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19
Influenza. At the end of December, especially on the 28th, very
numerous persons, mostly males, of active habits and employed
away from home, were simultaneously attacked by great
prostration, pains in the back and limbs, especially in the
muscles; with, in many cases, severe headache from brain
implication, jaundice from the liver being affected, or other symptoms
characteristic of the invasion of different organs. Shivering,
followed by a very high temperature, and terminating by a
sweating stage, characterised the attack, clearly pointing to a
malarious origin, in which the cold, hot, and sweating stages
are typical. Relapses were very common, the duration of each
attack being three to four days; where existing longer, its
remittent character being clearly manifest. Large numbers of
persons were attacked on the same day, and, as subsequent
experience shewed that the period of inculation was about two
to three days, probably 72 hours, it seemed that some aerial
influence was the scource, hence the name fancifully applied to
the disease in the middle ages, since which era many such
visitations have been recorded.
The affection soon spread to the families of those primarily
attacked, the first being the wives of men already affected, and
then the younger members of the family contracted the disease ;
giving distinct evidence of its infectivity, in which respect,
indeed, it seems to exceed most diseases.
Very few, if any, deaths arose directly from influenza,
except, perhaps, in the very old or very young, and then from
intercurrent diseases, such as Bronchitis, and especially
Pneumonia, in the latter respect strongly resembling Measles.
It was subsequently found that the invasion of influenza had
the effect of stimulating into activity dormant tendencies to
constitutional disease, more especially tuberculous affections
and diseases of the nervous system. In fact, the evil results of
the disease were felt by many people long after apparent
recovery. The majority, however, speedily convalesced
sufficiently to resume their respective occupations, a week or
ten days usually ending the illness. Great diversity was,