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38
INFLUENZA.
I
The most noteworthy event in 1891, as in 1890, was the
outbreak of Influenza, a malady grouped with miasmatic
diseases in the zymotic class, and whicli till recently was
unknown in its epidemic form 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 often in those days 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 in 1890, if it had been answerable for those
deaths only, primarily attributed to it ; for these were but 652 ,
out of 91,243; this total being 1547 only, above the corrected
annual averages of 1880-89. In 1891 the deaths from influenza
were 2336, or 1684 more than in 1890. There can be no doubt,
moreover, that 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 in 1890 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. In 1891, the deaths from these causes, were no
fewer than 4103 above the corrected decennial average—a
number closely corresponding with the total deaths, at all ages,
in excess of the corrected annual averages, for 1881-90. The
deaths from croup were below the average, those from other
diseases of the respiratory system about average, and those
from pleurisy little above it. But bronchitis and pneumonia
were even more fatal than in 1890, when the deaths from these
diseases (12,448 and 6224) were 1106 and 1299 respectively,
above the average. In 1891 the deaths from bronchitis were
13,136, and 2249 above the average, those from pneumonia
being 6915, and 2032 above the average. The increase in
deaths from pneumonia is especially noteworthy.