Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-03-18
Epidemic Mysteries
isy Frederic 4. Hss,ssu

new Ruu HffnEsIh4J aybA&tb6 @pH'"b't""
thia year. Ono II tb.m II sleeping sios-
nens, ana tho oihsr In that common and
hsratofore insiwnifnant rnsiady, known
M hieotips Al least, ~ they are called.
but naithsr is running trBa TO type.
rtyr ia. sissping siaknara. which is
now no prevalent In New York, IL not
the same ~ the famous sleapins sios-
ness Of Afrioa, tha cause II which IL
veil understood. Nor is the present
epidemic of hioeups ia any way rsisted
90 thona gentle attacks, occasionally
esperienoed hy every one, more esps-
elally since the pocket faek has be-
ootne 80 popular. The new hicoups are
alnRuiarly malignant and perriHts NJ.
and are not at all humorous. They at
tnck their victim every few seconds
during the day, and are not always %
be nuppraased by deep treaths. drinks
ri water. chunks Of bread, and ether
well known devices. Sometimes a
hfccup spaHm lasts for over an hour.
and the hlccup aeries extends for weeks
at q stretch.
Both epidernics, affectlns hundreds
Uf perHons. have completely hafffed New
York medical men. and ali other medi-
cal men, for that matter No one has
been able % discover how or whence
they came; what to do for them while
here. or how ~ get riJ ~ them From
the great medical research laboratories
II The city. such ~ that nf fhe Rookie
feier Foundation have coue various
'heorisa = q e. their cause NONE ~ whirb
has proved convincing
The muat interesting ono recently sri
varced - that the two amictions are
in aorue mysterious and suttIe way
connected hat prolonged attacks II
hiocups are merely one of fhr many
irritating symptoms ~ sleeping sick
/ meas vet this IN by no means Unani-
ueuaiy accepted
'rha only fart accepted Without ehsl-
ienRe concerning epcaphalifls letha rEina-
~hieh il = s'a irnpr essive scientific
narnc ia 'ha' = doas not spring frotn the
same cavsa aa the African ma Lady - the
aarta name rne latter is kuo-rn - pc
praGpead ~ me lite 1f the taa4sa NJ.
vh"ae chief 5iot Is the blood - the
crocodile III drinking 4 crocodile .
h'ooa." ac~orI Ing - An ofrjai ~ the
&a7v YerR Efealtn Dsps rtrneri the
taefae rs frnhihaa fha lsry suR lurking
therein The ia1y ing dossnt ~ tho
} crocodile ard harm ard e doe=r'| 10 fha
taetza fv any harm. hyt when 'ha szId
z
~ ihe tnousa r7s. sr,d s. 1crz me same
.h'nz n humans aznarfsltv me hlack
eres n lrraa years 10 feaTAy bite
+ killod fno roo natives n rns Africa
/ province"
/ wrw Disease
i r,rt tts n~v sleeping zickneA- mn
+ n7rra fsan tvvo years pid. rap4f 10
+ aornethfng entirely different. h~causa
tva have no tastza HiAz in This part ~
tho World. and the only croros7ilea about
.savv York ere Kept behind glass win
i 1s-v IN fha zon Gtin. r I-afhs rgins
rnus4 have cause. snd The medical
! profession - striving gallantly r. atIp-
I,iy II Some ~ its members firmly be-
lfava that II = merely an after effect
IF Influenza bus this does nof help
much hsrausa The Iuauarga germ re-
mains ~ 30 liantiHad Rasi1ez tbi=
many others among The profession are
/ aqnally certain that in1uanza has uofh-
fag so n with The nAw aH7iofion
II "a q fart that nasuy n o1fr elasp-
ing =icknasa patients have had IN
Hfenza" declares TDr Josephine p Veal
~ he ReseaTrh Department - the
Willard rar. Hospitsl here. Tout We
must remember that large part II ,he
aopgla ton ~ his city has been afflicted
hy ne est epidemic 0f nearly .hree
ears duration. 50 you sec fnat II Is
only p 30 expected hat among sleep
lrE Sickness patients there vii ts a
certain percentage Who bavs had in
74enza
tuothar theory rhich attracted much
attention -3r a brisf period was to the
effect rat me disease was the same rs
ofantHe aarsivsis. The symptoms z
pas pointed out. we're greatly alike in
spite - the fact that they we're also
ike me symptoms * typhoid fever.
fuzt IS me bewfIfered f7ynan latd aside
enc statement 3~ fhe pleasant belief
+ thGt tre mystery rad heeu solved. alor (
car9e another from some other author
-. asserting that sleeping sickness
zvas not The slightest bit similar 70 in
fantlle paralysis that ane vas d.s-
sase of .Re brain and the other a dis
e1se of n spine
Npyef have doctors disagreed more
widely. Not only do they disagree rs
~ the cause II the sleeping sickness.
but they disagree as 10 is symptoms.
~ first. II seemed 70 be generally ac-
rapted that the symptoms we're droop-
lug eyelids. stupor. Inconsistencies of
surroundings. headache. and in extreme
~ases. coma delr.un and vomiting "A
f-w Instances coming before the pub
lies attention seemed % corroborate
! this. 4 couple = vicCns we're picked
up Sound asleep In subway raiss. and.
upon refusing 70 be wakened. were car
riad % The nearest hospitals. where
they wevo - once diagnosed as sleep
iaR sickness patients. A prominent
city oGc'ai. q university professor, and
nearly 800 other New Workers. feIl into
TIA Same state. Mere and more are
continuing TO drop ~ into coma or
uucousc.oIsness all tha time, although
t Il expected that the epidemic wfn
rapidly decline with the approach os
spring.
Sleapiness. drowxir1css. then, are the
chief symptoms Of the disease, which
DR.. Osler described as "a 1fruse tn
fammatioR ot the brain substance Yet
recently we have also been informed
that sleeping siclSnsse may not DO
sleepy at all. but may produce an Ak
tremsly wnkefUl state, In which the pa
tient Is fsvsEish and restless.
II Ia all very bewilderlns, evan 20 the
doctors, and now comes the hieoup cpl
deuio % eoulpgioate rnatterH. Are hic-
cups part OF the restless aspect OF
sleeping sickness. or are they - rnanlres-
tation Of some new and independent