INFLUENZA.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16358, 1 November 1918, Page 7

INFLUENZA.

EPIDEMIC WIDESPREAD 1 IN AUCKLAND. TWO MORE DEATHS. {PR7.SS association telegram.* AUCKLAND. October 31. Owing to the widespread nature of the influenza epidemic in Auckland, th e Mayor called a public meeting, which was held to-day, to discuss v.*hat means should be icken to help the sufferers and cope with the epidemic generally. A committee was formed to act. Two more deaths from influenza occurred to-day. The tram service is affected by the abscnco of 66 inotormen and conductors through the complaint.

WORLD-WIDE DISEASE. Ail interesting discussion of tho nature and characteristics of influenza has been contributed to the "Molbourne Argus" by a medical correspondent. He remarks that true influenza, when it has appeared in the form of great world-outbreaks has always been marked by dramatic suddenness of onset, and the number of persons attacked. Almost all the great pandemic waves of influenza in history have been distinguished by some descriptive title. A generation ago tho last groat appearance was first manifested in Russia, and wont by tho name of Russian influenza just as tho present pandemic is "Spanish" because it first developed in Spain. The very name "influenza comes to us from an Italian outbieak, about 1743, in which the causation was attributed to tho influence of the stars. A century later tho disease was Chinese influenzal since the first manifestation was in tnat country. Throughout all history the disorder is recognisable, and it has ever been hold that the disease which attacked the armies engaged in the siege of Troy was influenza. In 1675 Evelvn mado an entry in his diary:—"l got an extreme cold, such as was aftorwards so epidemical as not only to affect us in this island, rife all over Europe, like a plague. MYiSTERY OF DISTRIBUTION. Influenza is of oxtraordinary interest from the scientific standpoint. It is unquestionably a distinctive illness, which appears from time to timo in great world epidemics, and is the same disease century after century. . . extraordinary feature attaching to it is its pandemic character. It appears almost over the whole world within a very short period, and in circumstances which aro. scarcely oxplicable bv any theory of direct transmission, cither by human or animal sufferers. There nre many recorded instances of influenza attacking a ship's company at sea, "nd one of the classic records is that of 10 naval squadrons which sailed from pitliead in 1782. under Admiral Kempnfeldt. Tho ships left port on May nd, and had no communication thcreftor with tho shore, cruising all the imo between Brest and the Lizard. On lay 29th influenza broke out in ono [tip, and in a few days tho whole fleet •as so stricken that it wa§ necessary to eturn to port. The sflttftdron of Lord lowe, which was off tho Dutch coast, ■as similarly attacked at the same ?me, although there was no communiation with tho shore. A still more triking record is that of a passonger hip called tho Stag, which was coming ip the English Channel on April 3rd, 833 She reported to a Devonshire oast station "All well." The same ivoning sixty of her list were suddonly fleeted with influenza. On that same lay Sir Thomas Watson saw the first wo cases of influenza in London which >recoled the general epidemic, and ;he disease - anpeared in n wholesale nanner in tho Portsmouth barracks on ;he following day. Since that day has come upon the icene the bacteriologist, who points out lie minute vozetablo germs which must ie visible before modern science can iccept the diseaso as beyond all doubt. There is no question even anions bac:eriologists that all infectious disease ;erms require a particular environment :o enable them to assume'an epidemic rimlence. Popular theory has_ from time immemorial associated epidemic lisease with "something in the air,' md if this phrase is translated into the scientist's "optimum atmospheric environment," it moans precisely the same thing. It may be impossible tc imagine that a particular germ can lie transmitted frpm China to Pern in f Few hours. But. it is possible to inquire if -the germ bo present in each placc to begin with could a particular atrr.os pheric change of state bo transmitter which would encourage tho disease or gnnism to become suddenly active? S( far, we know nothing of the kind; lnr we do know that an atmospheric djs tnrbance in Cornwall can be transmit tod in a few minutes over 12.000 mile of "space" to fin atmosphere surround ing a "wireless" station in Australia It" gives one to think _ tha there are more possibilities of transmission in hoavon and earth tliai our science vet comprehends. PROTECTIVE MEASURES. Influenza has a mortality of its own but in proportion to tho number of per sons attacked it is a very low.mortality Nevertheless, influenza predisposes t many serious complications, and is a) ways to be treated with caution, for ii all influenza epidemics the general moi tality is notably increased. Fortu natoly, in the majority of instances th treatment is simple, and the affectio runs its course in five to seven days. I is doubtful if any treatment shorten this natural phenomenon. Tho bes proof that Spanish influenza is no ur known disease is the fact that th Spanish doctors rocord no appearanc with which they were not perfectl familiar. The season of the year doe not make any material difference in th virulence of the germ. It is impossible to lay down any pr< caution against the infection, _ excep that of avoiding, as far as possible, an contact with persons suffering from it flnenza, and tho maintenance of pel sonal hygiene. Tho modern idea ( protective vaccination does not appec to hold out much encouragement. Ii fluenza is a disease which in itself cot fers onlv a very short immunity. I other words, we may suffer repeated! from influenza, and it is unlikely thr a vaccine will give a. longer freedni from attack than tho disease itself, fc far as experience shows, it is probabl a harmless procedure if carefully po formed. It would appear that a trc influenza is at present assuming a pai demic character, and in the fact of tn intelligence it is tieco-sary to be ngi ant, but there is no occasion for pani