EPIDEMIC'WAVES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17636, 28 May 1919, Page 6

EPIDEMIC'WAVES

HOW THEY" ARE RESISTEIDI NEED TO TONE UP THE HEALTH. the • mo ? t interesting questions of* to moment b the manner in which epiM S minify ° cmaunstances which terof The fe medical correspondent , < r Tunes remarks that it is a verv f ° r the data which to propositions it should bo recognised thit OT7 P' ace > possesses what may bfcSed ™ ai j resistance to infection Tbf= u normal analogy to the oTlre^h £S°t" eacb Sy° f mSSI ■ nd by which he copes with the troubles p»«=S "jrsz _ THE FATEFUL LEVEL. thf i r , os . lstanc f has'a definite level and the level is variable. The level of -i! ire - Ter 7 Strong, enemies are not constantly present, because, if they were either the level of resistance' to ' such a .height, or the human race would ' f 1 ve^^n m K he But occasionally, olTr the worid aPPCarS and v THE tiger of germs. a uJi SUcfl a breed is produced is a doubtful matter. It ia known, however that if a particular strain of germs is passed through a series of hoste l a mrticukr way, the virulence of that strain is enornii I "°f f ease( ?- • W « may suppose that by , ?o£ accidents some such nroceis tak^ a f Eerm \ s Produced endowed P°' V6r of assault and attack in exress of the worlds level of resistance. This warlike genn may belong to a familv hith * erto regarded as comparatively harmless: it is nevertheless endowed with most deadly Resembling its harmless pro i m shape and form, it yet differs the* 11 domestic 5 cat? " tiger an^ mi. H ? W ACTION SPREADS. Ihe first victim of this newly-endowed «»urge may perJiaps die, but belore iie dies tie infects thise who surround him bv breathing into their faces. They have no ' V L eC a r .l to repel sdcii an attack, and they - fall an easy prey The -tiger is loosewithin- an incredibly short space of time it has spread to the ends of tne earth, encountering everywhere - a re- . sistance less than its own strength, and so " gathermg strength as it goes. The epidemic rages, v men fall ill in hundreds of thousands. The nfcjority recover- the minority dies. Roughly speakmg the higher his level of .resistance at the time of attack the better for the attacked person. Resistance among the survivors increases. The level goes up, Then" perhaps the weather improves sharply, adding to the forces of resistance, and for the moment it soems as if the danger is over. . EFFECTS OF BAD,, WEATHER. But 'he danger is not yet over.. ;It lurks in th- 5 . bodies of men and women wno are only just a-blo to eava tfiemseives from it. Bad weather comes, cold, exposure, and so on, and this bare margin of safety disappears. The plague breaks out once more as if by magic. -Men and women who were only just able to resist sufficiently before are now laid low. And so " wa,-e " after " wave " comes and goes. But all the time the resistance is rising, as it rises .always against hostile germs. The plague no longer finds unprotected or half-protected _ victims, and while it may manifest itself in HnMHer ailments ■ boils and abscesses, ear diseases, bronchitis! and so on, the days of its strength are ended. Humanity is prepared with new weapons.