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
During the summer of 1911, the maneuver division of the United States
Army, having 12,801 men, all of whom had been vaccinated against typhoid
fever, were stationed at San Antonio, Texas. Two cases of typhoid fever
developed among them, and neither case died. Among the civilian
population of the city, living under usual conditions during the same
time, there were 49 cases of typhoid fever, with 19 deaths. Since 1912,
typhoid vaccination has been compulsory in the United States Army, and
the largest epidemic of typhoid fever which I have found reported so far
during the late war was that at Camp Greene (55), Charlotte, N. C.,
where 18 cases developed. Only 12 of these men had received the complete
series of immunizing doses. For a complete discussion of the value of
typhoid vaccine the interested reader is referred to Gay’s Monograph
(56) on typhoid fever.
_Prophylactic Vaccination Against Influenza_
The hope of finding an early solution to the vaccine problem in
influenza appeared to be in the development of a prophylactic “bacterial
vaccine” similar to that which proved so efficient for typhoid. In his
discussion of the vaccine problem in pneumonia, Fennel pointed out that,
theoretically, any disease of microbic origin in which spontaneous
recovery is at all possible should yield to specific prophylactic
measures. The difficulty, however, of preparing a bacterial vaccine for
influenza comparable to that for typhoid fever is that the unquestioned
cause of influenza has yet to be determined. The probable cause of
influenza is the Pfeiffer bacillus, but its relationship has not been
proven beyond question. On the other hand, the innocence has likewise
not been proven, as Dr. Holman in his article of this series has ably
shown. It is not my intention to go deeply into the question of
etiology, but simply to bring out a few points which _a priori_ seemed
to indicate that the reasonable solution of vaccine prophylaxis was in
the preparation of a pure Pfeiffer bacillus suspension.
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