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35
INFLUENZA.
The most noteworthy event of the year was the outbreak, in
January, of Influenza, a malady grouped with miasmatic diseases
in the zymotic class, and which, in its epidemic form, was unknown
to all but the elders of the present generation. The epidemic, so
far as Europe is concerned, made its appearance first in Russia,
towards the end of 1889; and hence it was generally spoken of
as the " Russian Influenza." Much suffering as the disease
caused to a multitude of persons of all ages, and in all ranks of
society, its occurrence would not have greatly swelled the London
mortality if it had been answerable for those deaths only primarily
ascribed to it; for these were but 652 out of 91,243; this total
being 1547 only above the corrected annual averages of 1880-89.
There can be no doubt, however, tha-t a large number of deaths
from other diseases, and especially from diseases of the respiratory
organs, were really due to influenza, or to the causes, be they
what they may, of that Protean malady. The deaths from the
diseases of these organs were 2145 in excess of the corrected
annual averages of the ten years, 1880-89, and some 6000 more
than in 1889. The deaths from croup and " other diseases
of the respiratory system " were below the average, and those from
pleurisy very little above it. But bronchitis and pneumonia were
unusually fatal, the deaths (12,448 and 6224) being 1106 and
1299 respectively, above the average. The increase in deaths
from pneumonia is especially noteworthy. In January, the
mortality from this cause rose 97 per cent. above the average,
the rise from bronchitis being only 64 per cent.—a reversal of the
proportions usual when rise is due to ordinary causes, as cold,
fogs, &c. The winter rise, moreover, in cold seasons, is mainly
among aged persons, whereas in January it was mainly among
persons between 20 and 60. Not all then of the excess-mortality
from bronchitis and pneumonia is to be attributed to Influenza or
its causes. The deaths were far above average during the
prevalence of the epidemic, and especially in January, not-
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