Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1901.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 5454, 24 August 1901, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1901.

The present epidemic of inflaenz* is probably more general and more severe than aoy previous visitation of this disease, for some years, at anyrate. We learn that in all p-*rts of the colony numbers of people are laid up, suffering from its effects, Ashburton htving had quite its share of invalid?. A very remarkable feature of this epidemic is the diversity in the modes of its approach. In some cas<?s ifc commences ita attack by causing pains in all ths limbp, accompanied by lever and general weakness, and in other?, it seem? to Gx on the weakest spot in the victim's system to commence upon. But no matter how it attacks the body of man, woman, or child, it gets there all the same, and the patient has more or leas a bad timp. I'c is a matter for regret that the more common symptoms are often mistaken at first for those of fg only a bad cold," and consequent'y little is done to relieve the patient beyond perhaps inducing him to stay indoors for a day or so j with the result that he very frequently ventures oat ft^ain before he has quite recovered. In these instances considerable risk is ran of serious injury to health. H )W»'ever, our object in dealing with this subject is chiefly to draw attention to the general ignorance that exists concerning the origin and nature of this peculiar epidemic. We venture to think that we do the medical profession no injustice by expressing the opinion that very few of its members understand what influenza really is. We know that they often diagnose as 11 a slight cold " the earlier Bymptoms of a smart attack of this complaint Nowj even laymen have come to recognise that the Influenza of to-day is quite a different ailment from the disorder, which twenty years ago went by that name. Its effects are much more serious; and—what is perhaps the worst feature of it—it is becoming endemic or chronic. This being so, it seems to us that the Health Department ought to leave nothing undone to investigate the disease, and, if it ba possible, to suggest! some remedy, or at least, to indicate what sanitary measures might be taken to mitigate the evil. We have a costly Health Department, butso far, no very striking results have followed its creation. In fact the work provided for it by the Public Health Act of last year has not been performed, for a number of boroughs in the colony, which aro expected to carry out certain sanit»ry regulations are unable to do bo, owing to the neglect of the Health Department to appoint District Medical Officers.' Why on earth the authorities cannot appoint local medical practitioners in the various borougb.3 to act as District Health Officers passes our comprehension. Bat although the Act has taken the power of making any such appointment out of the hands of the local authorities there is no sign of the Department moving in the matter. Meantime no doctor or chemist in Ashburtoa is legally compelled to notify the existence of any case of infectious disease that may come under his notice, notwithstanding that' the Health Act requires this notifioa- j tion to be promptly made. The offi ial who should ba uotifiod is non-existent. :

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