Influenza : $b An epidemiologic studyVaughan, Warren T. (Warren Taylor)
History
Influenza : $b An epidemiologic study
Vaughan, Warren T. (Warren Taylor)
Influenza
The same difficulty in early identification was experienced in this
country in 1918. At the end of March of that year the author who was
stationed at Camp Sevier, South Carolina, was one of a Board of Officers
appointed to investigate a disease which had broken out among troops
stationed at that camp. At that time the line troops consisted of three
infantry regiments and three machine gun battalions. On the day
following a parade in the city of Greenville a considerable number of
men in three out of the six organizations suddenly took ill. There were
a few isolated cases in other organizations, but in the one infantry
regiment and two machine gun battalions the regimental infirmaries were
filled, and some cases were sent to the base hospital. Nearly all were
very mildly ill and exhibited the symptoms of pure uncomplicated
influenza as described above. The onset was sudden, there were the usual
pains and aches, the bowels were regular, there was a feeling of
discomfort in the pit of the stomach in many instances, and there were
no sore throats and very little cough. Recovery was as a rule very
rapid, although about a dozen of the entire number developed pneumonia
and some of these died. Physical examination of those only mildly ill
and who remained in the regimental infirmary showed as a rule nothing,
but in some instances scattered fine moist rales near the hilus of the
lungs. In some of the organizations the disease was definitely spread
down rows of company tents. Careful bacteriologic examination was made
at the time and the predominating organisms were found to be a
gram-negative coccus resembling micrococcus catarrhalis, and a
non-hemolytic streptococcus. This was in uncomplicated cases.
The Board decided that the disease should be called influenza, but our
only basis for such decision were the clinical symptoms and the
contagious character. At that time none of us dreamed of any possible
connection with a severe epidemic to occur later, and laboratory search
for influenza bacilli which was carefully made in view of the clinical
diagnosis showed none of these organisms to be present.
At about the same time a similar epidemic was being experienced at Fort
Oglethorpe, Ga. V. C. Vaughan, in describing this epidemic, remarks: “A
disease strongly resembling influenza became prevalent in the Oglethorpe
Camp about March 18, 1918. It soon assumed pandemic proportions. Within
two weeks every organization in Camp Forrest and the Reserve Officers
Training Camp was affected.
“The symptoms were as follows: Headache, pain in the bones and muscles,
especially the muscles of the back, marked prostration, fever, sometimes
as high as 104 degrees. Sometimes there was conjunctivitis, coryza, a
rash and possibly nausea, recovery taking place in a few days.
“In all organizations the epidemic was first located in companies before
it became general.
“The incubation period was short, not over one or two days.
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