THE EPIDEMIC.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1588, 17 March 1919, Page 9

THE EPIDEMIC.

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY.

Press Association. WELLINGTON, March 17. Giving evidence before the Epidemic Commission to-day, Dr. Barclay medical superintendent of the Wellington Hospital, quoted statistics to show that there was no special susceptibility in matter of sex, and that the majority of the patients attended to were between the ages of 18 and 40. An unduly high percentage of males between 20 and 40 were attacked. On the subject of prophylactic inoculation he said that all the information available was vague. Nobody seemed to specially recommend it, or to generally condemn it. There was a certain amount of risk after inoculation, and the influenza in Wellington appeared to have been no respecter of persons. It did not seem to matter whether we lived in slums or in the best surroundings. The only way in which such an epidemic could be coped with was by a general public organisation. For over a year past influenza had been in New Zealand, but the more virulent type made its appearance .with its complications in the early days of November. Referring to the possibility of a recrudescence, he emphasised the need for more attention to be devoted to home nursing.

Dr Lloyd Clay stated that influenza was characterised by very low mortality in its usual form. Complications, too, were comparatively rare, and included bronchitis, pneumonia and pericarditis. Of 55,000 affected in the German Army during tho pandemic of 1889, there were only 60 deaths, which worked out at 0.1 per cent. There was considerable doubt as to whether or not the recent disease was really influenza. With the exception of the septieffiinic plague of Hong-Kong, he had never seen anything so virulent as the recent epidemic, which came with startling suddenness, spread rapidly and widely, and attacked a huge proportion of the population, entering mansions as readily as hovels. The general impression of the disease was that it was not really influenza, but a very virulent form of another disease which was perhaps not properly understood. His clinical experience led him to believe that streptococcus was the germ which caused most of the trouble, a germ capable of destroying the mucous membrane. The recent epidemic was greatly different from previous pandemics, only resembling them in three points—the suddenness of the attack, the rapid sprea'd of the disease and the prostration of the patients. A remarkable feature was the serious blood change which took place. In the majority of cases where death occurred the patient had all the appearance of general septic»mia.