The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-04-30
Dr.. Simon FIexner Proposes
Combating Dread Disease
at Its Origin.
EASTERN EUROPE PLAGUE spot
Many Recorded Epidenics Shown to
Have Emanated From That Area
Disease Claims More Victims
Than European War.

New Notwithstanding to DR.. Simon
Flexner, Director of Laboratories of
the Rockefeller Institute for Medical
Research, further occurrences of the
influenza epidemic can be prevented
only by wiping out the disease at its
source. In a recent address before the
Congress Of American Physicians and
| Surgeons, later published by the Ameri-
can Medical Association, he outlined
| the path of the disease through it's
different stages.
'There are excellent reasons for re-
garding the endemic home of influenza
to be Eastern Europe" he said, "and
In particular the border regions be-
tween Russia and Turkestan. Many
recorded epidemics have been shown
nor or less clearly to emanate from
that area, while the epidemics of re-
cent history have been traced there
with a high degree Of conclusiveness.
From this Eastern home, at intervals
Of two or three decades, a migrating
epidemic influenza begins, moving east
ward and westward, with the greater
velocity in the latter direction.
Uncanny in Action.
'"To the casual observer there is
something uncanny in the way influ-
enza strikes down it's victims. While
other epidemics proceed from bad to
worse, with at least progressive in
creases in intensity, influenza seems to
Overwhelm communities over even wild
err stretches of territory as by a single,
stupendous- blow. While in the one
case the gradually accelerating rate of
speed of extension may be taken to
Indicate personal conveyance Of the
provoking micro-organism, in the other
the sudden wide onset appears the
very negatiOn Of personal cOmmunica-
ton.
Hence the invoking of mysterious
| Influences, the revival of the notion of
| miasm and similar agencies, to account
| for this phenomenon. Indeed, the pub
lie mind in general lends itself readily
| to such f0rmless concepts, for the rea.
| son that there still resides In the mass
of the people, ven in the more en-.
lightened countries, q large uneradi.
Gated residue of superstition regard.
Ing disease. One does not need to look
far or dig deep in order to uncover
the source of this superstition. We
have only recently emerged from q
past In which knowledge Of the origin
Of disease was scant, and such views
as were commonly held and exploited
were mostly fallaciOus. 1t Is, indeed
very recently, If the transformation
can he said to be perfect even now
that the medical profession as a whole
has been completely emancipated. AL
this Is very far from being q matter
of remote Importance only, since In
the end the successful imposition OF
sanitary regulations involves wide co
operation and until the majority Of In
dividuals composing a community Is
brought to a fair level Of understand
ing of and belief In the measures pro.
posed, serious and sustained endeavor
to enforce them Is scarcely to be ex
pected.
Routing a Bugaboo.
"And yet no better instance Of q
communicable disease could perhaps be
invoked than influenza to exercise the
false idea Of the mysterious origin OF
epidemics. To dwell solely on the sud,
den and overwhelming stroke Of the
disease Is wholly to overlook the
significant incidents that precede the
a infection, because they are OF
such ordinary nature and lack all dra