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Show on SPANISH INFLUENZA NOT A GERMAN ATTACK. ' Spanish influenza has created considerable con-siderable uneasiness throughout the country owing to the widely circulated report that the disease has been spread by German agents. One of tho government officials has deemed the rumors of sufficient Importance to make this comment; "Perhaps because there seems to be a rather natural disposition to ascribe to everything that is perfidious In the world today to Germany, some havo ventured the guess that the disease dis-ease may have been Introduced and spread by Gorman agents. This theory, theo-ry, however, is generally considered as being not only entirely groundless but really absurd, for it seems hardly conceivable that, if Germany undertook under-took an offensive of this kind, she would choose such a mild and humane sort of disease. A much more plausible plaus-ible explanation would seem to be tho simple fact that the recent cold snap in the east caught the country entirely entire-ly unprepared for such severe weather and, as a result unheated dwellings and other buildings and the inadequate clothing that was being worn, largo I numbers of people in different sections sec-tions of the country contracted colds, which developed in many cases into pneumonia and resulted in an unusual unusu-al number of deaths." Almost always at this season of the year colds are frequent and they often result fatally; and it may well be that, but for the high tension of these strenuous stren-uous war times, this epidemic would not have attracted unusual attention. In any event there seems to be no occasion oc-casion for special alarm or panic about the matter, for the disease is j evidently one which the American medical profession is perfectly able to handle and, moreover, effective measures are being taken, wherever it appears, to check it and destroy Us power. It Is important, however, at all times and certainly no less important impor-tant now for each individual to se cure prompt medical attention for all cases of so-called "cold" or "grippe." This Is necessary for the conservation of the health of the community as well as the welfare of the individual. This Spanish influenza is not more severe than was Russian Influenza in 18S2, when the disease swept over the United States. Later epidemics of the disease were known as "la grippe" or plain "grip." Spnnlsh Influenza appeared in tho German army last winter and caused many deaths. Then It claimed thousands thou-sands of victims among tho civilians of the central empire. That it would appear In tho United States was foretold fore-told by our medical men, and vigorous vigor-ous efforts, now that it is here, are being be-ing made to limit the ravages of tho affliction. |
