STOP PRESS ITEMS.

Evening Star, Issue 16994, 17 March 1919, Page 8

STOP PRESS ITEMS.

EPIDEMIC C. A- MISSION. ' WELLINGTON, March 17. Before the Ep id emit Commission ! day Dr Lloyd Clay..stilled that influenza was characterised by very low i.e.rtaUty hi the dry form. The. complications it took, too. wore compare:■ roly rare, and included bronchitis, pneumonia, aai pcricordiLs. Of 65.CM people in the German army -ivero attacked during the pandemic of Hi:' l , there were only 60 deaths, which, worked out aii C.l per cent. There wu- • ousklerablo doubt as to windier <.j uot the recent disease was really influ ;-/a. Witli the exception of the .•.•{>- ticemic plague of Hongkong, he had neseen anything so virulent a- (he recent epidemic, which came with stalling suddenness and spread iapiHy and widely. It attacked a hugo proport ion of the population, mitering mr.i;,ious as readily its hovel*. The general impression of the disease was llh.t it was uot really ini<neu?a, but a very virulent feprm of another dH an-, which was, perhaps, not properly understood. His clinical experience led rim to believe that streptococcus was the genii which caused most of the trouble, a germ capable ol destroying the raucous membrane. The recent epidemic was greatly different from the previous pandemic, only resembling it in three points—the suddenness of the attack, the rapid spread of the disease, rad the prostration of patients A remarkable feature was the serious Woo-n change which took place in the majority of cases. Where death occurred the patient had all the appearance of general septicemia. ,