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
In the Medfield State Hospital, having a total population of 1,940,421
cases of influenza, with 63 deaths, had occurred before vaccinations
were begun. Of the remaining unattacked inmates 902 were vaccinated.
After the completion of vaccination one new case appeared among the
unvaccinated, and there were none among the vaccinated.
At the North Hampton State Hospital there were 9 cases of influenza, 4
of whom died, among 444 unvaccinated individuals, and 9 cases, with 1
death, among 563 vaccinated patients.
Among 506 patients vaccinated at the Westborough State Hospital there
developed 15 cases of influenza, 2 of which terminated fatally. Of the
415 unvaccinated controls, 25 developed influenza and there were no
deaths. At the time vaccinations were completed only 13 had developed
influenza.
In the Worcester State Hospital vaccination was carried out after the
epidemic had entirely subsided.
At the Bridgewater State Hospital no vaccines were used, but the
morbidity rate was 29.9 per cent., as contrasted with 32.9 per cent.
among the unvaccinated at Monson.
At the Danvers State Hospital the population of 853 adults was divided
into three sections. One section was vaccinated with the Leary vaccine,
one section with an unheated influenza vaccine prepared by Dr. Rosenau
at the Chelsea Naval Hospital, and one section held as controls. The
epidemic had, however, reached its height before vaccination was begun,
and no information as to the relative value of the vaccines could be
determined.
In Hinton’s (11) report the analysis covered the studies on about 6,000
vaccinated individuals, which represented slightly less than half of the
population of 12 Massachusetts State institutions. Hinton’s conclusions
were as follows: “The heated suspension of influenza bacilli used as a
prophylactic vaccine did not prevent influenza, lessen its severity nor
its complications, and, as far as could be ascertained, resulted in no
harm.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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