Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-05-21
Dr.. Simon FIexner Proposes
Combating Dread Disease
at Its Origin.
EASTERN EUROPE PLAGUE SPOT
Many Recorded Epidemics Shown to
Have Emanated From That Area
Disease Claims More Victims
Than European War.

New York.-AccOrding 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 it's
source. In 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. land
In particular the border regions be-
tween Russia and Turkestan. Many
recorded epdemics nave been shown
more or less clearly to emanate from
that area while the epidemics of re-
cent history have been traced there
with 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.
ITO the casual observer there is
something uncanny in the way influ-
enza strikes dove 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
er 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
lhnuences. the revival of the notion of
hlasm and similar agencies, to account
Tor this phenomenon. Indeed, the pub
tic mind in general lends itself readily
10 such formless concepts, for the rea-
son that there still resides In the mass
of the people, even I'm the more en-
fshtencd countries. large uneradi-
Gated residue of superstition regard
ing disease. One does not need to look
Ear or dig deep In order to uncover
the source of this superstition. We
nav" only recently emerged from n
past in which knowledge of the origin
Oh disease was scant. and such views
rs were commonly held and exploited
were mostly fnllncious. II Is, indeed
very recently. II the transformation
can he said 10 he perfect even now,
mat the medical profession as II whole
mas been completely cmanclpated. All
'hs Is very far from being matter
OF remote Importance only. since In
tho end the successful imposition of
sanitary regulations involves wide CO.
9peration: and until the majority of in
0Nlduas composing n community s
'Fought to fair level OF understand
ing of and belief in the measures pro-
posed, serious and sustained endeavor
10 enforce them is scarcely to be ex-
pected
outing Bugaboo.
And yet no better instance of
communicable disease could perhaps be
invoked than Influenza to exercise the
talSe idea of the mysterious origin of
epldemics. To dwell solely on the sud
zen and overwhelming stroke Of the
disease Is wholly to overlook the
s'ghlhcant incidents that prccede the
mass Infection. because they are of
such ordinary nature and lack all dra