Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-18
Epidemic Mysteries

slightest bit similar 10 infantilc paral-
ysis. that one was a disease OF tho
brain, and the other disease OF the
spine.
Never have doctors disagreed more
widely. Not only do they disagree
as to tho cause Of tho sleeping sick
ness, but they disagree as to Its syInp-
toms. At first, It seemed TO be gen
orally accepted that the symptoms
were; dropping eyelids. stupor. uucon-
sciousncss OF surroundings, headache.
and In extreme cases, coma, deiirium
and vomiting. \ few instances com
Ing before the public's attention seem
ed to corroboratc this. \ couple OF
victims were picked Up sound asleep
in subway trains, and. upon r6usinE
to be wakcned. wcro carried TO tho
nearest hospitals, where they were at
once diagnosed as sleeping sickness
patients. \ prominent city official, a
university professor. and nearly 3Ni
other New Workers. fell into tho same
state. More and more arc continuing
to drop off into coma or unconscious-
ness all tho time, although Il is cr-
pcctcd that the epidemic will rapidly
decline with the approach OF spring
Slccpincss. drowsincsss then. arc tho
chief symptoms OF the disease, which
Or. Osler has described a. "A diffuse
inflammation OF the brain substances
Yet recently We have also been In
be sleepy at all. but may produce an
extremely wakeful state. in which the
patient II feycrtsh and restless.
The Hiecup Plague.
II is all very bcwilderinE. oven To
the doctors, and now comes the hiccup
epidemic TO compiicnte matters Arc
hiccups n part Of the restless aspect
OF sleeping sickness, or are they
manifestation OF some new and inde-
pendent germ. working or its own
crratic courseg No one knows. We
do know that cases OF sustained hlc-
cups have suddenly sprung up both
In Europe and this country. and that
-omctimcs they occur alone and un-
accompanied by any other disease.
''Pathologically, this prevalence q
hiccups seems to be associated with
irritation OF tho phrcnic nerve from
gastro- intestinal disturbance: from
nouroses, or from remote disturbances
OF the central nervous system not yet
determined" says one authority, writ
Ing for a medical Journal.
In pneumonia or typhoid fever. hic-
effects OF bacterial toxins may be
serious compllcating factor, oven eaus-
ing death.
I'm the epidemic thru which VIC arc
now passing, many cases have occurr-
ed in which patients hiccuped every
lnrce or luuT b'Cbnus loT IcTiOud VI
"A week or longer.
"Lhormittce points out that the first
appearance OF the epidemic OF which
he knows occurred In Vienna in tho
winter Of 1ale-i92o. Large numbers
Of persons were suddenly attacked
with spasms OF hiccups and did not
respond to treatment. In most cases
they ceased OF their own accord after
n few days, but there was one case
In which they persisted for month,
tho patient having only a few hours
rcst each day
This authority also asserts that
there have been hiccup epidemics for
centuries, none o. which has ever been
understood. The same mechanical
therapeutic measures have always
been uscd--prcssurc on the oychalls or
on the spine; compression OF the arms,
swallowing n chunk of bread, and In
fluencinE the diaphragm by forciblc
flcNion Of ,hc logs. The same meas
urcs arc used today. The only thing
now in the hiccup situation is its sus-
pCctcd connection with encephalitis,
which seems only to dcorcn the mys-
terry.