IN'FLUEN'ZA influentel„ F.Plat:vite IN.
Lt•LNZA. or Le -‘11 infectious disease doe to a sp•c;tie bacillus and characterized great weakness rind prostration. with mental de• pre-sion. and generally hy of the nasal und respiratory ims.ages.
llisrottY. Authentic epithrmics of influenza have occurred frequently since 1173. In that year the spread our Italy, hermany, and England. The next epidemics occurred in 1239 ant! 1 31 1. .e.• far as available record- sbov‘, though pir...ible that the pc-tilenee which de‘astated France in 1311 wa. of another nature. In 1323. 1327, 13S7. and 14113 epidemics of bt grippe certainly occurred, a- well as in 14114, 1411„ 1414. and 1427. The first pandemic of the discos reported appeared in 1.110 and spread over all Europe, apparently arising in Africa. It was benign in character. In 1557 net-lin•d a iepctition of t he experience. all Europe stitlering, baring been invaded by way of Asia. and stoma+ ing. some historian: report. to America. The mortality front this epidemic was very large. In 1:Vot the •ocond pandemic• appeared. and it was dtaracteriz•d by special virtiknees •ph!. miles 'followed in 1591, 1.197. and Itt2fl. In 1647 the influenza spread through the plantations lif Ameriva, road in the \\ lItibbard re ports that thcredied in llarbadoesand Saint Kitt. 50041 or Gram each. 1115st, 1675. Pl.'s. 1693, 1709. 1712, 1729. and 1732 wire !p-imi, year-. lit the last-nained year the American cohmies suffered, , also the \Vest 1 inlies.lexit t, and South .1iner iea. Poland. Germany. Switzerland, Md. 1.nd, Engl Ind, tml, France. Spain. and Italy were attacked in about the order named. People upon vessels in the oi.rn sea were said to have been attacked. In 1737 and 1712-43 the dread disen-c reappeared. In of the lat ter cridentic the terms 'influenza' and .grippo• first apneared. in 173`+. 1761. 1762. 167. 1775, usi-s.. 17ss-R9. 179..1-1.40n. 1s'o2-fr.s. the disea-e was reported in epidentie form. and from to 1c3r1 it spread from country to country. di-appearing and reappearing after short inter.
(Mina is to have suffered most in 1‘311•32. Upper Asia. Europe. and North .‘frien twine' invaded in I 33. Front 1S36 to 1q4st it. prey:10,-41 in various localities. as also from IS3n to 1 In IA47-4C the influenza was pandemic. with a mortality. The pandemic in which the present generation is most interested began in 1889, when the disease overflowed the whole globe. Since that date the country has hardly
been free from influenza, for the epidemic of 1893 91 must be vinved as a recrudescence of the for mer epidemic, individual or small epidemics having been separately observed. The pandemic of 1869 originated in Cential Asia. From Buk hara it was traced suc•essively to Siberia, Euro pean Russia, Sweden, Denmark. France, Ger many, Belgium, and England:. Asia Minor, Italy, Turkey, and Greece being attacked simultaneous ly with Germany and Eipdaud. Shortly there after it appeared in Tunis, later in Mexico, South America, and Australia. It invaded Boston at the same time London was attacked, and San Francisco contemporaneously with Buenos Ayres. It appears to invade trading centres and railroad towns much earlier than sparsely settled districts in the same locality. Human intercourse and especially commerce appear to be the determin ing factors in its dissemination.
CAusE. The aerobe causing influenza is called Pfeiffer's bacillus. It was discovered in 1S91 by Pfeiffer, Kitasato. and Canon, working independ ently. It is a bacillus occurring singly, in pairs, or chains, or clumps, appearing as a straight rod with rounded ends, non-motile, and not foi ming spores, It is best stained by a weak solution of carbol-fuchsin applied for at least ten minutes. The bacillus grows best on glycerin-agar smeared with blood, at body temperature. The bacilli are found chiefly in the respiratory passages, mixed with other organisms. in the nasal mucus. or in the sputum from the bronchi, and even penetrat ing to the submueous stratum of the mucous membrane. They are occasionally found in the blood in small numbers. They are found in the secretion in grippal middle-ear inflammation, and also in the exudate in cases of grippal menin gitis. The chief symptoms of the disease are due to toxins resident in the bodies of the bacilli or produced by them as excretory matter, and ab sorbed by the victim from the respiratory tract. The bacillus has not been found in any other dis ease, but is always present in the secretions of the respiratory tract in true influenza. Experi mental inoculation of monkeys has caused high fever, followed by death, no definite results being reached. But there is no evidence that any of the lower animals suffer from influenza under natural conditions.