Studies on Epidemic Influenza: Comprising Clinical and Laboratory InvestigationsUniversity of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine
History
Studies on Epidemic Influenza: Comprising Clinical and Laboratory Investigations
University of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine
Influenza; Influenza Epidemic, 1918-1919
The next great epidemic, and the last until the present, occurred in the
years 1889 and 1892, and was pandemic in its nature. The death rate
during this time was lower in the cities than in the country. This was
probably due to the fact that the greatest mortality was among children
and old people, and as old people were generally left in the country,
this explains the observation. The highest number of deaths was among
males, believed to be due to the exposure and fatigue of work. Forty per
cent. of the world’s population was said to have been attacked during
this period. The yearly or seasonal repetition, as shown in this
pandemic, had occurred in other epidemics. In the great pandemic of 1889
and 1890, five decades after the last important epidemic, it was stated
that the medical profession found itself confronted by a new disease of
which it had knowledge through medical history, so also in our time few
physicians recognized at first the reappearance of influenza. This 1889
epidemic is extensively reported in the literature, and has been
elaborately worked out by many observers. One important feature has been
emphasized by Leichtenstern, which, although recognized by the
profession after the last epidemic had been fully reported and recorded,
is not appreciated by the profession during the present epidemic—namely,
that while shortly after the last epidemic there were smaller
relightings of the infection throughout various parts of the country,
those diseases which we erroneously call grippe or influenza, occurring
commonly in the spring and fall, are in no way connected with the
disease with which we are dealing, and which occurs at rather long
intervals. Any speculation in regard to these periods, which history has
shown to be fairly wide apart, has very little basis. This pandemic,
like many of former days, is believed to have originated in Asia, and
from there to have spread over Europe and hence over the world. The
disease spread rapidly over countries, affected probably about 40 per
cent. of the world’s population, disappeared rapidly after several
weeks, was thought to have had nothing to do with weather conditions,
had a great morbidity but small mortality, and affected all ages and
occupations. There is no doubt, as stated by some, that the development
of traffic and travel was a large factor in the rapid and extensive
spread of influenza during this pandemic. The course which the disease
followed, springing from its supposed beginning in Asia, has been fully
and amply described by writers after that period, but the great rapidity
of its dissemination over all countries is the most remarkable feature
in the epidemiology of any disease. This, during 1889, made many
prominent physicians disregard the opinion that influenza spread by
contagion and accept again the opinion expressed by observers of
epidemics in former ages, that miasma as a pathogenic agent was
responsible for its distribution; but anyone who reads closely the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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