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Show . IT'S NOT SLEEPING SICKNESS By Frederic J; HaskiiL - WASHINGTON, March 2S. "Epidemic stupor" is the name which the health authorities au-thorities have decided to give the new disease, dis-ease, wrongly called sleeping sickness, which sprang up a few weeks ago, has now invaded eighteen American cities and several army camps, has taken several lives and laid hundreds under its spell. The scientific name of this new maiady is lethargic encephalitis. It is not "sleeping "sleep-ing sickness" and has nothing to do with the real sleeping sickness. It has been known for only a few years, and its cause and origin are even more mysterious than those of the influenza. Physicians are frankly puzzled by it, and are anxious that everyone should know its symptoms and treatment. Fur upon the promptness with which casts are recognized and reported re-ported much depends. The disease may be limited to a few scattering cases, or it may spread and become a formidable epidemic. epi-demic. The disease, when it was first discovered discov-ered in this country, was feared to be a form of sleeping sickness common in the interior parts of Africa, but a closer observation ob-servation of the symptoms proved this belief be-lief to be unsound. Sleeping sickness, as found in the jungles of Africa, is caused by the bite of a peculiar insect, known as the tsetse ' fly. This minute insect Is limited to the interior of Africa, and is feared by hunters and natives. Because it carries the germs of T'sleeping sickness" sick-ness" its bite often infects the spinal cord and sets up an inflammation that is usually fa tal. The' African sleeping sickness, however, fs not in any way related to the new sen urge which is baffling the physicians ,of Kurope and America. The disease- was 'first observed in Austria by Von Econo-rno, Econo-rno, a noted Vienna physician, who described de-scribed a .group of cases occurring in epidemic form in lfll 6-17, to which ho cave the name "encephalitis lnthargina," literally tmnslated, meaning inflammation of the brain, with stupor. A month later, Professor Xetter of the Paris Academy of Medicine expressed the opinion that tho diseise was not a form of acute polio-myelit polio-myelit is, more commonly known as infantile in-fantile pa ra lysis, which was so prevalent in tills e our: try In lOlti, claiming 2..h) deaths out of ftfiQO persons affected In the city of Now York alone. Anions: Hiofc who made a thorough Invest i cation of many ''use; of infantile paralysis during ( he epidemic was T")r. George Draper of the Ko.'kefelier Institute. Jlo has reecnt-1 reecnt-1 sc-'Ti some of the eases of the new i--crt.se in J'hi gland, and pronouneer th'-m not Infantile paralysis, as t his new disc-are was at first belu-ved to be. The first e;i se noted in Knula nd oe-rMrf-'d mi February ll. and the rpi- d.'-nir. whieh never atlninerl large pro-puTtifnK. pro-puTtifnK. camo at leaKt tonipnra rily to an end in June. Tli'1 modiral research committee com-mittee of Kn'-'Ja nd bera me flee ply Inlor-e:-' M in t lie now malad v and 1 n:-'tl toted e! in lea 1 a rel pa t hoi- l; ical Invest i gat puis. ''! ( ' i in u i i 1 1 ce found the rlircnse is ; gen-rra gen-rra I h i !"' t loos di:-r -b-r eh a v. i t er Iz.cd by jo'inif.-uatlniis origh. -it tin; in tlv central nervous (em, wiiP'h the miomJ eresslvo lethargy or stupor and an involvement of the nerve . centers controlling tho eye muscles. Although Al-though a rise in - temperature was- .not observed in all of the 1(14 cases of the disease ot which notes were obtained, there seemed to be little doubt that there is always a certain amount of fever in an early stage, although occasionally it may be observed for several clays after the onset of symptoms. The common range of fever is between 101 and 102 decrees de-crees K bvrt temperatures up to 104 are not very common, and in a few cases the temperature went up to 105. The fever usually lasts from two to five days, but may continue for ten or even fourteen d-ivs It mav fall suddenly or gradually with oscillations. A period of subnormal temperature not infrequently lollows. Usiiallv tho first symptom is simple catarrhal ca-tarrhal conjunctivitis (a mild "pink eye"), or it may be tonsllitls simple sore throat and cold in the chest. The disease may be ushered in suddenly by a fainting attack or fit In one case noted by 'the committee commit-tee tiie patient became dazed or stupid, slept a great deal and was drowsy by day In "'marked cases the lethargy was accompanied by heaviness of the eyelids, pain In the eyes and blurred vision. Headache Head-ache is a common symptom, and giddiness giddi-ness was characteristic of the early symptoms symp-toms of manv cases during the epidemic in England. The patient might even exhibit, ex-hibit, without apparent cause, symptoms which might be called hysterical. After tho first stages, tho symptoms of a general infectious disease bei'ome manifest" mani-fest" The. patient lies in bed on the hack, j often unable to make any voluntary move- ; ment on account of great muscular weak- j ness; the face is quite expressionless and maskllke. and there may be definite double dou-ble facial paralysis. The severest cases lio like a log in lied, resembling a waxen imago In the lack of expression and of mobility, and this may lie accompanied bv catalepsy. Tho patient is in a condition condi-tion of stupor, although true sleep is often not obtained. Delirium, usually at night, Is not uncommon, and, in addition to" muscular trouble, there is distinct ri-.rldily in a considerable -mimbcr of cases. The voice becomes nasal and monolnnous. sentences are ultereel very slowly and words Blurred into one another. Ooea-. Ooea-. slnnallv, however, once started to speak, the patient chatters sentences with so great rapidity that he is often unintelligible. unintelligi-ble. Irregular movements of the face, ! trunk and limbs, resembling those In St. I Vitus dance are not uncomiuo!!. With regard to treatmcnl, no specific method has been devised and the best I that can be ilono is to put the patient to j bed and provide him with cood nursing. Cold sponging is often beneficial during the early st'u.'es anil t'-uds to diminish tbe delirium. I-'or'lhe pain, numbness and tingling of the limbs warmth is tho best remedy. Constipation is nbstinato and often difficult to overcome, except bv enema ta followed by sia-h drugs as liouid puraffiu or phenolphthalein. No hypnotics and no moi'nhhie or otln-r pro;iara ' ions of opium should be given. I'aily clranr.ing of the mouth and a n 1 isenl io treatment of (lie nnic and mouth should be carried out and rosul t a t orv ci implie.-i t Ions svst end t -I, -ally looked for. The patient should be given to uni lerst n nd that bis ci -uvul I'Si-i; nee will last at P a -a six months in'tei- the beginning be-ginning of t lie lllin . t ll'liei.lls Of I be I 'lilted S ' " t "S lien 11 h se,- ie,. ;ne i n f r 1 1 g i 1 1 1 1 : eaees i,r Ibe ,lis-l anxious to keep the malady out of the army camps. The first army camp to be invaded was Camp Lee. Petersburg. Va., where one death was reported out of nine cases. The cases appeared several weeks ago and the victims were immediately isolated. Investigation made at the camp showed that in each case the soldier had been ill with influenza. The soldier who died had recovered from the "flu" only a few days when he was stricken with lethargic encephalitis. He was in a semiconscious semi-conscious condition for two weeks. , Describing the effect of the disease upon the victims at Camp Lee, an army surgeon stated that at first 'the soldiers appeared in a drowsy condition. Gradually Grad-ually the drowsiness became more noticeable, notice-able, the victims appearing "doped." Finally the patients fell into a stupor for periods lasting from twelve to twenty-four twenty-four hours. Sometimes for several hours the patient would be perfectly normal, then doze off. The stricken soldiers are gradually regaining consciousness, and the camp medical staff believes that there is no further danger of the disease spreading. There are approximately sixty eases of the disease in Albany, X. Y. These cases have developed since late in Fehruary, and so far two deaths have been reported. re-ported. Cleveland. Ohio, and Springfield, 111., each reported twenty-five cases. New York has forty, while the exact num-bei1 num-bei1 in Chicago is unknown, the health authorities au-thorities not making it public. Other cities showing a "trace" of the malady are Richmond, Va. ; San Francisco, Fort Worth, Calumet, Mich.; Minneapolis, Pes Moines, Los Angeles, Lancaster, .Ohio; Boston, Pittsburg and Harrisburg, Pa. |