Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
By WATSON DAVIS.
, oNFrDENT in scientific weap-

ONFIDENT in scientific weap-
ons for public health, protect
ed by the sanitary Gordon that
~ the Government filings around
Americas frontiers, this coun-
try self satisfied considers that great
plaques are unpleasant chapters OF an
Gent history or remote happenings In
essentially uncivilized portions OF the
present-day world.
It Is true that many Of the epidemic
ais Of past years have been conquered
by medical science. Yellow fever, which
once took its thousands in large Ameri-
can cities Of pre-Pasteur days, must
now be studied in remote portions OF
Africa and South America. Plague and
cholera but seldom enter our ports and
when they do they meet with a swift
extinction. Smallpox, which once
marked the face of nearly every one.
Is now, thanks to vaccination. more OF
a crime than a misfortune. Cancer,
tuberculosis and a few other diseases
we still have with us, but most OF the
horrors Of the past, such as typhoid,
conquered by pure water. or diphtheria,
made q minor cause of death by toxin
antitoxin, are relegHted to relatively
obscure proportions.
It is disconcerting and troubling to q
country about to congratulate itself on
one of the best health years in history
to have Its good record sciled by a
chameleon disease marching across the
country. masking as bad cold" at
times and In other cases calling in
pneumonia to finish its dastardly at
tack.
The great influenza pandemic Of 1918.
which seemed to come as natures con-
tribution to the debacle Of the World
War, was one OF the great plaques Of
history. To India the 1918 influenza
epidemic was by far the most serious
epidemic in its history-and India Is
Justly considered the plague spot of the
world, not only now but In the past
The 1888 epidemic, in America
alone, brought death to over half .
million persons who would not have
died II the normal death rate of the
preceding healthful years had not been
shot skyward by this visitation of dis
ease. During those dark days one out
OF every three persons was attacked.
did In undermining otherwise stalwart
constitutions or weakening defense
against future ills, we shall never know.
y -
EARLY last october physicians in the
district around San Francisco be-
gan to receive calls from patients who
had what they described as a bad cold,
accompanied by slight fever and
sometimes hacking cough. They were
really sick, weak and Frustrated, al
though 1t was sometimes difficult to
convince them that they should treat
their illness seriously and stay In bed
The malady spread exploSively. rails
Ing the temperatures of many and fill
ing the air with the sound and danger.
Gus spray of constant coughs. The
brewing epidemic was soon lifted from
the ordinary category of a mere cold
and it was labeled influenza" although
1t was nlilder and not so liable to bring
on such deadly after effects as char
acterized the wartime disease.
AS the case reports filtered upwarc
from physician to local health officer
to State health departments and finally
to the general headquarters of Ameri-
cas- health organization. the United
States Public Health Service In Wash.
ington. there was concern among those
who, trained to see the significance Of
minor occurrences in the past, have
watched small flashes of disease far
into CONGREGATIONS that covered thu
world.
From South Carolina, too. there cam'
reports Of similar disease.
As the cases mounted In the earl!
weeks Of November. health forces mo
bilized and made ready for warfare.
A decade had passed since the las
epidemic Immunity produced In thu
blood of the survivors of the last grea
outbreak undoubtedly had been lost b!
this time-that is. If there is immunit.
to influenza. Despite the thousands o
experiments. hours upon hours Of tedi
GUS and faithful work, the volunteering
OF human subjects for tests that nigh
mean death, experts sadly shook thei
heads and admitted frankly:
1--WE know no more about influenz
than we did In 1918"
They were modest. Actually they ha'