine, head-to-foo
sleeping, the separation of heads a
mess, and the use of cubicles ant
masks
20. Under sanitation may be includ
ed the cleaning and airing of barrack
and bedding, the oiling of floors t.
keep down the dust. the boiling o
ures.
''3. Education, always a predomiI
ant motive in the army, was apple