"THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC.

Taihape Daily Times, 12 August 1919, Page 6

"THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC.

E Dr H. Makgill, District Health o%} ificcr, submits some observations 0?: the epidemiology of the disease, men‘ Cjl;ioning' several points not referred to‘ the Commission. Referring to A the origin of the epidemic: he Says‘"‘ I “The flmmissioners have failed to 31:35:, the somewhat obscure epidmiol~ ogy of the outbreak of influenza of last Zfiovember. This is not in the least sur- 1 Ilrisinir since such knowledge 35 9a"*l‘ 1 'ta.ry experts possess on the subject 35 incomplete and deD€lld€nt on co'l_‘cctum only those who have a WOl‘l'~.i“-E’; ]m_u<:vle4.gc of bacteriological phe;.c-m----on-.1 Cc: appreciate fully the dirrolznt factors wn.-ch must have been at work in Producing the particular degree of virulence which the epidemic developed; ‘ obviously fire chief ‘stumbling ‘block the Conlmissionhas met is the difficulty of grasping the fact that an infinite variety of symptoms can be produccdliby the same effective agent at varying degrees of virulence. The report seats to account for the epidemic by assuming that a particular Organ-hismvmuz-t have been introduced from overseas at a particular time. This ,assL‘.mp“'Oll is not supported by scien"fific data. The Commissioners find it incredible that the organisms in‘ New Zealand should attain the necessary virulence to produce the cpidimVic of November coincidently with the attainment of the same degree of vir‘uléhce by organisms» in many other ‘parts of the world, T 0 the banteriologist. this is not incredible, since ‘war preparations had produced in so! many countries the conditions necessary for exalation of virulence and‘ during the same length of time. In! every country visited by this epidemic we find the same two Waves of infec- r ‘tion; the same massing of susceptible persons; the same constant addition of fresh strains _of infection from overseas; and the same unusual cycle (.1? meteorological conditions. There is nothing unreasonable, then, in as-3 suming that the Same summation of stimuli should produce like results about the same pcriorl throughout the world. The report appears to hang . Weight on the use of the word ‘Span-w ‘ish' in the -original wireless message from the ‘Niagara’ It is obviously not realised that this Word conveyed‘ ‘fine scientific meaning whatsoever. The‘! ‘ihnfluenza which had ravaged New I Zealand since July, 1918, was actually’ ' what was originally called ‘Spanish influenza.‘ It is generally accepted that the epidemic which was first noticed in Spain in May Was similar l in virulence to the first pandemic’ wave, which was not particularly fatal. The attribute ‘Spanish’ was a tic-urnalistlc touch consequent on ‘Spain being the first country in which jthe primary wave was reported to‘ have attained epidemic proportions. “The report fails to account for the ‘ method by which this assumed special l ‘type of infection was conveyed to the ‘Niagara.’ Yéf this point is of vital interest to the inquiry. If we are to assume that the infection ColllC by the ‘Niagara’, and knowing that no! epidemic of such exalted virulence obtained in the ports touched at by the ‘Niagara,’ we mustconcludc that ‘during the voyage an ordinary type of infection Worked up in virulence on board, so that it was able to cause in October the disastrous epidemic .in New Zealand. If it could so increase, in virulence on board a ship coincidently with the development of this secondary wave in other countries, then also it could do so in New Zealand itself, without assistance from overseas agencies. No effort is made ‘to account for the ‘almost complete immunity of the passengers on the ‘l\Tiagara,'~an immunity which it is hard to believe would obtain had the disease been of so high a degree of virulence as was experienced on shore in Novcmbcr_ \

“The evidence of Dr Watt regarding the epidemic of pneumonia influenza in the Dannevirkc district and in Cook County two months ‘before the arrival of the ‘Niagara’ is ignored. _.Yet,thore is everyevidcnce that these localised epidemics were of exactly "of the same type as the pandemic of ‘November.’ —— The Journal of Public Health. ‘