The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-09
NEW Discoveries Will
COMBAT FLU EPIDEMIC

new general outbreak Of Span
ish ru'' predicted for the coming
winter In recent warning by Or.
Royal s. Copeland, health commits
sioner fo7 New York city, has
given rise to alarmed speculation as
TO the preparedness OF medical science
to cope with another epidemic of the
dreaded disease. DIR. Copeland, an
ophthalmologist OF International rep
utation, and late member of the
medical section of the council OF ma
tional defense, says that the country Is
to undergo another siege of the infiu-
enza which took such n great toll Of
lives last year, and the health depart
ment Of New York Is laying its plans
accordingly
Whether the recurrence of the "au"
is to prove as generally fatal as 1t did
when it first raised it's head a year
ago depends almost entirely on the
progress the country's medical men
can make in the perfection OF n serum
to fight the disease. and practiclng
physicians are greatly encouraged In
this connection by what has been done
by experts of the big medical schools
The uncertainty as to the nature of
the infection. the varied character of
the effects found in the lungs of diff
fercnt patients, and the multiplicity of
the various compficating organisms
which invade the lungs when weak
ened by the influenza, have combined
TO make exceedingly difficult the task
OF finding a serum, but recent expert
ments by prominent members of the
staH OF the Harvard Medical school
indicate that science will face a new
epidemic with n far greater hope of
success than before
Independents Investigations.
Although the Harvard Medical
school has been very much handi-
capped by the large number OF its ex-
perts who have been In military serv-
ice, and is said to have had no avail
able funds for making an intensive
study of the last epidemic of the in
fuenza. number Of its instructors
nave made independent Investigations
for the government which have shed
important light on the nature OF the
disease and on the best methods of
fighting it.
Reports from seven prominent
members Of Harvard's medical staff.
who were serving at the time in the
medical corps Of the navy, indicate
that many of those who will be at
tackled by the "iu' this coming winter
will be saved by a serum developed
from convalescent patients, a thing
which was practically unknown at the
time of last years sudden spread of
the disease. One of these experts,
Or. F. H. Rapport. conducted expert
men:s with 315 serums, finding Sd per
cent positive In joint report for the
navy department. Drs f. w. Goodpas-
ture and f. l.. Burnett have made
noteworthy contributions to the I'M
derstanding of the various germs
which follow the influenza and which
so often have proved fatal to the
weakened patinet. Drs l.. w. Nc
CURE and w. r. Redden experimental
with 15l patients on a serum from
convalescents, and. with only six result
tant deaths found that the serum
greatly reduced mortality and short
ened the course Of the disease DR. J.
j. keegan and DR.. NJ. J. Rosenau re-
ported findings equally encouraging.
1t Is largely for the purpose of fight
ing just such epidemirs as this pre-
dicted new outbreak Of the '.fiu' that
the alumni of Harvard are said to be
campaigning for additional funds. Two
and half millions of the eleven mil
lion dollar endowment fund which is
to be raised this fali are to be devoted
TO the needs OF the Harvard Medical
school. TO provide adequate income for
general medicine and surgery, for
pediatrics and obstetrics. and for the
intensice study of occupational dis
eases and such world wide epIdemics
as the Spanish flu" Medical men en-
listed in the big campaign contend that
the success with which the coming
epidemic will be met will depend
largely on how well the laboratories
and research departments of the big
| medical schools are equipped to face
/ the situation. and the large share of
| Harvard's general endowment which
! is TO gas to it's medical school shows
| that Haryard's alumni are anxious to
see the problem Of the influenza solved,
and solved immediately.
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