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
If one had been told a year ago that an epidemic could occur which would
result in the death of 60 per cent. of all pregnant women affected, it
would have been thought too unlikely to warrant any consideration.
Though the effect upon pregnancy of the acute infectious diseases forms
an important chapter in the pathology of pregnancy, it seems that the
profession, and in this the obstetrician is no exception, has never
realized how pernicious and tragic the results of an influenzal epidemic
can be in a community. From the experience in previous epidemics we
cannot but feel that the infection in the present epidemic was unusually
fatal. Whitridge Williams (“Text-book of Obstetrics”) speaks of the
interruption of pregnancy as having occurred in 6 out of 7 cases with
one observer, and in 16 out of 21 in another, while a third has found it
only twice in 41 cases. However, none of these writers speaks of having
had a death.
_Sequelæ_
In referring to some of the associated conditions of influenza one
scarcely knows whether to consider them as complications or sequelæ. The
pathological process certainly had its origin from the influenzal
attack, but at times apparently assumed an inactive stage. The patient
is usually free from any specific influenzal symptoms, but retains for a
long time other symptoms referable to various organs, or he may have
been normal for a shorter or a longer period and then suddenly develop
symptoms apparently independent of the previous infection. It may be
well to consider all such conditions which followed the febrile attack,
whether immediately or more remotely, as sequelæ, and I shall therefore
speak of them as such.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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