Show jan an unwelcome visitor has returned to atlantic coast reports from new york of a serious increase in cases of influenza and pneumonia are not surprising surp using i in tact fact a recurrence of those diseases though perhaps not in true epidemic form and magnitude has been ex pecked says the deseret es news the history of P pandemics ande d P acs ics c generally is that recurrent re curen visitations v ita lal continue to occur for seve several r y years ars but usually subsiding wave e I 1 following lowing the great storm and th the p period I 1 iod C of such recur rence in the c of influenza as de ter mined by grogean gr rope statisticians should have caused our atlantic coast health officials to have been on the watch tor for an outbreak about three weeks ago by the same token there would be nothing irregular in a somewhat severe manifestation of the flu in some cities before tho the winter is over though no general epidemic may be apprehended it will be well therefore if we are to err at all in the matter of dealing with the public health to err on the bide side of caution reports from those european countries where the disease has aa as fumed well nigh epidemic proper eions indicate generally a milder form of the ailment though exceptionally fatal in the case of elderly people or those in advanced middle life I 1 this is a noteworthy change from the operations of the malady in 1919 and subsequently heretofore there has been a curious but dreadful derence of young people among the victims while people of middle age or past were in the main immune whether the comparative immunity of the more youthful manhood of the afflicted nations in the present wave is due to their exposure to or recovery from the plague before or whether the disease itself has under gone some modifications in type will furnish interesting material tor for argument among physicians the grim disease has already deve developed lopel many and variations to i puzzle the fraternity in the meantime without yielding to that unwise alarm which always contributes to the spread and violence of disease it Is well worth while to be careful the prevalence of pneumonia and the number of cases that result fatally after only 1 brief illness are probably to be rated as traceable to or evidences of the tbs sporadic recrudescence of the som I 1 time epidemic to this cause is at tributes tri buted the death of pope beneal t six days after the first symptoms ap feared and of other ho notables tables in this and other lands with whose obit aries the columns of the dally daily press are crowded examination of the records will show that a heavy per of victims of the malady named are persons over 60 years of age of all others elderly persons should take extra precautions and no chances with even so innocent a corn coin plaint as a common cold |