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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Studies on Epidemic Influenza, by
-University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll
-have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using
-this ebook.
-
-
-
-Title: Studies on Epidemic Influenza
- Comprising Clinical and Laboratory Investigations
-
-Author: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
-
-Release Date: December 1, 2019 [EBook #60822]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STUDIES ON EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed
-Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
-produced from images generously made available by The
-Internet Archive)
-
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-
-
-
-PUBLICATIONS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
- _Studies on Epidemic Influenza_
- COMPRISING
- CLINICAL AND LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS
-
-
- BY
-
- MEMBERS OF THE FACULTY
- OF THE
- SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
-
- UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
-
- 1919
-
-
-
-
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
-
-
- Page
-
- History and Epidemiology of Epidemic Influenza 9–33
-
- James I. Johnston, M.D., F.A.C.P.,
- Assistant Professor of Medicine.
-
- A Clinical Description of Influenza as It Appeared in the
- Epidemic of 1918–19 35–63
-
- J. A. Lichty, Ph.M., M.D.,
- Associate Professor of Medicine.
-
- The Urine and Blood in Epidemic Influenza 65–79
-
- P. I. Zeedick, M.D.,
- Demonstrator in Medicine.
-
- The Treatment of Influenza 81–95
-
- W. W. G. Maclachlan, M.D., C.M.,
- Assistant Professor of Medicine.
-
- The Prevention of Epidemic Influenza with Special Reference to
- Vaccine Prophylaxis 97–153
-
- S. R. Haythorn, M.D.,
- Director of the Singer Memorial Research
- Laboratories.
-
- Physiological and Physiological Chemical Observations in
- Epidemic Influenza 155–160
-
- C. C. Guthrie, Ph.D., M.D.,
- Professor of Physiology.
-
- The Bacteriology of Epidemic Influenza with a Discussion of B.
- Influenzæ as the Cause of This and Other Infective Processes 161–205
-
- W. L. Holman, B.A., M.D.,
- Professor of Bacteriology.
-
- The Pathology of Epidemic Influenza 207–293
-
- Oskar Klotz, M.D., C.M.,
- Professor of Pathology.
-
-
-
-
- PREFACE
-
-
-This report is based upon a series of investigations carried on during
-the epidemic of influenza at Pittsburgh. This epidemic reached
-Pittsburgh about the last week of September, 1918, rapidly spreading
-through the community during the first days of October. Pittsburgh had
-been warned of its coming through the experience of Boston, where the
-epidemic made its appearance during the late days of August. To a
-certain extent the warning from the East permitted the making of
-preparations to control its ravages. But even with the attempt for the
-protection of public health the epidemic advanced with all its
-virulence, rapidly picking out the susceptible individuals and leading
-to a high death rate.
-
-At the time of the coming of the epidemic there were stationed at
-Pittsburgh two military camps, comprising about 7,000 men. It was with
-the presence of the disease among these men that our investigations were
-chiefly concerned. The men at their respective camps (on the campus of
-the University of Pittsburgh and at the Carnegie School of Technology)
-were housed in barracks which had been erected only a short time
-previously. These barracks contained large dormitories, in which the
-individuals freely mingled with each other. In them there was no
-opportunity of complete isolation, and by this means of housing good
-opportunity was available for the propagation of any communicable
-infectious disease. The ordinary sanitary arrangements for these groups
-were well provided. The first cases of recognized influenza made their
-appearance on October 2. On this day two men were found with the disease
-and were isolated. On the following day there were four, and on the
-third day eight. It was soon recognized that the increasing number of
-the infected cases was growing so rapidly that definite arrangements for
-their segregation and care had to be undertaken. This was provided for
-on October 4, when the Elizabeth Steel Magee Hospital was in part taken
-over by the military authorities and wards were rapidly adapted for the
-coming epidemic. For the foresight in making the adequate arrangements
-for its control and management we shall always remain indebted to Major
-E. W. Day. His indefatigable work in the early days of the epidemic will
-always be remembered, and the fact that the epidemic was kept within
-reasonable bounds of control was the result of his stringent quarantine
-regulations along with the organization of his medical forces. Working
-under his direction, Capt. H. H. Hendershott undertook the management of
-the hospital and rendered most efficient service. The capacity of the
-hospital was soon overburdened, so that from a normal 150–bed
-institution it was on the sixth day of its conversion into an emergency
-hospital carrying more than 300 cases of influenza. This hospital in
-itself was unable to accommodate all of the cases falling ill, and
-provision for these had to be made in some of the municipal
-institutions. On October 5, 1918, the Medical School of the University
-of Pittsburgh undertook to provide the laboratory facilities for the
-emergency Military Hospital. It was at first intended to equip only
-those laboratory departments which were deemed essential for the
-clinical care of the patients in the wards. Inasmuch, however, as the
-epidemic of influenza was spreading with alarming rapidity throughout
-the city, it was deemed advisable to close the Medical School and to
-place at the disposal of the Military Hospital all the laboratory
-facilities which could in any way be of use in the care and study of the
-influenza patients. This permitted the establishment of departments in
-pathology, bacteriology, physiology, physiological-chemistry and
-clinical microscopy. The following workers partook in the investigations
-which were here carried out: Dr. Oskar Klotz, director of laboratories;
-physiology, Dr. C. C. Guthrie (chief), Dr. A. Rhode, Dr. M. Menten, Mrs.
-C. C. Macklin, Miss S. Waddell and Miss M. Lee; bacteriology, Dr. W. L.
-Holman (chief), Miss A. Thorton, Miss C. Prudent and Miss R. Jackson;
-pathology, Dr. Oskar Klotz (chief), Mr. A. D. Frost, Mr. J. L. Scott and
-Miss A. Totten; clinical microscopy, Miss R. Thompson, Mr. M. Marshall
-and Mr. H. Mock; records, Miss H. Turpin. Intensive work was undertaken
-by each over a period of about five weeks, when the epidemic was again
-on the road to disappearance and few new cases were being admitted.
-These laboratories discontinued their work at the Military Hospital on
-November 9.
-
-The clinical observations which are contained in this report were made
-at the Mercy Hospital. This institution set aside upward of 100 beds for
-the care of the overflow which could not be accommodated at the Military
-Hospital. It is unfortunate that the clinical observations and the
-laboratory findings contained in this report were not made upon the same
-cases. With the number of cases suddenly thrust upon the medical staff
-of the army, it was not possible for them to devote detailed attention
-to clinical investigation. Furthermore, during the progress of the
-epidemic these medical officers were transferred to new posts, so that
-it was impossible to obtain a summary of the clinical findings at the
-Military Hospital by any of the officers who had but recently been
-detailed to the work. We were fortunate, however, that the clinical
-investigations were carried out on a similar group of cases to those
-studied by the laboratory, and it might be said that their clinical
-findings on the patients housed at the Mercy Hospital are parallel with
-those observed in other institutions. Necessarily the researches carried
-out during such an epidemic were intensive, and all the workers in the
-various branches feel that if they had to live through another such
-plague they would be much better prepared to approach their problem.
-During the heat of such investigations valuable time is often lost in
-perfecting methods of technique, and one sorrowfully finds oneself
-without available material when the technical work has been accomplished
-but the epidemic has passed by. In the studies in bacteriology we were
-fortunate in having some of the technical difficulties for the isolation
-of the B. influenzæ previously solved. It may be that this in part
-explains the broad success which Dr. Holman has had in isolating the B.
-influenzæ from so many cases. In other fields the road was less broken,
-and it was not until late in the course of the epidemic that results
-were obtained in the investigation which seemed to point to valuable
-leads.
-
-Dr. S. R. Haythorn, director of the Singer Memorial Laboratory, early in
-the epidemic became interested in the protection of individuals against
-the infection. In certain quarters much was claimed for the immunity
-which could be conferred by vaccination, either by the inoculation of
-pure B. influenzæ vaccines or by mixed vaccines. Hoping for some results
-by the use of such vaccines, Dr. Haythorn undertook the preparation of
-these materials. The value of this procedure could only be estimated
-after the lapse of some time and at a period when the epidemic was again
-waning.
-
-The clinical work at Mercy Hospital was carried on under the direction
-of Dr. J. A. Lichty, and assisted by Dr. W. W. G. Maclachlan, Dr. P. I.
-Zeedick, Dr. F. Klein and Dr. W. J. Fetter. By the close co-operation of
-the members of this group it was possible to put the clinical findings
-of one or other member to severe test, so that the recorded observations
-and deductions are of the greater value and less flavored by the
-personal element. This is of the more value, since, with the great
-amount of work which had to be done at the time of the height of the
-epidemic, it was often not possible for the same individual to bestow
-the amount of time upon each and all cases as he desired.
-
-We are much indebted to Dr. Ogden M. Edwards, dean of the School of
-Medicine, for making available the facilities for carrying out the work,
-and for encouraging the publication of the reports.
-
- OSKAR KLOTZ.
-
- _Pittsburgh_, June, 1919.
-
-
-
-
- HISTORY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFLUENZA
-
- By JAMES I. JOHNSTON, M. D.
-
-
-The history of epidemic influenza extends back with definite
-authenticity to the Middle Ages, with a fair amount of assurance to the
-beginning of the Christian Era and with presumptive reliability even
-before that period. Beyond this statement, nothing definite can be said
-until the first epidemic reported by Short and found in the English
-Annals in the year 1510. This, the first reliable record, presented some
-features not unlike those occurring in the present epidemic. Two or
-three striking things stand out in this record—namely, the presence of
-nose bleed, pneumonia and the very great danger to gravid women. Here,
-for the first time, the meteorological conditions were elaborately
-studied and persistently dwelt upon. One other impressive thing, also
-reported by Short, was that in 1580 the disease showed a tendency to
-return after a period of quiescence. Attention is called to this because
-the epidemic, while it was exceedingly prevalent in the months of August
-and September, became pandemic in October and November. Another feature
-was that during the years intervening between 1580 and 1658 sporadic
-cases of this disease were frequently reported. During the latter year
-another epidemic appeared in the month of April. In 1657 and 1658 at
-London the summer was very warm, the winter came on early, there was
-much snow and the spring was very moist.
-
-The prevailing opinion at this time, and the first stated by Willis, was
-that the widespread disease was due to the weather influences on the
-circulation, poisoning the blood of the patients, and “not blasts of
-malignant air.” The disease prevailed in the large cities, recurring
-again in the autumn in an extensive form through the villages and
-country. Sydenham, in his communication on the epidemic in 1675, wrote
-emphatically on the influence of the infection on pregnant women, and
-here used the term “tussis epidemicus” as a name for the disease. The
-summer of 1675 was wet with an inconstant autumn. La Grippe prevailed in
-France and Germany, according to Atmuller. In England in 1676, the
-autumn was pleasant, but suddenly became cold and moist. La Grippe then
-started in Germany during September after a summer and a beginning
-autumn which was very rainy. Molyneux in his description of the epidemic
-of 1693 in Dublin called attention to a feature, very striking to the
-recent pandemic, that the aged to a great extent escaped the infection.
-This would seem a somewhat unique feature until that epidemic is
-compared with the present one. In 1729 Morgagni and others stated that
-over all Europe the winter of 1728 was very rigorous, the spring was
-cold and the summer and autumn very variable, while January and February
-of that year were very moist. Huxham in his record of 1729, the fifth
-extensive one on record in the English Annals, which extended into 1733,
-stated from his study at Plymouth that the epidemic was exceedingly mild
-in the year 1733, and, with the exception of infants and consumptive old
-people, the mortality was very low. Like many of his predecessors, he
-emphasized greatly the conditions of the weather at the time and
-presented an elaborate study of it. The epidemic of 1732 was one of the
-longest and most persistent, extending up to 1737. All authors do not
-hesitate to attribute as a cause the very frequent variations of
-temperature which characterized this period. Of this epidemic Arbuthnot
-also emphasized the importance of the air, assigning the prevalence and
-widespread features of the disease to the thick and frequent fogs. From
-November, 1732, until March, 1733, this disease spread from Germany to
-Italy and thence to England. He called attention to a very striking
-feature—namely, that people in prisons and in hospitals escaped the
-disease. This, as we know, where such institutions are placed under
-preventive quarantine, is not such a unique feature during this present
-scourge. He, more than former writers, devoted pages to the elaborate
-and accurate description of instruments for meteorological observation
-and their findings, which meteorological records were published in
-detail, covering the whole period of a year—June, 1732, to June,
-1733—with almost daily regularity. Huxham in 1737 in his record first
-used the term “epidemic catarrhal fever”—a name often used subsequently
-to describe this disease. Here attention was first called to the
-prostration which characterized the convalescents, and his belief that
-consumption frequently followed the disease. The next epidemic, which
-occurred in 1742 and 1743, was also reported by Huxham, who stated that
-the weather was very rigorous. This disease, according to his
-description, extended over all Europe, and the term “influenza” seems to
-have been first used by him during this time. The cases were mild in
-England, but more severe in Southern Europe. Whytt in his record of the
-epidemic of 1758 was the first who did not consider that the air
-condition or the seasons had the significance attributed to them by
-former writers, since the weather conditions during the prevalence of
-the disease were generally mild and dry. In Edinburgh at this time not
-even one out of seven escaped. Nevertheless, he did not hesitate to
-express his opinion that the disease did not spread by contagion from
-one person to another. One other observation of his is worthy of note,
-which is: that frequent relapses occurred when patients were re-exposed
-too soon after the first infection and such relapses were much more
-severe than the original disease.
-
-The epidemic of 1762 called forth the opinion of Baker, emphasizing an
-opinion already expressed by Whytt, that the origin of epidemic disease
-is not due to changeable winds nor to their nature or character as
-recorded by the barometer. This epidemic also prevailed over all Europe
-and appears to have begun following sharp alterations of cold and
-moisture. In 1766 in Spain, France and other parts of Europe the
-epidemic appears to have begun after a warm summer, followed by an
-autumn moist and cold. In 1767 Heberden placed on record his
-observations during this period, but nothing new was reported. In 1775
-the disease began in Germany in the summer after a dry and warm spring
-and spread over all Europe. During the prevalence of the disease in 1775
-a questionnaire was sent to the leading English physicians, and letters
-from Fothergill, Sir John Pringle, Heberden, Reynolds and others seemed
-to express a consensus of opinion that weather conditions had nothing to
-do with the prevalence or spread of the disease, and that the cause and
-reason for its spread were unknown. Following sharp alterations in
-temperature in 1780, the disease appeared in France and then throughout
-the world. The epidemic of 1782 began in Russia, starting January 2 at
-St. Petersburg. The thermometer underwent a variation of 40 degrees and
-the same day 4,000 were afflicted with La Grippe. It reached Koenigsburg
-in March, Copenhagen in April, London in May, France in June and July,
-Italy in July and August, Spain and Portugal in August and September,
-and then reached America. Edward Gray, writing of the epidemic of 1782
-for the first time, expressed emphatically his opinion on the
-contagiousness of the disease and stated what we now know—that close
-contact is necessary. To him also is attributed the opinion first
-mentioned by him, that there is a possibility of carriers in this
-disease. During this time Dr. Hamilton, in a published letter, protested
-against venesection in influenza, a practice long prevalent, and Hogarth
-called attention to the fact that the disease began in cities and
-villages first and that it was brought to these places by visitors from
-without.
-
-The first American writer on this subject was Noah Webster in 1647 and
-1655. Following him was Warren, writing of the epidemic of 1789 and
-1790, just 100 years before the last and greatest epidemic which
-preceded the present one. Rush and Drake also reported this epidemic.
-During that epidemic which prevailed in America from September to
-December, 1789, and appeared again in the spring of 1790, President
-Washington suffered a very severe attack. The year before, in 1788, when
-the epidemic prevailed abroad, the summer temperature in Paris was very
-variable, variations of 8, 10 and 12 degrees occurring on various days.
-La Grippe predominated all the time. The same variations were true in
-Vienna. At the end of the year 1799 the epidemic struck Russia,
-following very cloudy, misty weather, was prevalent in Lithuania in
-January of the year 1800 and in Poland during February.
-
-The next great epidemic occurred in 1802 and 1803, was very general,
-beginning in France and coinciding with a cold and moist autumn
-following a very dry summer. It was of six months’ duration in England.
-Many schools, jails, asylums and workhouses, although located in the
-area swept by this plague, at first escaped. As mentioned before, this
-striking feature has not been so unique in subsequent epidemics. One
-feature noticed here and commented upon freely was that elsewhere
-throughout the country there seemed to arise endemic foci. During this
-time there was also the prevailing belief that the disease was followed
-by phthisis. One other observation made here, which was accurate,
-lasting and is accepted today, was that no family was affected _en
-masse_, but always one individual case occurred first, to be followed by
-general infection of the others. At this time early bleeding was still
-adhered to. The French spoke of seven varieties of the disease, but one
-can only see in the classification emphasis laid on certain individual
-symptoms in this disease of complex symptomatology. During this epidemic
-pneumonia is said to have been very infrequent. The disease was
-particularly fatal to pregnant women, and the patients suffering from
-pulmonary tuberculosis were hurried off by the influenza.
-
-Burns, writing of the epidemic of 1831, mentioned that in 1810 the
-disease was very widespread in China and Manila, and also emphasized the
-fact mentioned in many works that certain epidemics prevailed among
-animals at the same time, stating that in 1831 these diseases were of
-choleric nature. This epidemic began in 1830 in the East, reached Paris
-in the summer of 1831, reappeared in Europe in 1833, following the same
-route that cholera had taken in 1832. In the epidemic of 1833, Hingeston
-also laid great stress on the fact that horses were often affected.
-These features, as mentioned by Burns and Hingeston, are frequently
-quoted by authors, and such observations seem to have been widely
-accepted.
-
-One of the greatest epidemics of influenza began in 1836 and extended
-until 1837, and was called at this time epidemic catarrh. It began in
-England in January, spread to France, and during all the time that it
-was in Paris there were continual penetrating rains with cold and
-humidity. At Montpelier on February 20, 1837, the thermometer passed
-from 12 to 15 degrees above to 2 and 3 degrees below zero, and it was
-then that La Grippe appeared suddenly. In reply to the circular letter
-sent out by the Council of the Provincial Medical Association of
-England, comprising 18 questions, the following opinions prevailed. The
-disease was greatest from September to February; the great prevalence of
-the epidemic in all parts of the kingdom was recognized—attacks were
-irrespective of age, sex or temperament; it was milder in children, and
-the aged suffered most from it. Further, the disease was extensive in
-all neighborhoods; the mortality was 1 in 50, old age predisposed to
-fatal termination, and the duration of the disease occupied two periods,
-one terminating in 4 or 5 days and one in 5 to 14 days. Also relapses
-were frequent; those exposed to employment in the open air were not more
-liable to the disease than others; there was no proof of the disease
-being communicated from one person to another, and influenza aggravated
-an existent pneumonia or pulmonary phthisis. And finally previous
-attacks of influenza offered no protection; the symptoms were uniform;
-the most common of unusual symptoms were those of meningitis,
-inflammation of the lungs and syncope, and aside from ordinary care and
-treatment, general venesection was not endorsed. Evidence of fine
-weather and good telluric conditions were at this time also appended.
-The same symptoms and complications, particularly those of the lungs,
-occurred irrespective of seasons, civilization or place. It was believed
-and stated that the plague described in Homer was probably influenza.
-For the first time there is noticed here a point well worth
-consideration—the association of other epidemics with influenza, either
-anticipating, following or superseding. That some such association may
-follow the present pandemic is not to be entirely ignored. For example,
-cholera is already reported as prevailing abroad, following an earlier
-influenza outbreak. During the period, as if anticipating bacteriology,
-one writer explained the epidemic in an article called “The Dust of
-Regular Winds,” and Groves (1850) wrote on “Epidemics Examined, or
-Living Germs as a Source of Disease.”
-
-In 1846 and 1847 a slight epidemic occurred in London, Paris, Nancy and
-Geneva. In France during the last week of 1857, and extending into
-January and February, 1858, there was a mild epidemic. During this
-period there alternated frequent frosts with soft weather, misty and
-humid. Among the numerous small epidemics between 1837 and 1889, one
-occurred on the continent of Europe in 1860, but little of value or
-interest was noted. In Paris in March, after great and sharp variations
-in temperature, a series of epidemics extended from 1870 to 1875. These
-were unimportant. Atmospheric modifications occupied first rank in the
-minds of some as a cause for the outbreaks. Rapid changes from hot to
-cold or from cold to hot were given weight. Other undetermined
-modifications of conditions were probably important.
-
-In a recent article published by Loy McAfee (J. A. M. A., 1917, 72, 445)
-he discussed the confusion which existed between the diagnosis of
-cerebro-spinal meningitis and epidemic influenza in 1863. These were
-believed the same by some—that is, the same disease of varying degree.
-There was a great diversity of opinion among clinicians at this time,
-and the American Medical Association appointed a committee to make an
-investigation. McAfee quotes from the Medical and Surgical History of
-the War of the Rebellion that in 1861 and 1862 an epidemic existed among
-the troops called epidemic catarrh, which was afterward changed to read
-acute bronchitis. In September, 1861, there existed an epidemic of
-influenza in one of the regiments which lasted more than two weeks, and
-in another camp there was a similar epidemic at the same time. It is
-stated that there were in all 168,715 cases among the white troops, with
-a mortality of 650, and 22,648 among the negro troops, with a mortality
-of 255, making about 4 per thousand, and over 11 per thousand,
-respectively.
-
-The next great epidemic, and the last until the present, occurred in the
-years 1889 and 1892, and was pandemic in its nature. The death rate
-during this time was lower in the cities than in the country. This was
-probably due to the fact that the greatest mortality was among children
-and old people, and as old people were generally left in the country,
-this explains the observation. The highest number of deaths was among
-males, believed to be due to the exposure and fatigue of work. Forty per
-cent. of the world’s population was said to have been attacked during
-this period. The yearly or seasonal repetition, as shown in this
-pandemic, had occurred in other epidemics. In the great pandemic of 1889
-and 1890, five decades after the last important epidemic, it was stated
-that the medical profession found itself confronted by a new disease of
-which it had knowledge through medical history, so also in our time few
-physicians recognized at first the reappearance of influenza. This 1889
-epidemic is extensively reported in the literature, and has been
-elaborately worked out by many observers. One important feature has been
-emphasized by Leichtenstern, which, although recognized by the
-profession after the last epidemic had been fully reported and recorded,
-is not appreciated by the profession during the present epidemic—namely,
-that while shortly after the last epidemic there were smaller
-relightings of the infection throughout various parts of the country,
-those diseases which we erroneously call grippe or influenza, occurring
-commonly in the spring and fall, are in no way connected with the
-disease with which we are dealing, and which occurs at rather long
-intervals. Any speculation in regard to these periods, which history has
-shown to be fairly wide apart, has very little basis. This pandemic,
-like many of former days, is believed to have originated in Asia, and
-from there to have spread over Europe and hence over the world. The
-disease spread rapidly over countries, affected probably about 40 per
-cent. of the world’s population, disappeared rapidly after several
-weeks, was thought to have had nothing to do with weather conditions,
-had a great morbidity but small mortality, and affected all ages and
-occupations. There is no doubt, as stated by some, that the development
-of traffic and travel was a large factor in the rapid and extensive
-spread of influenza during this pandemic. The course which the disease
-followed, springing from its supposed beginning in Asia, has been fully
-and amply described by writers after that period, but the great rapidity
-of its dissemination over all countries is the most remarkable feature
-in the epidemiology of any disease. This, during 1889, made many
-prominent physicians disregard the opinion that influenza spread by
-contagion and accept again the opinion expressed by observers of
-epidemics in former ages, that miasma as a pathogenic agent was
-responsible for its distribution; but anyone who reads closely the
-history of this epidemic, and in the light of modern medical science,
-must feel that the rapidity of distribution was nowhere greater than the
-most speedy means of transportation. This very necessary close
-connection was demonstrated also in regard to the mode of spread of the
-disease; the large cities and the commercial centers were affected
-earlier, smaller and country districts followed later, railroad towns
-were more frequently attacked than isolated villages, and even from
-jails, prisons and workhouses, where quarantine was immediately
-attempted, as well as from remote villages where the disease had been
-brought, there could be traced a zone of infection spreading into the
-country. One interesting point was raised at this time—namely, that in
-some places it seemed to spread by leaps and bounds, and at other places
-radiating as stated above.
-
-The old controversy of whether influenza is distributed in a radiating
-manner or in so-called leaps and bounds is believed to be settled by
-consensus of opinion that it occurs in both ways. An opinion expressed
-by the study at this time as to whether influenza spreads more rapidly
-than any other infectious disease is found in the statement that the
-contagion is markedly virulent, the micro-organisms are easily conveyed
-from their original seat in the mucous membrane by coughing, sneezing
-and expectoration, the great number of persons who, though slightly
-affected, carried on their ordinary way of life without hindrance, the
-probable longevity of the organisms in convalescents, the brief period
-of incubation of two or three days, the susceptibility of all people of
-every age and vocation, and the possibility of carrying the contagion by
-merchandise and even through short distances in the air, are all
-suggestive reasons for this. No one at present accepts the so-called
-miasmatic nature of the contagion. Proofs are ample to show that one
-case must be present in a locality or even family, although it may be
-frequently overlooked, from which the epidemic spreads. During this
-period of 1889 and 1890 the duration of the actual epidemic period in
-different localities in Europe was from four to six weeks. This was
-subsequently shown to be consistent with the recorded reports from the
-various cities in the United States. Following this pandemic in the
-first part of the year in 1891 there were numerous epidemic outbreaks in
-various parts of America, including New Orleans, Chicago, Boston, and
-simultaneously in England. Strange to say, at this time neither Germany
-nor France had such epidemics, although both were exposed by travelers,
-particularly from England and America. The question was raised at that
-time whether the Germans, French or other continental nations were more
-immune than Americans and English. In the fall of 1891 and the entire
-winter of 1892 the disease was extensively prevalent both in Europe and
-Northern America. In these later epidemics there was no definite
-direction of spread. They probably would come more clearly under the
-so-called radiation from numerous rural districts. In almost every case
-at the point of its origin in these countries the epidemic developed and
-spread slowly, lasting months and with very varying morbidity and
-mortality. They had none of the explosive characteristics of the
-pandemic. The general diminished morbidity of the later epidemic, the
-diminished geographic distribution of the disease and the scarcely
-recognizable character of its contagion, its slow development and
-extension over several months, the continuous diminution in frequency
-and in intensity since its onset in 1889, have been explained by
-presumptive successive lessening of susceptibility of the population,
-possibly due to acquired immunization. Observers at that time, as well
-as ourselves, could question this last statement.
-
-There was observed one noteworthy thing about seasons. While the great
-pandemic of 1889 and 1890 had no definite connection with seasons, the
-epidemic types which followed in 1891 and 1892 seemed to show a lighting
-up in either spring or fall, remaining dormant in the summer months. It
-has also been shown by the history of former epidemics that almost all
-the pandemics started from Russia in the fall, winter and spring months.
-Such was the case in 10 of the great pandemics of 1729 to 1889. This, no
-doubt, was the reason so many of the former historical writers were
-impressed by seasons and meteorological conditions. The statement made
-by observers during the epidemic that influenza presented two phases,
-one pandemic and the other endemic, and that each follows different
-epidemiological rules, seems possible. The question raised during the
-last epidemic of the spread of the disease in families, the disease
-occurring at high altitudes and even at sea, we know does not interfere
-with the recognition of its spread by direct contagion. Definite
-examples of families or villages being infected by a returned member of
-such family or citizen from abroad are reported frequently, and even the
-appearance of the disease in isolated places has often been traced and
-verified from a definite source, to say nothing of the question of
-carriers and those supposed to be suffering from other diseases.
-
-Striking examples are shown also in this epidemic that many
-institutions, frequently those isolated from the world, were markedly
-exempt until, through servants or outside visitors, the disease gained
-access to them. This gave a most favorable field for the study of
-invasion, spread and decline of the disease. Observations made at this
-time in regard to hospitals seemed to suggest that certain institutions
-were more or less exempt, although not closed institutions, while others
-suffered from the first. These two types of hospital invasion are hard
-to reconcile.
-
-Great stress was laid in this epidemic upon the very great morbidity and
-the low mortality. Simple, uncomplicated influenza at this time was
-looked upon as a disease that was rarely dangerous to life. Studies have
-shown that after this period there seemed to have been lessened
-morbidity. As previously stated, nearly all the numerous pandemics at
-various times have had their origin in Russia and arose in the late
-autumn or winter months. This pandemic of 1889 and the succeeding severe
-epidemics in Europe and North America in the years of 1891 and 1892
-occurred almost exclusively in the cold weather, the summer remaining
-free. It is generally believed now, and was at the end of that pandemic,
-that atmospheric or telluric conditions had nothing to do with the
-spread. The origin of epidemics following the pandemics seemed to be
-influenced in their recurrence by the season of the year. It was
-conceded by observers in that pandemic also that contagion might be
-carried by merchandise and even flies and healthy individuals.
-
-
- _1918 Epidemic in Large Cities_
-
-In the city of Boston during the week ending August 28, at the Naval
-Station at the Commonwealth Pier, 50 cases of influenza occurred and
-within the next two weeks more than 2,000 were reported in the naval
-forces of the First Naval District. Of these 5 per cent. developed
-broncho-pneumonia with a mortality of more than 60 per cent. From here
-it probably spread to Camp Devens and thence ran rapidly over the
-country. There can hardly be a question that it spread along the lines
-of traffic. Up to November 9 there were reported 3,339 cases among the
-civilian population of Boston. There were 3,430 deaths from influenza,
-the presumption being that these were due to bronchial pneumonia,
-although not reported as such. The deaths from all forms of pneumonia
-were reported as 942, making in all 4,372 deaths from September 7 to
-November 9. This discrepancy—that is more deaths than reported cases of
-influenza—is due to the fact that influenza was not made a reportable
-disease until the date of October 4, fully a month from the time the
-epidemic appeared. The weather conditions were generally fair and no
-noted abnormality is recorded as compared with other years. The
-statement of the Health Department of this city was that, after a
-practical disappearance of influenza in October, there was a slight
-recurrence in November and a more pronounced recurrence about the first
-of December, since which time the cases have slowly but steadily
-decreased, until at present—December 21—the fatalities attributable to
-influenza are about 20 daily.
-
-In the city of New York the epidemic first appeared September 18. Up to
-and including December 27 there were reported to the Department of
-Health 136,061 cases of influenza and 21,388 cases of pneumonia. The
-number of deaths since September 18 was 11,725 attributed to influenza
-in the death certificates filed in the Health Department and 11,601
-attributed to pneumonia. The epidemic reached its peak during the week
-of October 19, slowly subsided and was practically at an end on November
-9. While the epidemic is reported as ending on this date, the mortality
-rate from influenza and pneumonia is still very much above normal. No
-particular features concerning the meteorological conditions were noted,
-except that in this city the weather was clear and delightful during the
-months of September and October when the epidemic was rampant.
-
-In the city of Philadelphia on July 22 the Health Department issued its
-first health bulletin on so-called Spanish influenza, announcing the
-possible spread of this disease into the United States. On September 18
-a warning was issued against an epidemic, the department starting a
-public campaign against coughing, sneezing and spitting. On September 21
-the Bureau of Health made influenza a reportable disease. At this time
-the authorities stated an epidemic of influenza was recognized as
-existing among the civil population of similar type to that found in the
-naval stations and cantonments; that a large percentage of cases was
-accompanied by pneumonia; that patients should be isolated and
-attendants wear masks; that isolation be practiced for a period of ten
-days after recovery to prevent carriers; that patients be guarded
-against relapse and that the public be cautioned against large
-assemblages and crowded places, as well as to avoid coughing, sneezing
-and spitting. On October 3 the churches, saloons and theatres were
-closed, funerals were made private and food handlers were required to
-protect their wares. The number of cases reported from September 23 to
-November 8 was 48,131, but the Bureau states, from a rough estimate, the
-number of cases was probably 150,000. The total number of deaths
-reported was 7,915 from influenza and 4,772 from pneumonia in all its
-forms, the presumption being that the deaths during this period were due
-to influenzal pneumonia. The weather condition during this time is
-recorded as mild and fair.
-
-The influenza cases began to be reported in Cleveland on October 5, and
-up to December 20, 22,703 cases had been recorded. Certificates
-recording deaths due to influenza alone numbered 2,497, while pneumonia
-amounted to 833. The epidemic was at its height in the latter half of
-October and the weather was spoken of as pleasant fall weather. During
-the week of October 26 the epidemic reached its greatest height, abated
-in the week ending November 23, increased later, but showed a drop for
-the week ending December 21.
-
-The epidemic first reached Chicago on September 21, and from that date
-on it rapidly increased throughout the city for a period of 26 days
-until October 17, when it reached its maximum both in the number of
-deaths from influenza and from pneumonia. On that day the total number
-of deaths from influenza and from pneumonia reported was 2,395. From
-September 21 until November 16 there were reported 37,921 cases of
-influenza and 13,109 cases of pneumonia. On September 8 at the Great
-Lakes Naval Training Station, which is 32 miles north of the city, an
-extensive outbreak of influenza occurred. This was 13 days before the
-outbreak in the city of Chicago itself. Camp Grant, located at Rockford,
-92 miles northwest of the city, suffered an outbreak on September 21. A
-suggestion of the likelihood that influenza was prevalent in this
-country in a mild and unrecognized form in the spring of this year is
-shown by the fact that numerous local outbreaks of acute respiratory
-diseases were brought to the attention of the Health Department of
-Chicago. These occurred especially in large office buildings and in
-industrial departments. The total number of deaths from influenza and
-pneumonia during 14 weeks was 51,915. This would indicate that a very
-great number of cases were not reported to the Bureau of Health until
-they died or else there must have been a large number of deaths due to
-lobar pneumonia. One naturally obtains from these figures the impression
-that the disease was not recognized for a long time, that the pneumonia
-must have been called lobar pneumonia, and that the actual figures
-gathered by this city, as well as others, must have been greatly
-confused at the onset of the epidemic. It is not unlikely that records
-from many of the army cantonments and naval stations may be considered
-from the same viewpoint. Weather conditions were considered normal at
-the height of the epidemic, the weather being dry. There has been a
-flare-up of influenza recently, but not in sufficient numbers to justify
-calling it epidemic.
-
-In the city of Louisville, Ky., the epidemic started September 26, and
-the total number of cases up to December 21 is reported as being 9,445.
-Out of this number 772 deaths occurred from pneumonia. No distinction is
-made here between broncho-pneumonia and lobar pneumonia, but the
-presumption from the records of other cities at this time is that these
-were cases of broncho-pneumonia following influenza. The weather was
-described as being delightful fall weather. The statement is made by the
-authorities that while the epidemic is still prevalent, it is confined
-largely to children and is rapidly abating.
-
-The first case in the city of St. Louis was reported about October 7,
-and up to December 23 there had been 31,531 cases reported to the Bureau
-of Health. They recorded 1,920 deaths with influenza given as a
-contributing cause. Preceding the time when the epidemic was at its
-height the weather was fair and warm, and the statement is made that,
-“without going into the matter exactly, we have been of the opinion that
-damp, rainy weather has been a help in controlling the disease.” The
-opinion was expressed by the Commissioner of Health that the disease had
-now abated.
-
-No information could be obtained as to when the epidemic first reached
-the city of New Orleans, but during the months of October and November
-43,954 cases of influenza were recorded. Of this number 2,188 died from
-a combination of influenza and pneumonia. They stated in their health
-report that during the period from January 1 to December 31 there were
-239 deaths attributable to broncho-pneumonia. The weather was mild and
-on December 24 the epidemic was stated to have abated.
-
-The city of Minneapolis recorded its first case on October 7, but the
-authorities expressed their belief that a few cases had appeared before
-that date. Up to December 21, 15,000 cases had been reported to the
-Bureau of Health and of these there had been 735 deaths from
-broncho-pneumonia. They had in their city a late, rainy fall and up to
-that period they had had no cold weather.
-
-The record obtained from the city of San Francisco stated that the
-epidemic first appeared September 23 and that it was very widespread in
-that city early in October. There were two invasions and 53,260 cases
-reported. At the height of the epidemic more than 2,000 cases were
-reported in one week; 188 deaths occurred from influenzal pneumonia. The
-following week, after the institution of mask wearing, in which between
-80 and 90 per cent. of the population concurred, it was stated that the
-number of cases decreased to about 200. It was stated that the weather
-was generally very fair during the epidemic.
-
-From the city of Portland, Oregon, the following information was
-obtained: The epidemic first appeared October 11, with a second one
-toward the end of the year. There were 8,079 cases reported, with 658
-deaths from influenza and 250 from pneumonia. Weather conditions were
-stated to be varied, but the health officer believed that during the
-worst wave the weather was clear and dry, with easterly wind. He
-believed that a decrease in influenza was noticed immediately after a
-Chinook wind and warm rain. Similar observations were made by Coutant in
-Manila.
-
-A weather comparison of 12 large cities, well distributed over the
-United States, studied during this pandemic of influenza and checked
-with normal weather during that of many years, shows: Boston, fair with
-no abnormality; New York, clear and delightful, no abnormality;
-Philadelphia, mild and fair; Pittsburgh, mild and cloudy; Cleveland,
-pleasant fall weather; Chicago, normal and dry; Louisville, delightful
-fall weather; St. Louis, fair and warm-damp, rainy weather later seemed
-to control the epidemic; New Orleans, mild; Minneapolis, a rainy fall
-and no cold weather, which is unusual there; San Francisco, generally
-fair, and Portland, Oregon, clear and dry.
-
-
- _The Epidemic in Universities and Colleges_
-
-At Bryn Mawr College, in Pennsylvania, an institution devoted to the
-higher education of women, located within 10 miles of the city of
-Philadelphia, the epidemic occurred at the beginning of the college
-year—October 1. This college at the time had an enrollment of 465
-students. There were 85 cases of influenza, with an additional 25 who
-suffered from influenza in their homes. There were no deaths from
-pneumonia. The weather conditions were clear and warm, and since
-November 29 there have been no new cases occurring in the college and
-only three or four of the students have been ill at their homes since
-that time.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- DATES OF THE APPEARANCE OF INFLUENZA ENDEMIC IN VARIOUS CITIES OF THE
- UNITED STATES
- 1918.
-]
-
-The enrollment at Smith College, Northampton, Mass., was 2,103, and the
-first case of influenza appeared with the arrival of the students on
-September 18 and reached its height on September 30. All group
-gatherings indoors were stopped from October 3 to October 18, and the
-epidemic was over by October 20. A recurrence began November 15 and
-continued until December 17. There were 182 cases in the first epidemic
-and 100 cases in the second. There were only two deaths from influenza
-pneumonia. During the rise of the epidemic the weather was rainy,
-followed by good, clear weather. The change in weather conditions seemed
-to make no difference. The second epidemic was still prevalent when the
-students left for their holidays.
-
-In Wellesley College, where there were enrolled 1,593 students, the
-epidemic first appeared on September 18. Up to the middle of December
-they had had 280 cases. During six weeks of the epidemic 265 cases were
-reported and only one death occurred from broncho-pneumonia. For the
-most part, bright and sunny days were present, with only a few cloudy
-and rainy days. This college has not been without cases since September,
-but the epidemic lasted only about six weeks.
-
-In a communication from Columbia University it is stated that the
-epidemic appeared during the week beginning September 22. No records
-were available for the student body at the time of inquiry, but in the
-Student Army Training Corps of 2,200 men between 8 and 9 per cent. had
-the disease during the period from October 1 to December 14. In this
-army group during this period two deaths from influenza and pneumonia
-occurred. The weather conditions in the city during this time were
-considered normal for fall weather—that is, mostly clear, with high
-winds. The opinion expressed was that the epidemic was still prevalent
-and increasing, and that a return wave seemed to be more virulent and
-affected the children of the city more than had the first one in the
-early fall.
-
-There were enrolled at Harvard on October 1, 3,193 students. The first
-case of influenza occurred on September 20. There were 227 cases of
-influenza reported; of these there were 46 cases of broncho-pneumonia,
-with five deaths. There were two waves to the epidemic; the first wave
-height was in October and the second the last of November. The weather
-conditions were not severe nor particularly unfavorable at either time.
-The epidemic abated at the university largely because of the
-demobilization of the Student Army Training Corps. At that time it was
-still prevalent in Cambridge and Greater Boston.
-
-At Yale University the disease first appeared in the New Haven Hospital
-on September 21. There were registered in all departments of the
-university 2,265 students. Up to the date of December 24, 1,013 cases
-have been treated. The number of deaths from broncho-pneumonia has been
-249. At the height of the epidemic, which occurred in the third week of
-October, typical fall weather prevailed. An unusually clear, dry October
-with very little rain, much sunshine and rather low humidity was the
-weather report.
-
-During the period of the epidemic at Princeton that university had 1,050
-students, and the first cases appeared shortly after the opening of the
-college term on September 24. As a precautionary measure, every case,
-when even only suspicious, was sent to the infirmary. In all, there were
-about 70 cases in the university and about 45 cases from the United
-States School of Military Aeronautics. Only one member in the latter
-school died of pneumonia. There were no deaths among the students at the
-university. In this part of the country the weather was most delightful
-all autumn, being warm and dry, very little rain having occurred since
-the end of July. At the date of the inquiry the epidemic had
-disappeared—that is, about December 21—there being only two very mild
-cases under suspicion. In the town of Princeton, outside of the
-university, the conditions were much more serious than in the university
-itself. Influenza appeared in the homes of many of the poor people of
-the immigrant class, so that it was not uncommon for four or five
-members of one family to be infected at once. In one family of seven,
-five serious cases of pneumonia developed. An emergency hospital was
-opened by the authorities and 40 cases of pneumonia were treated. Of
-these approximately one-half died. At the time this report was furnished
-the epidemic seemed to have disappeared.
-
-The number of students enrolled at the University of Virginia was 957.
-The first cases occurred as early as September 24. There were 290 of
-these in number, and three died of broncho-pneumonia. The epidemic was
-reported as having abated on December 15, but a few cases appeared after
-that date.
-
-
- _1918 Epidemic at Pittsburgh_
-
-At the Army General Hospital No. 24, located at Hoboken, a few miles
-outside of the city of Pittsburgh, on September 28 two soldiers were
-taken ill and, with the disease unrecognized, they were removed to the
-cantonment hospital at Point Breeze, within the city proper. The men
-were found a few days later to be suffering from influenza, and from
-this presumable source an epidemic spread rapidly among the troops and
-student soldiers located here.
-
-From September 28 until November 20, 1,392 cases of influenza occurred
-among the enlisted men. How the infection reached the first two cases at
-Hoboken is not known. The command here consisted of the Student Army
-Training Corps of the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Institute
-of Technology, Motor Mechanics of the University of Pittsburgh and the
-Ordnance and Quartermasters’ Department on detached service. The
-strength of this command was approximately 7,000. The first case
-appeared on September 30 and the diagnosis was made on the following
-day. Beginning October 13, all soldiers of this group were inoculated
-with two 1 cc. doses of vaccine, obtained from the New York State Board
-of Health. At the height of the epidemic there were about 840 soldier
-patients in the several hospitals of the city at one time. Cubicles were
-used in the hospitals, and in the barracks a floor space of 50 square
-feet was allowed to each man. The men slept alternately head to foot,
-with paper screens intervening, which were changed daily. In company
-formation they were instructed to gargle their throats and clean their
-teeth morning and night under the supervision of their officers. Strict
-military quarantine was maintained throughout the entire camp, no
-congregating was allowed, classes were suspended and only open-air
-drills were permitted. For the entire command there were 220 cases of
-pneumonia, with 99 deaths, an average mortality of 44 per cent. The
-dishes were boiled in the hospitals, and sanitary dishwashers were used
-in all mess halls. The kitchen help and personnel were inoculated with
-influenza vaccine, with apparently good results. The Magee Hospital,
-with 375 beds, was under strict military control. When this was full,
-all others were treated in the civilian hospitals.
-
-In the city of Pittsburgh the disease was not made reportable until
-October 5. However, one case was reported on October 1, and it was known
-that there were a few isolated cases in Pittsburgh previous to that
-date. During the months of October, November and up to December 21 there
-were 23,268 cases of influenza reported, and the deaths were 1,374 from
-lobar pneumonia and 678 from broncho-pneumonia. We cannot but feel that
-most of the deaths reported during the period of the epidemic as lobar
-pneumonia were broncho-pneumonia associated with influenza. It was well
-known among civilians that true lobar pneumonia was exceedingly rare and
-has remained so up to the present time. This is especially noticeable,
-as this is the time of the year when lobar pneumonia is usually
-widespread in Western Pennsylvania. This district was particularly
-favored with a mild fall and winter. On October 1 the first case was
-reported, on October 15 the epidemic reached its peak—on that day 957
-persons being reported ill with the disease. From October 16 until
-October 28 it maintained an average of 600 cases daily; from October 29
-until October 31 there was a sharp decline from 600 cases daily down to
-200 cases daily. From November 1 until December 21 the decline has been
-uniform, and on this latter date 58 cases of influenza and 7 of
-pneumonia were reported. The height of the epidemic was reached between
-October 15 and October 29. During the period of the epidemic in
-Pittsburgh, from October 1 until December 15, 62 days were recorded as
-cloudy, or partially cloudy, and only 14 days as clear, although the
-cloudy days seemed distributed and not in decided groups. The mean
-temperature for October was 58 degrees, with normal 54.9; for November,
-44 degrees, normal 42.9; for December, 41 degrees, normal 34.7. The
-precipitation in October was 3.08, as against a normal of 2.36; in
-November, 1.79, with normal 2.55; and in December, 3.50, normal 2.73.
-From a study of these weather reports we see that the epidemic occurred
-during a period of abnormally warm, cloudy and slightly more moist
-autumnal season than usual, but these variations were relatively slight
-and far from decided. The confusion of diagnosis between lobar pneumonia
-and broncho-pneumonia, associated with or following influenza, occurred
-in the Pittsburgh health reports as well as in other cities. The
-presumption that almost all, if not all, of the cases reported as
-pneumonia of different types were really cases of influenzal pneumonia,
-seems justified.
-
-
- _Epidemic Incidents in Institutions and Towns of Western Pennsylvania_
-
-During the time the epidemic was at its height in Pittsburgh the Western
-Pennsylvania Institution for the Blind was in session. This school is
-located in the heart of the educational center and was surrounded by the
-barracks of the Student Army Training Corps of the University of
-Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Institute of Technology. When the influenza
-was recognized as epidemic in this neighborhood, the attending physician
-at this institution advised a quarantine against the public. The
-children were refused visitors in the buildings, and the usual week-end
-trips home were forbidden. This school was continuously in session from
-September 24 until November 30. During this time there was not a single
-case of influenza in the school and the children were free from any
-infectious disease. On December 1 the pupils returned to school after
-the Thanksgiving holiday, and one week later, on December 8, the first
-case of influenza appeared. In a period of five days following 15 cases
-developed. It was considered wise to close the school, and all well
-children were sent to their homes. The institution was kept closed until
-January 1, since which time no cases have developed. Very few of these
-children had influenza at home, and only one death occurred.
-
-A reliable report, subsequently confirmed by the health officer, stated
-that in Masontown, Pa., the start and course of the epidemic were very
-striking. A dance was held in the town and the musicians were brought
-from nearby cities. One of the musicians employed was not very well upon
-his arrival, and became so ill that after the dance he was put to bed in
-the hotel. He was found to be suffering from influenza when examined the
-following day, and from him as the primary case the town was swept by
-the epidemic.
-
-In Mercer, Pa., the physician to the Board of Health reported that
-during September they had a general epidemic of coryza and sneezing,
-with slight fever, which lasted for three or four days. This was looked
-upon by the people as hay fever. In the midst of this, or about
-September 16, a man, 74 years of age, who had been away from home,
-developed true influenza, followed by pneumonia, from which he recovered
-about October 10. Another man, employed in Greenville, a nearby town,
-where influenza was already prevalent, returned to his family here
-suffering from the disease. The whole family and all who were exposed to
-this family were infected. From this family as a focus the disease
-spread rapidly in every direction. There were about 350 cases in the
-town of 2,000 inhabitants, and there were 9 deaths. Sporadic cases have
-occurred since, ranging in number from one to a dozen at a time. These
-numbers do not include scores of cases called colds by the people, but
-it seems that all these cases had an influenza element.
-
-In the town of New Castle it was not possible to trace the onset of the
-influenza epidemic to a definite case. As the health officer stated,
-several cases were reported at once.
-
-The first case of influenza in Indiana, Pa., of which there was any
-definite knowledge occurred on September 15. A clothing merchant who had
-just arrived from New York, where he had been buying stock for his
-store, was the first case identified. The next case occurred several
-weeks later, the disease being contracted at the mining town of Coal
-Run, in Indiana County.
-
-A man resident in Sharpsburg who had suffered from influenza visited
-friends in Fraser Township, Allegheny County, to convalesce. Previous to
-his coming that section had been free from the disease. He was still
-coughing at the time, and, moreover, he is said to have been a great
-talker and visited largely among the neighbors of his host. Threshings
-in that part of the township were going on and these he also attended.
-The date of his coming was October 13. By October 15 his hostess was
-taken ill. By October 16 some of the threshers were affected, and by
-October 17 enough were sick to break up the work of threshing.
-Eventually all the men engaged became ill, and 11 families were infected
-from this source.
-
-
- _Summary_
-
-Reviewing the history of former epidemics and pandemics, I have gained
-the impression, as have many others, that we are not dealing with any
-new disease. Further, our knowledge of this pandemic with its high
-incidence of broncho-pneumonia shows that it is in no way markedly
-different from that of former manifestations of influenza. One is
-impressed by the fact that in different outbreaks of this disease of
-complex symptomatology certain symptoms or complications have been
-prominent, overshadowing others, and making such complications the
-striking feature at the time. The failure to recognize that these
-varying features are merely different manifestations of one disease has
-resulted in much confusion. The observation made in the last
-epidemic—and one which can be endorsed during the present plague—is that
-influenza has been and is the most widespread, rapid and extensive of
-all diseases. One thing also that attracts attention at the present time
-is the long period existing between the several pandemics. Whether, as
-one observer during the present pandemic has stated, it requires a long
-period for the infection to become active and easily carried, or whether
-any possible reason can be suggested for these phenomena, admits of no
-satisfactory explanation. The outstanding feature during this epidemic
-is the complication of broncho-pneumonia, and yet, from very early
-times, this complication has been repeatedly spoken of as a striking
-characteristic. Reviewing the health reports from the large cities of
-deaths from pneumonia, the presumptive opinion seems justified that
-almost all, if not all, pneumonias reported as associated with influenza
-were of the broncho-pneumonia type. The infrequent presence, indeed the
-rare finding, of lobar pneumonia during this period in Pittsburgh seems
-to verify the aforesaid opinion. The great frequency and the high
-mortality of broncho-pneumonia were particularly noted during the
-present epidemic. During the present epidemic the great mortality among
-pregnant women was another striking feature, and yet this is by no means
-new, having been recorded by some of the earliest writers. Such also may
-be said of the recurrence of the disease in the same patient. One
-important observation brought out in the study of the pandemic of 1889
-to 1892 was that the ordinary infections occurring in the spring and
-fall known as grippe or La Grippe are in no way connected with the
-pandemics which have occurred. There seems to be a consensus of opinions
-among the records of the more recent epidemics, as well as during the
-present pandemic, that weather conditions in no way influence the spread
-of the disease. Furthermore, a study of weather conditions throughout
-the United States, and particularly those of our own city, seem to bear
-out the truth of this observation. While clinicians during other
-epidemics expressed their belief in the incident of a primary case
-producing infection, it has only been during the present one that such
-an opinion has not been assailed. The large number of military training
-camps and cantonments have undoubtedly offered splendid opportunity for
-the spread of influenza. The futility of attempting to control it even
-under normal conditions is still questionable. Consistent with former
-reported invasions of the disease, the present epidemic lasted a
-definite period. This period was about six weeks in most of our large
-cities, colleges and institutions, extending approximately from October
-1 to November 15.
-
-It is imperative to note the accurate clinical observations recorded
-from the numerous epidemics of the past by men with far less data to go
-upon than is available at the present day. The high morbidity among the
-personnel of many of our hospitals and institutions where the infection
-occurred and the relatively low mortality deserve attention. This may be
-partly explained by the methods of treatment of those infected, but not
-entirely. The great likelihood of carriers of influenza, who either are
-not ill or who are suffering from very mild infection, is an observation
-also noted by former writers which cannot be ignored. The value of the
-masks has not been established, although they have been extensively used
-in many parts of the country. Frequent throat lavage was generally
-accepted as a rational preventive measure. Relightings of the disease
-have been noted in most of our cities after the subsidence of the
-epidemic. Vaccination against influenza is fully discussed in Dr.
-Haythorn’s paper in this series.
-
-The presence of influenza in San Quentin prison, California, in April,
-1918 (Public Health Reports, May 9, 1919); an epidemic of respiratory
-disease in Chicago in the spring of 1918; the report of Soper of
-influenza in our army camps in March and April, 1918; the occurrence of
-influenza in Porto Rico in June; influenza on a United States Army
-transport from San Francisco, as reported by Coutant, seem to point to
-the possibility that influenza had a footing in America long before the
-disease became pandemic. The view held by some that the beginning of
-influenza was in America, subsequently being transferred to Europe and
-then reimported here, is worthy of consideration. Coutant believed the
-disease originated in Manila, others that it traveled from “a permanent
-endemic focus in Turkestan,” and there are many other theories which
-attempt to discover the original source of the disease. The question is
-today an unsettled one. The pandemic of influenza in its severest form
-swept so suddenly over the world that before the profession realized it
-or had become stabilized it had changed its character and the great
-plague was gone. The consequence has been that we have really learned
-little that is new and have done scarcely more than establish on a firm
-basis many of the opinions formed after the great outbreak of some 30
-years ago. Because transportation is today more rapid than it was at
-that time, so the spread of the disease has been correspondingly swift.
-Our modern life, the congregating crowds in theatres, moving-picture
-houses and in lecture halls, as well as of the men in our training
-camps, the development of street cars and the more frequent traveling by
-train—these and many more changes in our mode of living have served to
-aggravate the conditions favoring the widespread distribution of the
-infecting agent. A higher proportion of the population was, therefore,
-attacked than in any previous pandemic, and the period during which the
-disease was widely prevalent has for the same reason been relatively
-much shorter.
-
-The characters differed somewhat in different regions, but the evidence
-shows clearly that we are not dealing with any new disease. It will be
-years before we are able to fully analyze the data that have been
-collected from such wide sources and by so large a body of trained men,
-so that important epidemiological facts may still be forthcoming from
-the material already at hand. We are too close to the events to get the
-most helpful perspective, and the object of this report has been to add,
-in however small a degree, to the general knowledge of this great
-pandemic as it has appeared to us in Pittsburgh and its surroundings.
-
-
-
-
- A CLINICAL DESCRIPTION OF INFLUENZA AS IT APPEARED IN THE EPIDEMIC OF
- 1918–1919
-
- By J. A. LICHTY, M. D.
-
-
-The epidemics of influenza which have been recorded from time to time
-during the past few centuries have always contributed an interesting
-chapter to the history of medicine. The protean character of the disease
-with its many complications is always an excuse for another attempt at
-the description of the clinical manifestations of a recent epidemic.
-This is not, however, the only incentive at the present time for
-describing the clinical aspect of the disease as it appeared in the
-epidemic through which we have just passed. The study of the disease
-from other aspects, such as the pathological, the bacteriological and
-the physiological, by well-organized groups of workers has made it
-necessary to co-ordinate, if possible, the clinical findings in every
-detail with these apparently basic principles. It would be interesting
-to review here the peculiarly fortunate circumstances which have led to
-the investigations. On account of the great war many temporary
-laboratory organizations which otherwise would not have existed were in
-operation, and these organizations, moreover, were keen to undertake any
-laboratory problem which might arise. The present epidemic presented the
-opportunity, and that the work was taken up with great enthusiasm is
-evidenced by the reports coming from the various army hospitals, base
-hospitals and civilian hospitals throughout the world. The permanent
-laboratories connected with medical schools and with institutions for
-medical research took up the problems with equal endeavor. This brief
-reference is made only to call attention to the fact that from such
-organizations a great mass of information has come which must be
-critically reviewed and coordinated before it can add to the permanent
-fund of our knowledge of the disease under consideration.
-
-The material upon which the following clinical observations have been
-made is peculiarly adapted to review because it consists of two distinct
-groups of patients which were admitted to the Mercy Hospital. One group
-of 153 men was composed of soldiers between the ages of 18 and 23, which
-had been recently inducted into the Student Army Training Corps, and
-were living in barracks in the immediate vicinity of the hospital.
-Another group consisted of civilians (394), ranging from youth to old
-age, which came from various parts of the city and surrounding towns and
-country. The first group came to the hospital early, or as soon as the
-disease was recognized; the second group came usually after several days
-of illness had elapsed, or when a complication had already arisen. Many
-of this group had been ambulatory cases for the first part of the
-disease. The entire number of patients admitted to the Mercy Hospital
-from the first admission, September 21 to December 1, the end of the
-quarantine, was 547. After December 1 very few simple influenza cases
-were admitted. These 547 cases form the basis of the observations which
-will be referred to in this paper.
-
-From the last great epidemic or pandemic of influenza, that of 1889 and
-1890, have come clinical descriptions which should be reviewed before
-speaking of the clinical manifestations which have characterized the
-present epidemic as shown in the two groups studied.
-
-One of the best descriptions of that epidemic was given by Dr. O.
-Leichtenstern in Nothnagel’s Encyclopedia of Practical Medicine. This
-contribution, among many others, describing the epidemic of 1889 and
-1890 is one of the first to refer to the Pfeiffer bacillus as being
-etiologically associated with the disease. It differs, therefore,
-greatly from descriptions of previous epidemics. Leichtenstern says:
-“The typical influenza consists of a sudden pyrexia of from one to
-several days duration, commencing with a rigor, and accompanied by
-severe headache, generally frontal, with the pains in the back and
-limbs, by prostration quite out of proportion to other symptoms and
-marked loss of appetite.” He continues by saying that to these
-characteristic symptoms may be added the catarrhal phenomena arising
-from the affection of the respiratory tract, particularly the upper
-(coryza) and “occasionally” the lower, the trachea and bronchi. This
-description is so in accord with the symptoms of uncomplicated influenza
-as found in the present epidemic that very little need be added. Any
-difference which may occur in the description of the disease is likely
-to be accounted for by the peculiarity of onset, whether in the upper or
-lower respiratory tract, and by the different ways of interpreting
-complications which may have arisen. It is evident from this description
-that the upper respiratory tract was affected more generally than the
-lower in the epidemic of 1889 and 1890. In the present epidemic it can
-safely be said that the reverse was the usual state of affairs. It was a
-rather unusual occurrence when the affection was limited only to the
-nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea and larger bronchi. A very large number,
-no doubt, had a peculiar œdema, a so-called “wet lung,” which we shall
-discuss later; others went on to a capillary bronchitis or a
-bronchiolitis, and a large number had broncho-pneumonia. This sequence
-we shall attempt to show in the statistics at hand. In some cases the
-lesion in the lower respiratory tract seemed to be primary, there having
-been no initial coryza. At least none was observed and no history was
-obtained.
-
-
- _Prodromal Stage and Communicability_
-
-The length of the prodromal stage—the stage from the time of contact to
-the earliest onset of symptoms—has always led to interesting
-observations and discussion. In this epidemic we have rather definite
-information bearing upon this subject.
-
-A young married farmer living in a rural community where no influenza
-had occurred up to the time of the present experience went to a city
-about 40 miles distant. On the train he sat in the same seat with a man
-who was apparently ill, and who was sneezing and coughing. He was in the
-city only a few hours, and was not in any place of congregation except
-the railway train. Forty-eight hours after his return to his home he
-noticed the first symptoms and began a mild course of influenza. About
-50 hours later his wife was taken with the same symptoms, and in two
-days more their only child was afflicted. Other members of the household
-were also afflicted, and one of them died of pneumonia.
-
-It might be interesting to quote a similar observation made by Macdonald
-and Lyth, of York, England, published in a recent issue of the British
-Medical Journal (November 2, 1918, p. 488), which corroborates this
-experience. They say: “We traveled from London together on Thursday,
-October 3, by train, leaving King’s Cross at 5.30 P. M., arriving in
-York at 9.30, and as we were leaving the carriage a young flying
-officer, who had come the whole way with us and was coughing and
-sneezing at intervals, informed us that he was ill and had had influenza
-for several days. On Saturday, October 5, we both became ill and had
-developed typical attacks of influenza. With both of us the illness
-developed suddenly with laryngitis; in both the first signs were a
-severe attack of coughing; and in both the time was noted fairly
-accurately as being between 2 and 2.30 P. M. One case was quite mild,
-the temperature never over 101. The other was more severe; the
-temperature arose to 104½ and the catarrh extended to the bronchi. His
-wife and two children also developed influenza, and in their case the
-symptoms showed suddenly, about 2 P. M., on Monday, October 7. Now we
-are convinced that we became infected from our traveling companion
-during the train journey—more likely toward the end of the journey; and
-if we take the time of infection as 9.30, this fixes the incubation
-period for both of us at a minimum of 41 hours, with a maximum margin of
-error of 4 hours. The three cases developing in the family of one of us
-point to a similar incubation period, as their illness started almost
-exactly 48 hours after his, and as it is likely that the infection would
-not take place until a few hours after the first symptom, the incubation
-period in these three cases must have been nearly the same as our own
-two.
-
-“It can be readily understood that we were in no position to conduct
-extensive bacteriological examinations, but a culture taken from the
-posterior nares of one of us on October 10 with a guarded swab showed
-colonies of Pfeiffer’s bacillus and of micrococcus catarrhalis.”
-
-This observation is so convincing, I have quoted it at length and in
-full.
-
-The communicability of influenza has been observed by all, and the ease
-with which it passes from one individual to another noted. One
-observation made by us was of considerable interest. In a house where a
-patient lay sick with a severe attack of influenza for nearly three
-weeks several members of the household passed the door of the sick room
-a number of times daily, and yet they did not contract the disease. This
-is in marked contrast with the immediate contact between the two
-physicians and the young flying officer, who sat in the same railway
-carriage compartment for four hours. The same observation was made in
-the hospital among nurses in direct contact with patients. A large
-number of these contracted the disease, while those not immediately
-associated with influenza patients almost invariably escaped. This
-speaks strongly against the idea that the epidemic was a so-called
-“plague,” or that it passed without intermediate means through the air
-and pervaded all places.
-
-From information thus far at hand it seems, therefore, that the
-prodromal stage, or stage of incubation, is one which covers about 48
-hours, and that it is usually without symptoms unless it be a peculiar
-prostration which had been described by some patients. It would also
-appear from the experiences just narrated that it was necessary to be in
-rather close contact with a patient, so that there could be an exchange
-of respired air before infection could take place.
-
-
- _Duration of the Disease_
-
-In all descriptions of the disease the duration is spoken of as “several
-days, more or less,” “a three-day fever,” or “a seven-day fever.”
-Because of the careful supervision under which the soldiers were kept
-while in the barracks an excellent opportunity was afforded to note the
-duration of uncomplicated cases. The shortest time observed was 1 day,
-and the longest 10 days. The average duration of temperature among 87
-soldiers without inflammation of the lungs or other certain
-complications was 6⅓ days. Among the civilians the shortest time of
-pyrexia was a few hours only, while the longest in 73 male patients was
-14 days, and in 84 female patients was 16 days. The average length of
-pyrexia in the males was 4⅝ days, and in the females was 5¼ days.
-
-While the very definite clinical description of the former epidemics of
-a so-called uncomplicated influenza seems to have served satisfactorily
-to the present time, the laboratory studies and the possibly more
-thorough clinical observations which have been carried out recently in
-this epidemic make it necessary to present anew the whole disease
-picture of influenza, with the hope of suggesting a classification more
-in accord with our present knowledge of the disease.
-
-
- _Forms and Varieties of Influenza_
-
-A few words as to “forms” or varieties of influenza might be helpful
-before suggesting a classification of symptoms. In former epidemics of
-influenza considerable importance was attached to the early
-manifestations or first symptoms as characterizing the “form” of
-influenza which was in evidence in the individual patient. These were
-reported as a “respiratory form,” a “nervous form,” a “gastro-intestinal
-form,” and other forms—circulatory, renal, psychic, etc. In the epidemic
-of 1889 and 1890 particularly these types were noted, and they have been
-described in the subsequent small epidemics, practically characterizing
-them as being of one or the other, and frequently as being without any
-respiratory symptoms. In the study of our group of cases in the present
-epidemic every effort was made to recognize the non-respiratory cases,
-but we were unable to find a single case which did not have definite
-respiratory symptoms, either early or late, in addition to any other
-symptoms present. Only occasionally were nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
-or tachycardia, or certain neuroses or psychoses, the leading symptoms.
-The respiratory symptoms in some cases seemed to be at the onset
-primarily of the lower respiratory system—that is, without the
-preliminary coryza. These usually ran a rapidly fatal course,
-characterized by marked cyanosis and confusingly irregular chest signs.
-We would say, therefore, in so far as our experience goes in this
-epidemic, we are not justified in speaking of any particular forms
-except the respiratory form, and whenever pronounced manifestations
-occurred justifying a characterization of any other form they could more
-easily be interpreted as a complication, or the manifestation of a
-coincident disease, or of a severe toxæmia.
-
-The classification of the symptoms, therefore, takes into consideration
-largely those symptoms arising from the respiratory system. We are of
-the impression that the pathology demonstrated by Dr. Klotz and
-described by others justifies the following classification. Clinically
-we would recognize two distinct groups of epidemic cases.
-
-The first includes those _without lung involvement_ having symptoms
-arising from the upper respiratory tract, including the trachea and the
-larger bronchi. These were practically without any chest signs except
-for the rather indefinite signs of an acute bronchitis, and the only
-symptoms referable to the respiratory tract were a coryza, soreness of
-the throat, hoarseness and a cough of varying degree and character. If
-to these symptoms are added those of Leichtenstern just mentioned, one
-will have a good description of a so-called simple, uncomplicated
-influenza.
-
-The second includes those _with lung involvement_ and associated with
-physical chest signs, in some indefinite and confusing, while in others
-definitely conforming with the existing pathology. These symptoms and
-chest signs were those associated at one time with what appeared to be
-an acute œdema of the lungs. At another time the physical signs were
-those of a bronchiolitis (capillary bronchitis), or most frequently of a
-broncho-pneumonia, of an isolated type or of a massive type. Finally
-there were some forms of lobar pneumonia which at times we were unable
-to differentiate from a true lobar (croupous) pneumococcic pneumonia.
-
-
- _Influenza Without Lung Involvement_
-
-Of the group without lung involvement nothing further would seem
-necessary to be said in addition to what one finds in standard
-text-books describing the disease picture of former epidemics. The
-incidence of influenza of this type among our group was as follows: Of
-153 soldiers 93, or about 60 per cent., had a so-called simple,
-uncomplicated influenza, and of the 394 civilians 185, or about 52 per
-cent., had no lung involvement. There are a few points in which the
-symptoms of the present epidemic seem to be so peculiar that they merit
-special consideration.
-
-
- _The Temperature_
-
-This can be described as showing a sudden rise to 102–104, at which
-point it is maintained for a few days, and subsides by lysis in a few
-days more. A typical chart is as follows:
-
-[Illustration:
-
- CHART I
-]
-
-Or the temperature might fall one or two degrees for a day or so after
-the first rise, and then go up again for one or two more days, and
-subside by lysis as is shown in Chart II.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- CHART II
-]
-
-This would occur without our being able to find any lung lesion unless
-we accept the acute œdema or wet lung as a complication, and this we
-were rarely able to recognize by any definite physical signs in the
-chest. Cyanosis frequently accompanied this second rise of temperature,
-and was later interpreted as being associated with the so-called wet
-lung. When the temperature remained up longer than five days it could
-safely be concluded that lung involvement must be present.
-
-
- _The Pulse and Respirations_
-
-The pulse was invariably slow, or rather out of proportion to the
-temperature. Even when the patient seemed very ill the pulse remained
-from 84 to 96, and of surprisingly good quality. This was noted also
-when some of the more severe pulmonary involvements or some
-complications arose. The pulse frequently did not become rapid until
-shortly before death. The respirations in an uncomplicated case also
-remained about normal. The rate was not accelerated until lung
-complications arose, and then a gradually increasing rate was often the
-first herald of oncoming danger and a sign of grave prognostic import.
-The relation of the pulse phenomena toward the end of a fatal case was
-most remarkable. The respiratory rate was accelerated, as has been noted
-above, but the pulse rate frequently remained unchanged, being
-characteristically slow. In a patient seen in consultation with Dr.
-Lester H. Botkin, of Duquesne, Pa., death took place while we were in
-the sick room. It was a case of apparently uncomplicated influenza of
-seven days’ duration. The respirations were rapid and the pulse was only
-96. In the last five minutes of life the heart beats as observed with
-the stethoscope never varied, until they suddenly ceased; during the
-same time the respiratory efforts were only three agonal ones, the last
-being a minute or so before the last heart beat. There were no physical
-signs of consolidation at any time recognized in this case, but we feel
-that the lung, had we seen it at autopsy, would in all likelihood have
-shown the peculiar hemorrhagic and œdematous character so often observed
-in the fatal cases.
-
-There were, of course, marked exceptions to the description of slow
-pulse and later rapid respirations observed. In some the pulse rate and
-respirations increased, together with or without definite signs of a
-grave complication.
-
-
- _Cyanosis_
-
-This was recognized early in the epidemic. It was sometimes preceded by
-a peculiar flushing of the face, such as accompanies belladonna
-poisoning. It might be noticed in the very first days of the attack. The
-cyanosis was looked upon as being a very early symptom of lung
-involvement. With our later knowledge from autopsies, and especially as
-shown by Dr. Klotz, we feel it was surely an accompaniment of, or may
-even have preceded, the changes in the lung which have been designated
-as œdematous, “wet” or cyanotic. At the earliest appearance of the
-cyanosis we were frequently unable to find any change in the physical
-signs of the chest. Of course, the indefinite signs of an acute
-bronchitis were present, and in some cases an additional “impaired
-resonance” was noted over one or both lower lobes, but when this was
-definitely present other more definite signs soon followed, and our case
-was shifted suddenly from Group I, i. e., without apparent lung
-involvement, to Group II, i. e., with definite lung involvement. This
-cyanosis was noticed first in the face, and frequently was marked on the
-dorsal surface of the hands. It was not unlike the cyanosis which may
-sometimes be seen when large doses of certain coal tar derivatives are
-taken. In fact, the question arose whether in the epidemic of 1889 and
-1890, when the coal tar derivatives were prescribed with such freedom
-and with accompanying cyanosis and apparently such deleterious effects,
-the cyanosis may not after all have been due more largely to the
-infection than to the medication. After that epidemic it was said:
-“Influenza has slain its thousands, but the coal tar products have slain
-their tens of thousands.” There was no gross hæmaturia or hæmoglobinuria
-present in these cases, although a few red blood cells were seen
-microscopically. There was, however, epistaxis, sometimes early in the
-disease or later associated with the cyanosis. In a few cases there was
-hæmoptysis, which we regard as always arising in cases where the wet or
-hemorrhagic lung was present. Cyanosis in disease of the lungs, and
-especially in the terminal stage of lobar pneumonia, is a familiar and
-common occurrence, but the cyanosis observed in this epidemic seemed
-quite different from the ordinary. The points of difference were these:
-(a) it came early in the disease; (b) it seemed to be more generally
-present when very little lung involvement could be demonstrated
-physically, and was just as likely to disappear when more definite chest
-signs were demonstrable; (c) it was not associated with embarrassment of
-respiration; (d) it had no relation with a demonstrable circulatory
-disturbance. The pulse did not become rapid; the quality of the pulse
-did not change; _the right heart was not dilated_, as is so frequently
-the case in the terminal stage of a lobar pneumonia when cyanosis
-appears; (e) and finally there was no associated œdema of the lungs, or
-at least that œdema of the lungs which occurs in the later stage of
-lobar pneumonia, when the pulse becomes rapid, when there is rapid and
-labored respiration, when the right heart dilates, when there is cold
-perspiration, and when the signs of impending death are plainly evident.
-The cyanosis of influenzal pneumonia seemed to be due to an entirely
-different cause or combination of conditions from those present in lobar
-or pneumococcic pneumonia. The cyanosis of influenzal pneumonia was,
-therefore, most confusing, and became all the more so when it was
-recognized that it did not yield to the respiratory and circulatory
-stimulants usually employed when cyanosis is present. The inhalation of
-oxygen was resorted to rather routinely early in the epidemic. It seemed
-to temporarily influence the cyanosis, but the results were not
-permanent, and the outcome of the cases did not seem to be different
-from those in which oxygen inhalations were not used.
-
-The blood pressure in those cases in which cyanosis was observed was
-invariably low. This seemed to be due to the infection, for in several
-private patients not belonging to this group of patients with previously
-known high blood pressures the blood pressure was observed as much lower
-throughout the course of the infection.
-
-
- _Leucopenia_
-
-The peculiar behavior of the white blood corpuscles will be discussed
-more fully in another paper of this series. Our remarks will deal more
-particularly with the clinical observations and interpretations. The
-leucocytes fell below the normal from the very onset of the disease;
-they varied very little regardless of great changes in temperature; they
-did not always increase, or if they did increase at all it was
-comparatively little, even in an extensive invasion of the lungs or in
-severe complications. Concerning the leucopenia we have no explanation
-to suggest, save that it is a clinical characteristic of the disease.
-Our first thought was that the infection came on so suddenly and
-profoundly there was no time for a leucocyte reaction. But when we
-recall other diseases associated with a leucopenia, notably typhoid
-fever, which does not come on with such suddenness, our explanation for
-the leucopenia of influenza does not seem to hold. The leucopenia must
-be simply a peculiar toxic blood reaction characteristic of the Pfeiffer
-bacillus invasion. Such an explanation has long been accepted in the
-Eberth bacillus infection.
-
-
- _Asthenia_
-
-A condition which was frequently noted by the patient was an
-indescribable weakness and prostration which appeared early, sometimes
-before any other symptoms were noted or before any elevation of
-temperature. The young soldier was in apparent perfect condition when he
-arose in the early morning. During the “setting up” exercises he did not
-feel so fit, and a few hours later appeared extremely weak. When his
-condition was called to the attention of the medical officers he was
-found to have a slight elevation of temperature and was sent to his bed.
-
-In former epidemics, as also in this one, marked prostration was
-recognized as coming at the height of the disease and remaining
-persistently during convalescence. But it does not seem to be recorded
-as among the first symptoms.
-
-
- _Influenza with Lung Involvement_
-
-Of the group with lung involvement much may be written from a clinical
-standpoint, and much confusion may be brought about. Especially is this
-so if one has no definite idea of the pathology present, or if one
-enters into a discussion of the character of the infection—a point upon
-which there is as yet no unanimity of opinion. From the many reports
-which have been put forth from the base hospitals of the various
-cantonments, and also from the reports coming from civilian practice, it
-is evident that scarcely any two groups of laboratory men or any two
-individuals of those separate groups have the same idea as to the
-bacteriology and the pathology peculiar to this epidemic.
-
-As long as there is this confusion and element of doubt in the minds of
-those to whom we are accustomed to look, the clinician must necessarily
-speak with considerable hesitancy, especially when he attempts to
-interpret the physical signs observed. In our own group the observations
-of Klotz, Guthrie, Holman and others have given us an interpretation of
-our clinical findings which, at present at least, is more or less
-satisfactory. We shall definitely keep in mind their observations and
-conclusions as we go on with the description of the physical signs of
-the chest in cases having lung involvement.
-
-In the description of this group it will readily be seen that the lower
-respiratory tract stood the brunt of the infection. Of the 153 soldiers
-under our care, 60, or about 40 per cent., were recognized as having
-pneumonia. Of these, 34 had undoubted demonstrable signs, while 26 were
-questionable, and yet from the temperature and other symptoms we
-concluded there was a pneumonia. Of the 394 civilians, 189, or about 50
-per cent., had pneumonia. Of this group there were again some 28 or 30
-in which the diagnosis was doubtful, according to the ordinary way of
-making a diagnosis, but we felt sure from the temperature course that
-more than a simple influenza was present. In the description of the
-physical findings of the chest in these influenzas with lung involvement
-it will be readily seen why the diagnosis must sometimes be in doubt.
-
-Before referring to the physical signs it might be well to describe the
-condition and general appearance of the patient when the lungs became
-involved. The patient who had been progressing with an apparently simple
-influenza, with no chest signs except those of bronchitis or tracheitis,
-occasionally slightly cyanotic, became more cyanotic, the elevation of
-temperature continued longer than three to seven days, or if it came to
-the normal began to rise again, his respirations gradually increased and
-the pain in the chest became well localized. One could safely assume
-that the patient had developed a lesion in the chest. This could not
-always be localized during the first few hours or on the first day. The
-evidence of increased bronchial disturbance was frequently recognized,
-and later impairment of resonance and diminished breath sounds
-associated with “a few crackles” were noted. This, so far as we can
-tell, may have been the only evidence of the stage of œdema or “wet
-lung.” After this, as the disease advanced, definitely increased vocal
-fremitus and rather definite tubular breathing with greater impairment
-of resonance were noticed. These signs were usually observed first at
-the apex of the left lower lobe, and from here they extended forward
-along the inter-lobar sulcus, or downward along the spinal column. If
-the lesion was noticed first on the left side, in a day or two it was
-found more or less definitely in the right lower lobe also. It seemed to
-occur more frequently first in the body of the right lobe, instead of in
-the apex of the lobe as on the left side. In both lobes it might spread
-to contiguous areas and form a massive consolidation, or it might be
-found in small separate areas, some of which would clear up in a day,
-while others would persist.
-
-The expectoration was frothy, containing either blood or masses of
-yellowish, greenish purulent material floating in a watery sanguiolent
-or clear fluid, or enmeshed in frothy mucus. The amount of expectoration
-in some cases was enormous, but as a rule it was scanty. It was thick
-and ropy at times and distinctly annoying to the patient.
-
-At this stage the physical signs were very much in accord with those of
-broncho-pneumonia. In a few hours sometimes, or in a day, the small
-areas of consolidation became confluent and massive consolidation was
-formed. It appeared as though the whole lobe would in time become solid,
-as in a true lobar pneumonia. Or the original areas may apparently have
-cleared and other areas involved, became the centers of massive
-consolidations. In many cases both lower lobes were thus similarly
-affected, and one had the physical signs of a double lobar pneumonia.
-However, nearly always a small angle of the lobe remained clear, thus
-differing from the entire lobe involvement characteristic of a true
-croupous pneumonia. Other signs, such as the absence of vesicular
-breathing and presence of the crepitant râle, moist râles of all sizes
-to very coarse râles, could be noted. As in certain stages of a complete
-consolidation, the lung might be dry; no râles present, but definite
-tubular breathing present. This in a day or two, or after a longer time,
-might give the signs of resolution. The stage of resolution, however,
-was almost invariably prolonged, sometimes extending over weeks. With
-these variable lung signs were often mingled the signs of a fibrinous or
-serofibrinous pleurisy, which occasionally but remarkably infrequently
-went on to effusion or empyæma.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-[Illustration]
-
-[Illustration]
-
-As stated above, the demonstrable pathology was in the lower lobe, and
-more frequently in the left than in the right, only occasionally in the
-middle lobe, and never, we might say, in the upper lobes. The very
-earliest definite signs were found at the apex of the left lower lobe.
-
-This observation seems to be entirely contradictory to that of the
-pathologist, who found in 65 per cent. of all cases coming to autopsy a
-lesion in all the lobes of the lungs (Klotz). The only explanation we
-can give which seems at all satisfactory to us is that the pathology in
-the upper and middle lobes must not have been sufficient, or must have
-been of such a nature that it did not yield the physical signs, i. e.,
-definite impaired percussion resonance, increased vocal fremitus and
-tubular breathing, with varying shades of moist râles—signs upon which
-we insisted before we were willing to state definitely that there is a
-demonstrable pneumonia present.
-
-In this description it has been attempted to follow the order of
-invasion in a lung which seemed to go through the entire course of the
-disease. There were, necessarily, all degrees of the process, some cases
-showing few signs and yet being remarkably ill, and others all of the
-signs with very little other evidence of serious illness.
-
-We were continually impressed with the notion that the pathology in the
-lung, at least the pathology demonstrable physically, did not tell the
-whole story of the case, and that the outcome depended as much or
-possibly more upon a general infection or toxæmia of which the
-recognized condition in the respiratory system was only a small part. We
-were particularly impressed with this in the success or failure
-following the application of any therapeutic measures. It was quite a
-common remark, therefore, in the wards of the hospital among those
-associated in the work that “the patient died too quickly to permit of
-the succession of the various stages of pneumonia”; or, in the autopsy
-room, that if the patient had lived long enough he would have had
-demonstrable, well-recognized pathology of the lung, instead of the
-cyanotic, wet, spongy lung which was found.
-
-The temperature course in the pulmonary cases was characterized by its
-irregularities, and by its being entirely out of harmony with the extent
-and severity of the lung invasion in so far as it could be interpreted
-by the physical signs. The temperature as described in a simple
-influenza might not come to the normal in the time of three to seven
-days, and might even go higher, with no demonstrable chest signs, but
-with every other evidence of lung involvement. Later the temperature
-might come down by lysis, which was the usual way, and the chest signs
-gradually or suddenly become evident. The temperature might remain
-normal throughout the rest of the course, and a lobe or even both lower
-lobes of the lungs be as solid as in a true lobar pneumonia.
-Occasionally the temperature fell by crisis, but there was no associated
-change in the physical signs of the chest. In short, the temperature
-seemed to run a course entirely independent of the physical signs in the
-chest. In two remarkable cases seen in consultation on two consecutive
-days the physicians in charge declared that no signs of consolidation
-could be found, though all other evidences of pneumonia were present. In
-the 12 hours which had elapsed from the time the last examination was
-made the temperature fell by crisis. At the consultation, to the
-surprise of the family physicians, we found both lower lobes
-consolidated, it having occurred apparently with the crisis. Both
-patients were healthy-looking, robust, young men, and both recovered
-with delayed resolution. In the convalescence of such cases, if the
-patient got up too soon or if any other indiscretion took place, a
-relighting of the lung occurred. From the above description it can be
-readily seen that a diagnosis of the conditions in the chest in
-influenzal pneumonia was frequently impossible, because one had to
-abandon all his previous ideas of pneumonia, in so far as onset, crisis,
-blood picture, sputum, temperature, respiratory and circulatory
-phenomena, physical signs and prognosis were concerned.
-
-Assistance from the laboratory was meager, especially in the early days
-of the epidemic. This was due largely to the inability to get laboratory
-workers in sufficient numbers to follow the work through, but more
-largely to the fact that we were unable to interpret the unusual
-laboratory results which were available. When we were once fully aware
-of the difficulties in diagnosis which confronted us, we utilized every
-practical means at our disposal. Among these was an examination of the
-chest with the X-ray. On account of lack of facilities and of help, it
-was impossible to make routine X-ray examinations of the chest in all
-cases. Besides, it was difficult to interpret the X-ray findings, on
-account of the unusual character of the lesions. Also, many of the
-patients were so desperately ill one hesitated to disturb them. We hear
-that other clinics had similar experiences, and that very little
-substantial help came from the X-ray, except in cases with
-complications. Several attempts were made to determine the kind of
-shadow, if any, the “cyanotic, œdematous, wet” lung would make, but no
-satisfactory observations have been forthcoming. From our own
-observations and from the discussions of other observers, it would seem
-to us that the stereoscopic examination of these chests is the only
-possible way of getting satisfactory plate readings in these cases where
-the pathology seems so lawless in its extent and peculiar in its
-distribution. This method of examination, however, demands facilities
-convenient at the bedside and perfect co-operation of the
-patient—difficult conditions to meet under the circumstances. In the
-acute cases, when the desire to make a diagnosis not only of the
-presence but of the extent of the disease was keen, X-ray examination
-was largely impractical. In cases of delayed resolution, or in cases
-with complications with prolonged convalescence, X-ray examinations were
-extremely helpful.
-
-
- _Diagnosis of Influenzal Pneumonia_
-
-In the consideration of any disease the well-trodden path of a
-painstaking history, a thorough physical examination, and reliable
-laboratory investigation, together with an intelligent interpretation,
-will usually lead to a definite diagnosis. In certain diseases, as is
-well known, the stress must be placed about equally on all of these
-factors, while in others one or other factor predominates. In influenzal
-pneumonia, until more is known of the etiology (bacteriology) and of the
-pathological changes and of the physiological disturbances, the
-controlling factor in the diagnosis (we feel embarrassed to admit) must
-be the history. This is true not only of the diagnosis of influenza with
-or without pulmonary involvement, but is also true of the diagnosis of
-the various complications, and will be found to be particularly true in
-the recognition of the bizarre sequelæ, which no doubt in the succeeding
-months or years will be attributed to or will follow in the train of
-influenza.
-
-With the knowledge that there is a prevailing epidemic of influenza and
-that the manifestations are largely in the respiratory tract, any
-pulmonary disturbance will necessarily make one suspicious of the
-presence or the oncoming of an influenzal pneumonia in the patient under
-consideration. The history of the onset, as of simple influenza, is the
-greatest factor. This with a continued temperature, cough, cyanosis,
-slow pulse, continued asthenia, or even an unusual leucopenia, may have
-a greater weight in determining the diagnosis of lung involvement than
-will the apparently definite or, as it may happen, the confusing chest
-signs. To differentiate from ordinary bronchitis, broncho-pneumonia and
-catarrhal pneumonia, one need only refer additionally to the severity
-and persistency of the disease when it is of the influenzal type, as
-compared with the mildness of the ordinary type. To differentiate it
-from croupous pneumonia, one need only compare the confusing symptom
-picture of the influenzal pneumonia with the definite, clear picture of
-ordinary pneumonia; or the confusing kaleidoscopic chest signs of the
-one with the definite, clear-cut signs of the other. The laboratory thus
-far has been the smallest factor in making the diagnosis, in that sputum
-examinations, blood examinations, blood cultures and urine examinations
-are mostly negative in their results, or at least the findings are not
-specific. We do not, however, mean to indicate that these tests are not
-of the greatest value. The leucopenia is the one outstanding feature
-which seems to have separated this infection from other acute lung
-infections, excepting miliary tuberculosis. The differentiation of
-influenzal pneumonia from an acute tuberculous process in the lung may
-be difficult, especially if there is no reliable history available.
-However, the fact that pulmonary tuberculosis usually begins at the
-apices of the lungs and influenzal pneumonia at the bases or at the
-apices of the lower lobes is quite helpful. Of course, the examination
-of the sputum for tubercle bacilli will be a deciding factor.
-
-The differentiation between influenzal pneumonia and diseases of the
-pleura is one which practically rarely needs to be made, for there seem
-to be very few cases of influenzal infection of the lungs in which the
-pleura is not also involved to a greater or lesser extent.
-
-
- _Complications_
-
-In considering the complications of influenza one again comes up
-squarely against the question: What is influenza and what is the
-specific micro-organism responsible for it? If the Pfeiffer bacillus is
-the specific cause, what pathology can be attributed to it? It has been
-an almost universal observation that the lesions in the lungs and pleura
-which characterized the group of cases with lung involvement rarely
-yielded a pure culture of the Pfeiffer bacillus, and that secondly in a
-large percentage of cases the Pfeiffer bacillus apparently was absent,
-and that other micro-organisms, such as the pneumococcus, streptococcus,
-micro-organisms commonly found in the pneumonic processes, were present
-and predominated. The question arises, therefore, may not all the
-influenzas with lung involvement be _complications_ of influenza? It is
-our feeling that Pfeiffer bacillus is present throughout the respiratory
-tract in all cases, and while it may of itself produce a lesion like a
-broncho-pneumonia or a lobar pneumonia, it chiefly prepares the soil for
-other germs which may happen to be present, and which are more commonly
-found in the pneumonias. We, therefore, look upon the lesion commonly
-found in the lung as being a part of rather than a complication of
-influenza, and look upon lesions elsewhere, due to the influenzal or
-other micro-organisms, as a definite complication.
-
-There is no doubt that the most frequent complication of influenza,
-especially in the present epidemic, is in connection with the pleural
-membranes. When one recalls that pneumonia rarely occurs without there
-being also a pleuritis, and also when one recognizes that in an
-influenzal infection of the lungs the specific micro-organism, together
-with any other micro-organism which may happen to be present, seems to
-run riot, apparently abandoning its usual mode of invasion, it can be
-readily understood why this complication is so frequent and so varied.
-The pleurisy was usually of the fibrinous type, and rarely was
-accompanied with demonstrable fluid. Of the 153 soldiers in only 3 was
-fluid detected in the chest, and of the 394 civilians only 10 showed
-fluid. In many more cases fluid was suspected, but X-ray examinations
-and free needling of the chest showed that we had misinterpreted the
-physical signs.
-
-After our experience in the epidemic of pneumonia in the spring of 1918,
-when the disease was also so prevalent in the cantonments, we of course
-expected to see many cases of empyæma and lung abscess in the present
-epidemic. In this we were agreeably disappointed. Only one case of
-empyæma and only one case with abscess of the lung were found up to the
-time of collecting our data and the compiling of our statistics. Both of
-these were among the civilians. From our experience since the compiling
-of our statistics, we are inclined to believe that this low incidence of
-empyæma may not altogether represent the real state of affairs, as we
-have since received in the hospital several cases of empyæma, as well as
-of abscess of the lung, which seemed to have followed an influenzal
-infection which had occurred three or four months previously. One of
-these cases was a particularly remarkable one, in that the patient had
-already been admitted to the hospital twice since his initial attack of
-influenza in October for suspected pleurisy with effusion. We were
-unable to find any fluid with the needle, though we felt certain of
-having demonstrated it a number of times physically and with the X-ray.
-About eight weeks after the second admission, however, pus was found
-after several needlings in the left chest, axillary space, apparently
-along the inter-lobar sulcus. This case was a good example of many we
-have seen in which a pneumonia, or possibly, as we see it now, a
-pleurisy, or even a localized empyæma, seemed to confine itself about
-the sulcus or fissure between the upper and lower lobes of the lung.
-Frequently the process began posteriorly, apparently at the apex of the
-lower lobe, and traveled forward and downward across the axillary space
-until it appeared in the anterior part of the chest. In most cases we
-interpreted our signs as those of a consolidated lung, and scarcely knew
-whether the consolidation was in the upper part of the lower lobe or in
-the lower part of the upper, or in both. In some cases we suspected a
-localized empyæma or an abscess in the sulcus, but in none did we find
-pus after exploring with the needle until this recent case occurred. The
-passage of the needle in this case, which was done several times before
-pus was found, always gave the impression that it was going through
-dense fibrous tissue for some distance before the abscess was finally
-found. From this experience, and from the extensive and irregular
-invasion of the pleura which we have seen demonstrated at autopsies,
-there can be no doubt that the clinical history of the complications of
-influenza in this epidemic is not a closed chapter.
-
-In six patients there was a purulent inflammation of the pharynx, larynx
-and trachea. It was extensive and produced profound general symptoms,
-dyspnœa and profuse purulent expectoration. The lungs were clear, but
-the patient seemed for a time in danger of death. The condition was
-considered a grave complication. There was only one case of acute
-sinusitis, one case of antrum disease, and only four cases of middle ear
-infection were recognized. This is in marked contrast to other epidemics
-which have occurred to our knowledge in the past fifteen years or more,
-and which have been spoken of as influenza or “grippe.” Disease of the
-tonsils, middle ear disease, mastoid disease and sinus disease occurred
-with great frequency in those sporadic epidemics. This again seems to
-show that the deep respiratory tract was more generally and more
-severely affected in this epidemic than the upper respiratory tract.
-
-With the exception of the pleura, the serous membranes were remarkably
-free from infection. Only one case of acute endocarditis, three cases of
-meningitis (all pneumococcic), none of pericarditis, peritonitis or
-arthritis were recognized among the 547 cases of influenza.
-
-The kidneys did not seem to be involved in the infection. Albumen was
-present in the urine, as might be expected in febrile conditions, but no
-evidence of acute clinical nephritis, such as suppression of urine,
-general œdema or uræmia, was recognized. The condition of the urine in
-this epidemic will be described more in detail in another paper of this
-series.
-
-A peculiar pathological process in the muscles was brought to our
-attention by Dr. Klotz, who demonstrated a myositis or hyaline
-degeneration of the lower end of the recti abdominalis. This lesion is
-carefully described in the pathological section. After our attention had
-been called to this lesion we recognized several cases clinically having
-the same condition. One was in the right sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle
-and another was in the left ilio-psoas muscle. This last patient while
-he was convalescing developed a severe pain in the left hip, extending
-upward into the lumbar region and downward into the thigh. His decubitus
-was like that of one suffering with psoas abscess. Every test available
-was made to confirm this diagnosis, but all the findings were negative.
-The patient rested in the hospital, in bed, for some time, gradually
-improved, and eventually made a complete recovery.
-
-In several cases we also detected an osteitis, especially of the bodies
-of the vertebræ. One was of the cervical vertebræ and the other of the
-dorsal. The first died after intense suffering. An autopsy was not
-obtained. The other had a plaster cast applied as in Pott’s disease, and
-improved sufficiently to leave the hospital in comfort. One hesitates
-under the circumstances to attribute these bone lesions definitely to
-the same infecting micro-organism which was responsible for the epidemic
-of influenza, as it might easily have happened that a coincident
-quiescent tuberculous lesion was present and relighted during the
-epidemic. However, in one case from the service of Dr. J. O. Wallace the
-possibility of the bone lesions being due to the Pfeiffer bacillus was
-demonstrated. This was a child of 16 months with an epiphysitis of the
-upper end of the tibia. The inflamed area was incised and pus was found.
-A smear at the time showed the B. influenzæ, which was grown in pure
-culture.
-
-A most interesting complication noted in a few of our cases was a
-transient glycosuria. The first case brought to our attention was a
-middle-aged female, who complained of failure of vision. Upon making an
-ophthalmoscopic examination a papillitis of a mild type was noticed.
-This led to a careful study of the urine, and sugar was found in a small
-amount for a short period of three days, although the glycosuria readily
-disappeared by cutting down the carbohydrate intake, the vision came
-back to normal more slowly. In fact, it was almost one month before the
-symptoms and signs of the retinal change had entirely disappeared. It is
-interesting in this connection to recall similar cases referred to in
-Allbutt’s System of Medicine, vol. vi, on influenza, following the
-epidemic of 1890 in England. Other transient glycosurias showed no
-visual changes. We do not consider these to be true cases of diabetes
-mellitus. In all a transient hyperglycæmia was also noted.
-
-
- _Pregnancy_
-
-A condition which can scarcely be considered as a complication of
-influenza, but which, however, was a large factor in increasing the
-mortality among women, was pregnancy. Among the cases included in this
-study were five pregnant women, who came to the hospital and were
-referred to the medical service. As soon as a complication relative to
-the existing pregnancy arose they were referred to the Obstetrical
-Department. On account of the great amount of work in caring for the
-influenzal patients, and on account of the scarcity of physicians and
-nurses, we were unable to follow these cases closely enough to give any
-such definite data as we wish. Three miscarried or went into premature
-labor. Happily only one of them died. The two which did not miscarry
-recovered and left the hospital well.
-
-We very soon recognized in consultation with the obstetricians that the
-pregnant woman was in a really dangerous condition if she contracted
-influenza. She was likely to have a termination of her pregnancy in the
-height of the infection, no matter how recent or how remote pregnancy
-had taken place. If pregnancy did not terminate, the chances of recovery
-were less than those of the non-pregnant woman; if it did terminate, the
-chances for recovery were still less. To the pregnant woman with
-pneumonia very little hope of recovery could be offered. I am indebted
-to Dr. Paul Titus, of the Obstetrical Department of the School of
-Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, for a report which includes the
-cases seen by himself and his assistant, Dr. J. M. Jamison, during this
-epidemic. Dr. Titus was kind enough to include in his report certain
-conclusions which merit consideration. The report is as follows: “A
-series of 50 cases, at all stages of gestation. Interruption of
-pregnancy occurred in 21, or 42 per cent., of the cases; 29, or 58 per
-cent., in which pregnancy was uninterrupted. Mortality of pregnant women
-developing epidemic influenza is higher than that of ordinary
-individuals, even though their pregnancy is undisturbed, since 14 of the
-29 in whom pregnancy was not interrupted died, an incidence of 48–2/10
-per cent. If a pregnant woman miscarries or falls into labor, the
-mortality increases to 80–9/10 per cent. (17 of the 21 in whom pregnancy
-was interrupted died). The period of gestation has less influence on the
-outcome than the interruption itself. Of 10 at term, 3 lived and 7 died
-after delivery.
-
-“Two main features of this condition as a complication of pregnancy are:
-First, pregnant women developing epidemic influenza are liable to an
-interruption of their pregnancy (42 per cent. aborted, miscarried or
-fell into labor); second, the prognosis, which is already grave on
-account of the existence of pregnancy, becomes more grave if
-interruption of pregnancy occurs.
-
-“The cause of the frequency of interruption of pregnancy is probably a
-combination of factors: (1) The theory of Brown-Sequard that a lowering
-of the carbon-dioxid content of the blood causes strong uterine
-contractions sufficient to induce labor. (2) The toxæmia causes the
-death of the fœtus, particularly if not mature, when it acts as a
-foreign body and is extruded (10 premature fœtuses were born dead, while
-1 was born alive, although 9 out of 10 at full term were born alive and
-survived).
-
-“The cause of the frequency of death following interruption of pregnancy
-is also due in all probability to a combination of factors: (1) Shock
-incident to labor. (2) Increase from muscular labor of carbon-dioxid in
-blood already overloaded by the deficiency of the diseased respiratory
-organs. (3) Sudden lowering of intra-abdominal pressure by the delivery.
-(4) Lowering of blood pressure by the hemorrhage of the delivery. (5)
-Strain of labor on an already impaired myocardium.”
-
-If one had been told a year ago that an epidemic could occur which would
-result in the death of 60 per cent. of all pregnant women affected, it
-would have been thought too unlikely to warrant any consideration.
-Though the effect upon pregnancy of the acute infectious diseases forms
-an important chapter in the pathology of pregnancy, it seems that the
-profession, and in this the obstetrician is no exception, has never
-realized how pernicious and tragic the results of an influenzal epidemic
-can be in a community. From the experience in previous epidemics we
-cannot but feel that the infection in the present epidemic was unusually
-fatal. Whitridge Williams (“Text-book of Obstetrics”) speaks of the
-interruption of pregnancy as having occurred in 6 out of 7 cases with
-one observer, and in 16 out of 21 in another, while a third has found it
-only twice in 41 cases. However, none of these writers speaks of having
-had a death.
-
-
- _Sequelæ_
-
-In referring to some of the associated conditions of influenza one
-scarcely knows whether to consider them as complications or sequelæ. The
-pathological process certainly had its origin from the influenzal
-attack, but at times apparently assumed an inactive stage. The patient
-is usually free from any specific influenzal symptoms, but retains for a
-long time other symptoms referable to various organs, or he may have
-been normal for a shorter or a longer period and then suddenly develop
-symptoms apparently independent of the previous infection. It may be
-well to consider all such conditions which followed the febrile attack,
-whether immediately or more remotely, as sequelæ, and I shall therefore
-speak of them as such.
-
-The first and probably the most interesting and confusing are the
-conditions found in the lungs following influenza. A chronic bronchitis,
-an old bronchiectasis, or a previous tuberculous lesion in whatsoever
-stage, may present acute symptoms and signs which are difficult to
-interpret. The question always arises in the individual case—is this a
-process due to the recent influenzal attack, or was it there before the
-attack? Is it of streptococcic, pneumococcic, or tuberculous origin? The
-history of previous diseases of the lungs may help to arrive at a
-diagnosis. The history of the severity of the influenzal attack is of
-very little help, because the apparently mildest attack may be followed
-by the most profound changes in the lungs, and the gravest attack with a
-history of definite lung infection may leave the lungs without a trace
-of the previous pathology. The physical examination is helpful, of
-course, in determining whether the lesion is at the apices or at the
-bases, and from this a reasonably safe inference may be drawn as to
-whether it is from a previous tuberculous lesion or a recent influenzal
-infection. The Roentgenologist depends almost entirely upon this
-localization. If the linear striæ are only at the apex, it is probably
-tuberculous; but if they are only at the base, or also at the base, it
-is likely to be an influenzal lung. In fact, the Roentgenologist with
-his present information is ready to admit that it is most difficult to
-speak definitely of the lungs in these cases. The possibility of
-confusing the post-influenzal lung with a tuberculous lesion is not
-peculiar to this epidemic. After the epidemic of 1889 and 1890 the same
-condition was observed by clinicians. Dr. Roland G. Curtin, of
-Philadelphia, in 1892 and 1893 conducted a series of clinics at the
-Philadelphia Hospital, in which he spoke of the “non-bacillary form of
-phthisis,” and showed case after case which he said might be diagnosed
-as pulmonary tuberculosis, but because of the recent epidemic and the
-absence of the tubercle bacillus he diagnosed them as post-influenzal
-lung.
-
-In the present stage of our knowledge, many of these post-influenzal
-lungs will not be diagnosed properly until sufficient time is given for
-either the lung to clear up or the tubercle bacillus to appear in the
-sputum. We would emphasize the importance at the present time of finding
-the tubercle bacillus in all suspicious lung lesions before giving a
-positive opinion as to the tuberculous nature, even though the physical
-signs are very definite.
-
-Another group of sequelæ is that due to thyroid disturbance, or
-disturbance of the endocrin system in general. Since the epidemic a
-number of patients have been seen who noticed an enlargement of a
-previously normal thyroid gland or greater enlargement of a previously
-hypertrophied gland. In the same way the symptoms of hyperthyroidism
-appeared, new in some or a recrudescence in others.
-
-In some of these there was a disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism, as
-shown by an occasional glycosuria and an increase in the blood sugar, or
-by a possible disturbance of the suprarenals, as brought out by the
-administration of adrenalin hypodermatically (Goetsch test). In the
-application of this test in post-influenzal patients it appeared that
-the whole endocrin system was in a state of imbalance.
-
-It appears to us not at all improbable that the so-called psychoneuroses
-of which fatigue, nervousness, irritability and tachycardia play such an
-important part might also be explained in the same way. These constitute
-a group of sequelæ which were frequently recognized after previous
-epidemics, and which are again coming to the foreground.
-
-We are of the opinion, on account of the apparent absence of any
-specific pathology of the gastro-intestinal tract and its appendages
-during the attack of influenza, that the sequelæ referred to the
-digestive system are largely due to exacerbations of previous
-physiological disturbances or pathological processes. The patient with a
-previous peptic ulcer has a recurrence of his ulcer. The patient with an
-infection of the biliary tract has an acute exacerbation, or may have an
-attack of biliary colic. In fact, there seem to have been many more
-cases of this kind since the epidemic than before, and most of the
-patients date the time of the onset from a period soon after recovering
-from influenza.
-
-Very few, if any, patients in our experience have exhibited sequelæ due
-to disease of the cardio-vascular or genito-urinary systems. It may be
-that these will appear later when the more remote effects of an acute
-infection are recorded.
-
-A very commonplace sequel, but of more or less interest, is the tendency
-to furunculosis. Our attention was particularly called to the associated
-hyperglycæmia. The blood sugar readings varied from 0.2 to 0.41. There
-was no glycosuria, acetone or diacetic acid. We have no explanation to
-offer for this, although one might dilate readily on many attractive
-theories. The hyperglycæmia, one may add, was readily reduced by a
-lowered carbohydrate intake, which also had a curative action on the
-furunculosis.
-
-Finally we would mention the peculiar epidemic which has been observed
-apparently over the world, encephalitis lethargica. We do not for a
-moment put ourselves on record as regarding this disease as a
-post-influenzal affair, but no one will deny that it has a peculiar time
-relation to the epidemic; and further, that its distribution is
-apparently identical. Its bacteriology seems to be unknown. Its local
-pathology in the mid-brain is not peculiar or at variance with
-encephalitis produced by known organisms. We have seen five cases; three
-of whom had had undoubted influenza, while the other two were entirely
-free from even the slightest suggestion of any type of illness previous
-to the attack. All of these cases recovered. It has been stated that
-following the 1890 epidemic a clinical condition was observed in Europe
-which bears a close resemblance to what has been termed at the present
-time encephalitis lethargica.
-
-
- _Prognosis and Mortality of Influenza_
-
-In giving a prognosis of influenza one has to take into consideration
-the peculiar manifestations of the disease, especially the possible and
-sudden changes which are liable to take place in the lungs. The points
-which lead one to feel that the outlook is grave occur in about the
-following order, which is also about the order of the severity of the
-symptoms. First, _cyanosis_. This usually appeared quite early and was
-considered a forerunner of definite lung infection. It may have been a
-symptom only of the “wet lung,” to which reference has been made, but it
-was usually followed with definitely recognized pathology in the chest,
-and it immediately made the outlook unfavorable. Second, _continuation
-of elevated temperature_. If the temperature fell to normal in three or
-four days, the outlook was, of course, good; but if it went up again, or
-if the temperature did not fall in that time, the chances were that
-there was a lung involvement, even though the chest signs were negative
-or only those of an acute bronchitis. Strange to say, however, when
-definite chest signs were once recognized, the height of the temperature
-or the continuation of fever was not so important a prognostic factor.
-Third, _increase in pulse rate_. The pulse, as was noted before, was
-unusually slow, even though the patient seemed desperately ill; when,
-however, it began to increase in rate the condition was usually very
-grave. Fourth, _the extent of lung involvement_. This was of very little
-prognostic value. Both lower lobes might be solid, and yet if there was
-no cyanosis and the pulse and respirations were satisfactory, the
-outlook was rather good. On the other hand, there might be the slightest
-involvement of the lung, and if the pulse were rapid and cyanosis
-present the outlook was grave. Fifth, _depression and stupor_, or loss
-of so-called “morale.” If the patient remained clear in his mind, bright
-and hopeful, no difference how extensive the involvement or how grave
-the symptoms, the prospect of recovery was better. This is, of course,
-not peculiar to influenza, but it seemed particularly striking during
-the epidemic. Sixth, _a gradually rising rate in respiration_, which
-often was not more than two per minute per day, if progressive, even in
-the absence of other untoward signs, conveyed a serious prognosis.
-
-Our mortality among the civilians in comparison with the soldiers was
-exceedingly high. The first cases seen by us were among the soldier
-patients sent to the hospital. These were as fine a lot of healthy young
-men as one can well imagine. They came to the hospital comparatively
-early in the infection. After the first week it appeared as though our
-experience would be entirely different from those in other localities,
-for we had very few deaths. In another week our mortality began to rise,
-but never as high as among the civilians, as will be seen by the
-following figures.
-
-Of the 153 soldiers 87 were without lung involvement, and of these none
-died; 66 had lung involvement, and of these 16 died. Mortality among the
-153 was 10 per cent. Of the 394 civilians 157 were without lung
-involvement, and of these 1 died; 237 had lung involvement, or some
-other complication, and of these 93 died. Mortality among the 394 was
-23.6 per cent.
-
-It will be seen that the mortality in the civilians was more than twice
-as high as in the soldiers. It has already been mentioned that the
-soldiers were ordered to the hospital promptly. The civilian patients,
-on the other hand, were later in coming to the hospital, some of them
-appearing when they had already developed serious complications. Another
-factor in determining the mortality were the ages of the patients. The
-soldiers ranged from 18 to 34 years, with an average of 20 years. The
-civilians ranged from 6 months to 73 years, with an average of 30 years.
-Generally speaking, the greater the age the higher was the mortality.
-
-A third factor which should be considered in determining the actual
-mortality is the result of later complications and sequelæ. The figures
-as given are those of 547 patients, 110 of whom had died in the Mercy
-Hospital and 437 of whom had been discharged therefrom between September
-22 and November 30, 1918, the length of the quarantine. Those who were
-discharged had been up and about for a week or 10 days before leaving
-the hospital. From our experience with post-influenzal patients admitted
-to the Mercy Hospital since November 30, we are of the opinion that some
-of the patients discharged before November 30 as recovered may have
-later developed sequelæ which might have proved fatal. No follow-up
-system has been pursued as yet which enables us to speak definitely and
-statistically of the present condition of those discharged.
-
-This compilation does not readily lend itself to drawing any more
-specific conclusions, but we cannot desist from expressing our opinion
-that in the clinical study of this recent epidemic we find very little
-that may not have been observed by clinicians in previous epidemics.
-
-
-
-
- THE URINE AND BLOOD IN EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA
-
- By PETER I. ZEEDICK, M. D.
-
-
-Epidemic influenza, unlike other acute infectious processes as
-diphtheria and scarlet fever, seemingly attacks the kidney in a rather
-mild manner. This statement refers only to the uncomplicated cases, as
-other bacterial or toxic agents do play a part in the nephritides
-occurring so often with the pneumonias or other complications
-following influenza. It is, however, true that in many simple epidemic
-cases there is evidence of a transient mild nephritis, or possibly,
-more correctly stated, a nephrosis. Some writers observed albuminuria
-in 80 per cent. of the cases, while the incidence in other reports
-varies from 4 to 66 per cent. It is not always stated with reference
-to these figures that the patients clinically were free from the
-common complication—pneumonia. The findings of various observers
-differ greatly, but they all agree that acute nephritis as a serious
-sequel is somewhat rare.
-
-In the literature of the past epidemics general acknowledgment has been
-accorded to the presence of albumin in the urine during the acute stage
-of the disease. Many times this has received no further notice or
-comment than “febrile albuminuria.” The association of occasional
-hyaline and granular casts has also been mentioned. One is impressed
-with the fact that the older observers laid but little emphasis on the
-urinary findings. It also seems to be true that nephritis as a clinical
-entity is not prone to follow the epidemics. In general, our conclusions
-from the last epidemic are about the same.
-
-The data for this paper was obtained from examination of 994 specimens
-of urine from 750 patients; of this number 517 specimens were examined
-at the Magee Hospital, where members of the S. A. T. C., all young men,
-were treated, and 447 specimens from the Mercy Hospital, where, in
-addition to the S. A. T. C., we had men, women and children. On account
-of the large amount of material and work on hand, as a rule only one
-specimen of urine was examined from each patient, but where
-complications were suspected repeated daily examinations were made. We
-have grouped our results in tables, so that the various points may be
-more readily followed.
-
-Table I shows the urinary findings of uncomplicated influenza cases
-admitted to the wards of the Mercy Hospital. None of these cases
-developed pneumonia and, after running the usual course, recovered. We
-would call attention to the fact that 25 per cent. showed albuminuria.
-The amount of albumin was never excessive, and very often was little
-more than a faint trace. On the other hand, we have had a few patients
-where a previous kidney lesion was known to be present, and naturally in
-these cases a heavy cloud of albumin was met with. The albuminuria was
-almost always a transient affair, lasting only during the acute part of
-the illness, and would rightly come under the class of febrile
-albuminuria. We regard it as being more the evidence of nephrosis than a
-nephritis. As a rule, the time for the appearance of albumin was after
-the fever had been present for at least two or three days. One rarely
-met with it in the short attacks of influenza where the temperature came
-to normal in less than 72 hours. A certain time factor appeared to be
-necessary in order for the nephrosis to develop. Another point of
-interest is the presence of red and white blood cells seen relatively
-frequently during the early days of the illness. One wonders if this
-finding is analogous to the bleeding from the nose and lung so often met
-with at the onset of the disease. The red blood cells were seen
-microscopically, and only very rarely did we encounter a smoky urine.
-
-
- TABLE I
-
- URINE ANALYSIS IN CASES OF UNCOMPLICATED INFLUENZA AT THE MERCY HOSPITAL
-
- ───────┬─────────┬───────────────────────────────┬──────┬──────┬──────
- Day of │Total No.│ │ │ │
- Disease│ of │ SPECIFIC GRAVITY │ Alb. │R.B.C.│Casts
- │Specimens│ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- │ │1001–10│1011–20│1021–30│1031–40│ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- 2│ 118│ 8│ 31│ 61│ 18│ 29│ 17│ 8
- 3│ 97│ 8│ 15│ 62│ 12│ 23│ 10│ 11
- 4│ 51│ 9│ 22│ 17│ 3│ 11│ 7│
- 5│ 24│ 4│ 2│ 14│ 4│ 5│ 3│ 4
- 6│ 11│ │ │ 8│ 3│ 4│ │
- 7│ 25│ │ 10│ 14│ 1│ 8│ │
- 8│ 12│ │ 2│ 8│ 2│ 6│ │ 3
- 9│ 4│ │ 2│ 1│ 1│ 2│ │
- 18│ 2│ │ 1│ 1│ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- Totals │ 344│ 29│ 95│ 186│ 44│ 88│ 37│ 26
- ───────┴─────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴──────┴──────┴──────
-
-
- TABLE II
-
- URINE ANALYSIS IN CASES OF UNCOMPLICATED INFLUENZA AT THE MAGEE HOSPITAL
-
- ───────┬─────────┬───────────────────────────────┬──────┬──────┬──────
- Day of │Total No.│ │ │ │
- Disease│ of │ SPECIFIC GRAVITY │ Alb. │R.B.C.│Casts
- │Specimens│ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- │ │1001–10│1011–20│1021–30│1031–40│ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- 1│ 101│ 6│ 22│ 49│ 24│ 5│ │ 3
- 2│ 127│ 1│ 17│ 75│ 34│ 13│ │ 3
- 3│ 82│ 3│ 13│ 55│ 11│ 13│ 1│ 4
- 4│ 36│ 1│ 14│ 18│ 3│ 4│ │ 2
- 5│ 40│ 2│ 9│ 24│ 5│ 6│ 1│ 2
- 6│ 23│ 1│ 5│ 15│ 2│ 7│ 1│ 3
- 7│ 5│ │ 1│ 4│ │ 3│ │ 2
- 8│ 5│ 1│ │ 4│ │ │ │
- 9│ 2│ 1│ │ 1│ │ │ │
- 10│ 10│ 1│ 3│ 5│ 1│ 2│ │ 1
- 11│ 3│ │ │ 3│ │ 2│ │ 1
- 12│ 3│ │ 1│ 2│ │ 2│ 1│
- 13│ 1│ │ 1│ 3│ │ │ │
- 14│ 1│ │ │ 1│ │ │ │
- 15│ 5│ │ 1│ 4│ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- Totals │ 447│ 17│ 87│ 263│ 80│ 57│ 4│ 21
- ───────┴─────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴──────┴──────┴──────
-
-The results shown in Table II illustrate the urinary findings at the
-Magee Hospital, and, as in the previous table, include cases of
-influenza which did not develop pneumonia. The specimens examined were
-obtained from young, healthy men, between the ages of 20 and 32, and
-showed albumin in 13 per cent. of the cases. This age factor probably
-accounts for the lower incidence of albuminuria for this group.
-
-
- TABLE III
-
- URINE ANALYSIS IN CASES OF PNEUMONIA (INFLUENZAL) AT THE MERCY HOSPITAL
-
- ───────┬─────────┬───────────────────────────────┬──────┬──────┬──────
- Day of │Total No.│ │ │ │
- Disease│ of │ SPECIFIC GRAVITY │ Alb. │R.B.C.│Casts
- │Specimens│ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- │ │1001–10│1011–20│1021–30│1031–40│ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- 1│ 47│ 4│ 14│ 25│ 2│ 36│ 7│ 6
- 2│ 22│ 1│ 8│ 9│ 4│ 19│ 1│ 4
- 3│ 9│ 2│ 3│ 3│ 1│ 7│ 1│
- 4│ 6│ 1│ 3│ 2│ │ 4│ 1│
- 5│ 6│ 1│ │ 5│ │ 5│ │ 1
- 6│ 16│ 2│ 7│ 7│ │ 13│ 2│ 7
- 7│ 9│ │ 5│ 3│ 1│ 8│ │
- 8│ 3│ │ 1│ 2│ │ 3│ │
- 9│ 3│ │ 2│ │ │ 2│ │
- 10│ 1│ │ │ │ │ 1│ │
- 11│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 12│ 3│ │ 2│ 1│ │ 2│ │
- 13│ 4│ │ 1│ 3│ │ 3│ │ 1
- 14│ 2│ │ │ 2│ │ 2│ │
- 15│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 16│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 17│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 18│ 1│ │ │ 1│ │ 1│ │
- 19│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 20│ 1│ │ 1│ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- Totals │ 133│ 11│ 47│ 63│ 8│ 106│ 13│ 19
- ───────┴─────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴──────┴──────┴──────
-
-Table III includes the urinary findings of patients diagnosed as
-influenzal pneumonia. In this table the term “Day of Disease” indicates
-the day on which the physical signs of pneumonia could be demonstrated,
-and not the day on which the patient was taken ill with influenza. The
-incidence of albuminuria—79 per cent.—is very high, while the presence
-of casts and red blood cells is low. These results are really what one
-would expect. As we have noticed in the late stages of uncomplicated
-influenza a greater tendency for urinary changes to become apparent, one
-would, therefore, most likely find considerable urinary disturbance in
-the pneumonia immediately following the epidemic disease. Pneumococcic
-pneumonia is prone to be accompanied by an albuminuria. So when we have
-both influenzal and pneumococcic etiological factors involved, it is but
-natural to have most of the patients showing signs of kidney
-disturbance. The amount of albumin present, although generally greater
-than in uncomplicated influenza, was not excessive. At times there was
-little more than a trace. We noted the relative scarcity of casts—a
-condition which differs greatly from our past experience in the ordinary
-lobar pneumococcic pneumonia. On the transient nature of this kidney
-involvement we have considerable positive evidence, but there is no
-question that the time required for the urine to return to normal is
-longer after pneumonia than uncomplicated influenza. We have observed
-but one or two cases which afterward returned to us presenting clinical
-signs of acute nephritis. In fact, in going over our hospital records of
-the winter and spring we noted that an unusually small number of acute
-nephritics have been admitted. This would seem to be evidence that, as
-has been noted in the past, the kidney is not a vulnerable organ in this
-epidemic disease.
-
-
- TABLE IV
-
- URINE ANALYSIS IN CASES OF PNEUMONIA (INFLUENZAL) AT THE MAGEE HOSPITAL
-
- ───────┬─────────┬───────────────────────────────┬──────┬──────┬──────
- Day of │Total No.│ │ │ │
- Disease│ of │ SPECIFIC GRAVITY │ Alb. │R.B.C.│Casts
- │Specimens│ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- │ │1001–10│1011–20│1021–30│1031–40│ │ │
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- 1│ 3│ │ │ 2│ 1│ 1│ │ 1
- 2│ 12│ │ 1│ 10│ 1│ 8│ │ 6
- 3│ 4│ │ │ 4│ │ 1│ 1│ 1
- 4│ 9│ 1│ 2│ 4│ 2│ 6│ │ 6
- 5│ 8│ │ 4│ 4│ │ 6│ │ 5
- 6│ 8│ │ 5│ 3│ │ 7│ 2│ 6
- 7│ 4│ │ 2│ 2│ │ 3│ │ 2
- 8│ 10│ │ 2│ 8│ │ 5│ 2│ 5
- 9│ 4│ │ 2│ 2│ │ 4│ 3│ 4
- 10│ 6│ │ 1│ 5│ │ 6│ 3│ 5
- 11│ 1│ │ 1│ │ │ 1│ │ 1
- 12│ 1│ │ 1│ │ │ 1│ │
- 13│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 14│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 15│ 2│ │ 2│ │ │ 1│ │ 1
- ───────┼─────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼──────┼──────┼──────
- Totals │ 70│ 1│ 20│ 45│ 4│ 49│ 11│ 40
- ───────┴─────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴──────┴──────┴──────
-
-Table IV includes specimens obtained at the Magee Hospital from patients
-diagnosed as pneumonia. The results among these young students were very
-similar to those of the previous chart, where all ages were included.
-However, casts and red blood cells were more regularly noted.
-
-From the four tables, we are able to note one or two common facts. In
-acute uncomplicated influenza albuminuria occurred 57 times in 447
-specimens, or 13 per cent., at the Magee Hospital. Here we dealt
-entirely with the young adult. At the Mercy Hospital 88 positive results
-of albumin in 344 specimens, or 26 per cent., from patients of all types
-were recorded. The common total would be 781 specimens examined, and
-141, or 17 per cent., showing albumin.
-
-With the advent of pneumonia the incidence of albuminuria was increased.
-At the Magee Hospital it was seen 49 times in 70 examinations, or 70 per
-cent.; while at the Mercy Hospital 106 positive results were found in
-133 specimens examined, a percentage of 79. The combined figures,
-therefore, would show 155 out of 203, or 76 per cent.
-
-The incidence of albuminuria for the epidemic in all its phases would
-be, from our figures, 400 in 994 specimens, or 40 per cent.
-
-Red blood cells were present in 5 per cent. of the influenza cases, and
-in 11 per cent. of the pneumonias. This was always a microscopic
-observation, save in the case of a slightly smoky urine. Even
-microscopically the red cells were not numerous. We noted them at times
-quite early in the disease in some of the severe cases which presented
-epistaxis and hematemesis. Possibly one might consider the early
-presence of red blood cells in the urine as a condition analogous to
-those just mentioned, although we never saw anything suggesting free
-hemorrhage from the kidney. It is probably better to regard the red
-cells as a manifestation of an acute nephrosis of toxic origin.
-
-Casts were found in 35 per cent. of the cases showing albuminuria. We
-are inclined to feel that this observation is somewhat low, but at the
-same time we have noted that in uncomplicated influenza one frequently
-sees albumin without casts. We were also impressed with the fact that
-casts were not as prominent a feature in the influenzal pneumonias as
-they are in frank lobar pneumonia of essentially pneumococcic origin.
-
-During the course of routine examinations several transient glycosurias
-were seen. Their transient character was the outstanding feature. The
-quantity of sugar was very moderate—our figures were never above 1 per
-cent.—and the daily amount of urine was always within normal limits.
-Acetone and diacetic acid were absent. A few observations on the blood
-sugar showed a rise (.2 to .25), which readily came to normal with
-treatment. Clinically these cases were not classed as diabetes mellitus,
-but rather as a nervous complication of influenza, involving in some way
-the carbohydrate metabolism, probably through the central nervous
-system. One case of special interest, which is mentioned elsewhere, was
-the association of glycosuria with almost total blindness from a very
-intense optic œdema. Sugar (1 per cent.) was present on the day of
-admission, while only a trace was noted on the two following days, and
-from then on the urine was free from sugar. How many days the sugar had
-been present before admission to the hospital we cannot say, but we
-could trace the failure of vision back to almost the day of its onset,
-which was three weeks previous to our first examination. The eye
-symptoms were the only complaints. The patient had had a moderately
-sharp attack of influenza a little over two weeks before the first sign
-of failure of vision had appeared. We may add that the vision returned
-slowly to normal several weeks after admission. The urine and blood
-sugar were normal, on a general diet, over a period of one month while
-in the hospital. Unfortunately, we have had no further record of this
-patient regarding the urine, but her vision still remains normal. Cases
-of this type were observed in England after the 1890 epidemic, and are
-referred to in Allbutt’s “System of Medicine,” vol. i, on influenza. Our
-other glycosuria cases did not present changes in the fundus of the eye.
-The glycosuria and glycæmia were transient, and we feel that they do not
-represent diabetes mellitus. Most of the patients of this class had long
-since recovered from an attack of influenza, and came to the hospital
-usually for treatment of various nervous conditions, which at times
-simulated neuritis, or otherwise one saw manifestations of general
-nervousness, not unlike hyperthyroidism. In all probability, we were
-dealing with a hyperglycæmia associated with a hyperactive thyroid
-gland. So, after all, the glycosuria, even though rare, is not
-bewildering. Symptoms and signs of toxic goitre in direct relation to
-the epidemic we claim to have seen, and one is justified, temporarily at
-least, in having the thyroid gland father our transient glycosuria.
-
-In relation to the positive sugar findings, we have had numerous
-negative examples of almost equal interest. Furunculosis is a very
-common sequel of the epidemic. It is well known that in furunculosis
-there is a hyperglycæmia, but no glycosuria and no acetone or diacetic
-acid in the urine. All our blood sugar readings were above the normal,
-and at times unusually high. They varied from .2 to .41. This last
-unusually high amount was in a young physician with recurrent
-furunculosis following influenza. There was no glycosuria at any time.
-Elimination of carbohydrates not only brought the blood sugar to normal
-limits in the course of a week, but also assisted in the cure of the
-furunculosis, but in a longer time. In all of this group we saw no
-incidence of polyuria or glycosuria.
-
-
- _Hematology_
-
-There is very little evidence, as shown in the literature, that special
-study on the blood during past influenzal epidemics has been made. A few
-references to alterations in the count of cells have been reported for
-the last epidemic (1890), but they are, as a rule, very brief
-statements. Cabot notes a normal leucocyte count in two-thirds of the
-cases, and a moderate increase in the rest. Several observers call
-attention to the leucopenia during the height of the disease, with a
-subsequent rise after the temperature has fallen to normal. According to
-Rieder and Herman (American Journal of Medical Science, 1893, cv. 696),
-the leucocytes were not increased in simple influenza, and only very
-slightly in the pneumonia following this disease. Herman also noticed a
-decline in the leucocytes in pneumonia as a fatal ending ensued. This
-finding was one of the few recorded for the 1890 epidemic. Emerson
-(Emerson Clinic Diagnosis, 1911, 558) found in influenza almost one-half
-of the cases showing more than 10,000 leucocytes, some even reaching
-25,000. He further notes that early in the disease the count may be low,
-3,000 to 5,000, but it usually rose sharply, to fall again when the
-temperature comes to normal. He lays stress on obtaining a leucocyte
-curve for each case in order to get a true picture of what changes
-occur. The past epidemic has brought out many observations on this
-subject. They vary somewhat, as is to be expected, but a common factor
-seems to be more or less basic—namely, a leucopenia or a normal count is
-the most significant single blood picture we have of uncomplicated
-influenza. Further, a leucocytosis is fairly generally, and we believe
-correctly, interpreted as evidence of a secondary bacterial invasion in
-this particular epidemic, and usually of the respiratory system. The
-leucopenia is as much a part of the clinical picture of influenza as it
-is of typhoid fever. Leucocytosis always means secondary invasion by
-other organisms.
-
-During the recent epidemic the clinical laboratory department of the
-School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, has made 747 blood counts
-on influenza cases. In most of the cases blood counts were made as a
-routine, while repeated counts were done only on selected patients.
-
-The following table indicates the leucocyte count for our series,
-comprising the epidemic in all of its phases. There are a few general
-points which appear striking that we may refer to at this time, and
-leave until later the discussion of the minor details. One-third of the
-counts, including, as they do, many cases of pneumonia, showed a
-leucopenia, while 70 per cent. of the total number fell under 10,000.
-This last group contains more pneumonias and other complications than
-simple influenza. But 5 per cent. of the cases counted showed more than
-20,000. All of these undoubtedly had pneumonia or some other
-complication. Comparing this finding with our experience in the past
-before the epidemic with the pneumococcic lobar pneumonia, one sees at
-once that, as far as this type of clinical observation is concerned, the
-two pneumonias are totally different. The writer remembers but one case
-of lobar pneumonia which showed a persistent white count falling below
-10,000. Certainly in this community lobar pneumonia and low leucocyte
-counts were unusual combinations until the present epidemic. Further,
-the evident depression of leucocytosis even where there was an actual
-increase is indicated by 95 per cent. of our counts being below 20,000.
-This leads us to state that the pneumococcus, although present in
-practically all of our pneumonias, produced in only a small percentage
-of the bloods we examined its characteristic increase. The toxic factor
-of this influenzal epidemic certainly causes a marked change in the
-white cells of the blood.
-
-
- TABLE V
-
- MERCY HOSPITAL │ MAGEE HOSPITAL
- ───────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬─────┬─────┼──────┬─────┬─────┬─────
- │ │ │ │ │ │Influ.│ │ │
- Leucocyte │ │Influ.│Influ.│ │ │Influ.│ │ │
- Count. │Influ.│ Pn. │Compl.│Total│ % │ Pn. │ % │Total│ %
- │ │ │ │ │ │Influ.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │Compl.│ │ │
- ───────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼─────┼─────┼──────┼─────┼─────┼─────
- 2000 or│ │ 2│ │ 2│ 38│ 1│ 28│ 3│ 32
- less│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 2000–3000│ 3│ 3│ 1│ 7│ │ 13│ │ 20│
- 3000–4000│ 7│ 12│ 4│ 23│ │ 34│ │ 57│
- 4000–5000│ 14│ 13│ 9│ 36│ │ 41│ │ 77│
- 5000–6000│ 17│ 16│ 6│ 39│ │ 42│ │ 81│
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 6000–7000│ 15│ 13│ 6│ 34│ 40│ 59│ 37│ 93│ 38
- 7000–8000│ 7│ 8│ 5│ 20│ │ 36│ │ 56│
- 8000–9000│ 8│ 14│ 8│ 30│ │ 37│ │ 67│
- 9000–10000│ 15│ 9│ 8│ 32│ │ 39│ │ 71│
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 10000–12000│ 4│ 12│ 9│ 25│ 20│ 44│ 27│ 69│ 25
- 12000–14000│ 1│ 1│ 8│ 10│ │ 28│ │ 38│
- 14000–16000│ 5│ 3│ 2│ 10│ │ 22│ │ 33│
- 16000–18000│ 3│ 2│ 2│ 7│ │ 16│ │ 23│
- 18000–20000│ 2│ 2│ 2│ 6│ │ 15│ │ 21│
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 20000–22000│ │ 1│ 1│ 2│ 2│ 4│ 5│ 6│ 3
- 22000–24000│ │ │ 1│ 1│ │ 8│ │ 9│
- 24000–26000│ │ │ 1│ 1│ │ 4│ │ 5│
- 26000–28000│ │ │ │ │ │ 2│ │ 2│
- 28000–30000│ │ │ 1│ 1│ │ 3│ │ 4│
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 30000–32000│ │ │ │ │ │ 3│ 3│ 3│ 2
- 32000–34000│ │ │ │ │ │ 3│ │ 3│
- 34000–36000│ │ │ │ │ │ 3│ │ 3│
- 36000–38000│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- 38000–40000│ │ │ │ │ │ 1│ │ 1│
- 40000–42000│ │ │ │ │ │ 2│ │ 2│
- │ │ │ │ ———│ │ ———│ │ ———│
- │ │ │ │ 287│ │ 460│ │ 747│
- ───────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴─────┴─────┴──────┴─────┴─────┴─────
-
-The blood picture in uncomplicated influenza is a normal one for the red
-cells and the hæmoglobin, but the white cells are characteristically
-altered. We have made many observations on the red blood cells, and from
-all aspects the picture appears to be normal. Similarly, there is
-nothing significant about the hæmoglobin estimations. Where we have
-slight alteration in the red count and in the hæmoglobin it is probably
-safer not to attribute the change to the epidemic. We have no records
-showing a secondary anæmia due to the initial epistaxis.
-
-A leucopenia or a normal count is what one should see in most of the
-uncomplicated influenzal cases. We are almost ready to say that any
-estimation above normal limits means secondary bacterial invasion. The
-count may remain low throughout the illness, rising to the normal
-rapidly as the temperature falls. We do not regard a leucocytosis at the
-end of an epidemic case as part of the blood picture. Our experience is
-that with convalescence the normal count returns and remains within
-normal bounds. Very often hidden sinus infection is responsible for some
-of the post-influenzal leucocytoses. The leucopenia may vary from a
-slightly subnormal count to a point well below 2,000. Most of the simple
-epidemic cases showed some degree of leucopenia. As far as we have been
-able to estimate, we are led to believe that one should not lay any
-special stress on the grade of leucopenia as being of prognostic
-significance in uncomplicated influenza. Many of the mildest clinical
-types showed very low counts, and _vice versa_. There is, however, a
-prognostic relation to be noted with reference to a falling white count
-in the pneumonia, but this we shall mention again later. The onset of
-the leucopenia corresponds to the onset of the disease. It was present
-with the earliest cases we examined, and remained fairly stationary,
-although we have records of its fluctuating slightly one way or the
-other. But one must remember in this regard the personal error in blood
-counting, and also particularly the error of the apparatus. For careful
-work only those counting chambers and pipettes should be used that have
-a Bureau of Standards certificate. The duration of the leucopenia was
-fairly close to the duration of the disease.
-
-How many cases of influenza of several days’ illness having about 12,000
-leucocytes, a few sticky râles in the chest, but no signs of definite
-consolidation, have been observed by the clinicians? These cases recover
-without further change, and the diagnosis is handed in as influenza
-without a complication being mentioned. In collecting the blood reports
-from this group the 12,000 cells accordingly must be considered as
-having occurred in a simple influenza. We hold that this is not a case
-of uncomplicated epidemic disease. There is undoubted evidence, as is
-acknowledged by the clinician, of a bronchiolitis; and how many lungs
-showing a bronchiolitis at autopsy fail to have a broncho-pneumonia?
-True it may not be demonstrable by our physical examination. This is
-often the origin of many high counts in what apparently is considered
-uncomplicated influenza.
-
-The blood picture of the pneumonia following the epidemic was more or
-less constant, although at the same time the features of the count may
-be quite different. One could roughly divide the results into three
-groups: (1) leucocytosis, (2) leucopenia, (3) intermediate or normal.
-Some pneumonias could be followed during their course through all of
-these classes. Before discussing the white count we can briefly dismiss
-the other phases of the blood examination by stating that the red blood
-cells and hæmoglobin presented nothing by the usual examinations which
-was of special significance, or in any way characteristic.
-
-As an example of the group showing a leucocytosis let us follow a
-patient through an acute influenzal attack, followed by a pneumonia with
-a subsequent recovery. An initial leucopenia, gradually or suddenly
-changing into a very moderate leucocytosis (10,000–15,000), was noted at
-the onset of the pneumonia. During the course of the complication the
-number of cells in the majority of cases increased, but rarely advanced
-beyond 20,000. With lysis or crisis the count dropped toward normal, and
-by the time the lung signs had disappeared the white cells were at the
-usual number, or very slightly increased. The point which seemed to us
-to be of importance was that, even although we had a leucocytosis, it
-was nothing like the count that one would expect for a lobar pneumonia.
-Of course, there were a few high counts, but looking at the group as a
-whole they were relatively low. There are a number of variations to this
-form of blood picture which we might briefly consider. We have observed
-secondary rises in the leucocyte count concurrent with a new lung
-involvement. This type was the one so prone to develop into a condition
-of non-resolution, fibrosis and ultimate death, with a continuous
-moderately high leucocytosis to the end. Another variation which we
-learned to fear was the fall of leucocytes to normal or subnormal after
-a primary rise, when the clinical course of the case in no way indicated
-a crisis or lysis pending. Seemingly, the longer the primary
-leucocytosis had been present the more serious was the subsequent
-leucopenia. We regard this form of secondary leucopenia, if one may use
-such a term, as a prognostic sign of some value. As in lobar pneumonia,
-a high leucocyte count has been, as a rule, a favorable feature.
-
-The second group, or those showing a leucopenia throughout their course,
-was by no means an unusual thing. This is a cardinal point—in fact, one
-of the most striking clinical features of the epidemic. The leucopenia
-here does not have the prognostic value that it seems to have in the
-group just referred to previously. We have observed cases go through a
-pneumonia with 4,000–5,000 white cells in a relatively easy manner.
-When, however, the leucocytes fall to 3,000 or under, one may be
-reasonably sure that the outcome is doubtful, even with the general
-condition of the patient at the time favorable. In the pneumonias of
-this group which died the leucocytes have always fallen to about 2,000
-cells. We have a number of observations taken from one-half to four
-hours before death showing counts in the immediate neighborhood of
-2,000, but never below this number. Where recovery has taken place the
-cells go forward to the normal, more or less keeping pace with the
-general clinical picture.
-
-Of group three there is not much to say, except that on one hand it
-tends toward a leucocytosis, and on the other to a leucopenia. This
-group comprises a considerable number of the pneumonias. We are not in a
-position to say anything regarding the relative mortality of this group.
-The development of a leucopenia from these cases after a period of some
-stability in the leucocytic curve is of bad prognostic import. Not
-infrequently we have noticed rather wild abrupt rises to 20,000 in the
-leucocytes toward the late half of the disease. This curve was nearly
-always sustained until the end, which, as a rule, was recovery.
-
-We do not need to consider at any length the effect on the leucocyte
-count of complications not of lung origin. Acute sinuses in head, otitis
-media and meningitis always produced a variable moderate leucocytosis.
-The change was not so marked in meningitis, as our cases were all
-preceded by a pneumonia which had independently invoked a slight
-leucocytic response. As a complication of the pneumonia we have noted an
-abrupt rise following an acute pleuritis with effusion, and similarly
-after the onset of an empyema. These complications seemed to be able to
-induce a leucocytosis with more certainty and ease than the more serious
-pneumonic condition. Possibly, as they occurred toward the end of the
-infection, the toxic factor of the epidemic influenza was more or less
-spent, and the secondary invader had a freer hand to act in its normal
-way.
-
-Differential counts were made in 194 cases, including influenza,
-influenzal pneumonia and influenzal complications. We have taken the
-average percentage of each type of cell for the groups, which are purely
-numerical divisions based on the leucocytic count. No differentiation is
-made for the various clinical divisions of the epidemic in the following
-table:
-
- LEUCOCYTES 2,000–8,000.
- P. E. L.M. S.M. Trans.
- Total counts 86 66% 1% 13% 17% 3%
-
- LEUCOCYTES 8,000–10,000.
- P. E. L.M. S.M. Trans.
- Total counts 33 69% 1% 11% 16% 3%
-
- LEUCOCYTES 10,000–20,000.
- P. E. L.M. S.M. Trans.
- Total counts 45 76% 2% 10% 19% 3%
-
- LEUCOCYTES 20,000–30,000.
- P. E. L.M. S.M. Trans.
- Total counts 17 79% 2% 8% 7% 4%
-
- LEUCOCYTES 30,000–40,000.
- P. E. L.M. S.M. Trans.
- Total counts 13 85% 1% 5% 6% 3%
-
-The differential count in general indicates an increase in the
-polymorphonuclear leucocytes as the total leucocytic number increases.
-This is really what one would expect. There also seems to be an increase
-of the large mononuclear cells, with a slight diminution in the small
-mononuclear elements, particularly in the count below 10,000. Abnormal
-cells were encountered very seldom. One can hardly say that the epidemic
-has a characteristic differential blood picture, except, perhaps, that
-an increase of the large mononuclears is present in the low counts.
-This, however, may hold true for any leucopenia.
-
-
- _Conclusions_
-
-1. Epidemic influenza is often accompanied by a transient slight
-albuminuria with a few red blood cells and casts. Acute nephritis as a
-clinical entity does not appear to be other than a rare sequel.
-
-2. Epidemic influenza tends to produce a leucopenia.
-
-3. A leucocytosis in influenza, as a rule, indicates a secondary
-infection.
-
-4. The pneumonia following influenza shows, as a rule, but a very
-moderate leucocytosis, while, on the other hand, the presence of a
-leucopenia is by no means infrequent.
-
-We are greatly indebted to Miss R. Thompson, Messrs. Mock, Frost,
-Marshall and Scott for their assistance in this work at the Magee
-Hospital.
-
-
-
-
- THE TREATMENT OF INFLUENZA
-
- By W. W. G. MACLACHLAN, M. D.
-
-
-One may frankly say there is no specific treatment for influenza.
-Possibly we are in error in introducing the discussion, particularly on
-treatment with such a definite and unsatisfactory conclusion. The same
-statement has been made after all the previous pandemics, and one
-wonders whether a like remark is going to apply to the next similar
-scourge. The past two or three months should bring to the medical
-profession a certain humility which should stimulate a keener sense of
-research, especially as we now have at our disposal highly organized
-laboratories where unsolved problems can be viewed from almost any
-angle. Yet we are really, save here and there, putting our forces
-together in the study of the disease. It is obvious that a fleeting
-epidemic makes a most difficult subject for study, especially during a
-time when there is a paucity of physicians. May we not hope, however,
-that some researches on the disease may be forthcoming, so that we may
-safely feel that at least preventive or protective measures will be
-possible?
-
-There is no one who is able to say that this or that drug has not been
-thoroughly tried. The alkalies, salicylates, antipyretics, quinine and
-the sedatives have all been freely used in the last as well as the
-present epidemic. Each group of drugs has its following, although it
-appears to be a general rule in this epidemic to use the antipyretics
-(coal tar products) as little as possible. From the distant past we have
-numerous records of treatment. Willis (1658) emphasized the value of
-sweating and the use of diaphoretics, but at the same time he states
-that in mild cases the cure is left to nature; Sydenham (1675) claimed
-considerable value in fresh air. He also paid more attention to
-restricting the diet, and was not favorable to the use of anodynes. One
-certainly obtains the impression from the records of past epidemics that
-many of the general principles in treatment were similar to what are now
-in vogue. Medicinal remedies, of course, varied greatly, but to
-enumerate them would be merely giving a résumé of the progress of
-therapeutics. Sufficient is it to say that influenza has certainly,
-since the earliest days, given therapeutists an ample opportunity to
-test their wares.
-
-The outstanding respiratory complication, pneumonia, has added a very
-undesirable phase to the disease. In fact, the greater part of the
-mortality was due to this serious sequela. Some interesting points have
-been brought out in serum and blood therapy for this type of pneumonia.
-The use of whole blood or serum from convalescent patients in cases of
-pneumonia opens up a new and not unlikely fruitful means of treatment.
-The method of treatment possibly may be applicable as an emergency
-measure in other diseases, as has been shown in the case of scarlet
-fever and poliomyelitis. We also have the anti-pneumococcic sera
-available for therapeutic use. The drugs and the general treatment of
-the pneumonia are virtually the same for the last two epidemics.
-
-The protean manifestations of the 1890 epidemic, with its unusual
-nervous sequelæ, have not been seen to any extent, as far as we yet
-know. In fact, the present epidemic appears to be relatively free from
-complications other than those occurring in the lung during the acute
-course of the disease. Hence, in all likelihood, there will be less of
-the nervous after effects to be treated. It is, however, too early to
-hope that the nervous system is going to escape.
-
-In another part of this volume the vaccine therapy is discussed in
-detail, so that we shall not repeat what has been brought out in that
-article. We would, however, emphasize the value of honest and accurate
-clinical reports of the use of vaccines, in order to establish their
-present status in epidemic influenza. Overestimation and commercialism
-are very likely to ruin a method of treatment, even when it may be of
-value in a certain phase of the disease. If we do not carefully weigh
-the pros and cons of the vaccine treatment in this epidemic from a
-purely scientific and coldly neutral attitude, we are simply doing the
-public and ourselves an injustice.
-
-The treatment of influenza as the disease presented itself to us in this
-community will be considered under three divisions—acute influenza,
-pneumonia, and other complications.
-
-
- _Acute Influenza_
-
-There is one important thing to be done in the treatment of influenza,
-whether the infection be mild or severe. Have the patient go to bed as
-soon as possible. In most of the acute attacks the individual went to
-bed of his own accord; but there were, unfortunately, too many instances
-where the patient refused to surrender, trying, as we say, to fight the
-attack. Some appeared to be able to accomplish this feat. But how many
-of our cases of fatal pneumonia can be clearly linked up with this group
-of the mild or subacute preliminary course? No matter how light the
-attack may appear to be, the patient should be told of the necessity of
-remaining in bed until the pulse, respiration and temperature have
-returned to the normal and remained normal for at least five days. At
-the onset a hot bath, with care to avoid chilling, followed by a drink
-of hot lemonade and a Dover’s powder, gave considerable relief to the
-patient.
-
-The value of good nursing cannot be overestimated. The nurse must see
-that the patient is always well covered and kept warm, not even
-permitting him to rise in bed to reach for a drink; also the regulation
-of the temperature of the room should be carefully watched. The main
-point is to have plenty of fresh air. We have noticed that the patient
-appeared more comfortable if the air was slightly warmed. Water should
-be given at regular intervals. Under no consideration should an acute
-influenza case be allowed to get up to go to the toilet.
-
-At the onset, and while the febrile attack is still present, there is
-little desire for food—but one does not need to worry about the question
-of nourishment in such an acute illness. Milk, cream, cocoa, gruels and
-fruit juices may be given at first, and as the fever subsides the diet
-increased. We have found that the appetite returned to normal very
-readily. In view of the urinary findings indicating a slight transient
-nephritis, meat broths are to be avoided until the convalescent stage is
-reached. We have been very guarded in recommending cold sponging in
-acute influenza. As a rule, it was not necessary. The icebag to the head
-is often of great value in the intense headache, which is so frequent.
-It is our opinion that in the treatment of uncomplicated influenza what
-has just been mentioned constitutes the important part. Most physicians
-would agree with this. However, when we advance to drug therapy, we come
-into the personal realm of likes and dislikes of drugs and methods of
-usage.
-
-We do not intend in any way to give our views in a dogmatic manner, nor
-to touch upon all of the remedies that have been advanced. At the onset
-of the disease a moderate calomel purge, followed by a saline, was given
-in all cases. We were practically free from the so-called intestinal
-type of influenza which was seen in some other communities, consequently
-we did not hesitate to use calomel. Castor oil or magnesium sulphate was
-given afterward, as was found necessary. Abdominal distention was rarely
-seen, and when it occurred a plain soapsuds enema with turpentine was
-administered.
-
-Quinine sulphate (gr. iii-v, three times a day) combined with
-phenyl-salicylate (gr. v) was a routine measure. We often noticed
-deafness after a very few doses of quinine. It was then discontinued.
-Acetyl-salicylic acid (gr. v, three to six times a day) seemed to have a
-palliative effect on the severe headaches, although during the height of
-the disease the general muscular aching did not appear to be relieved by
-its use. It was not used routinely. These drugs possibly made the
-patients more comfortable, but we were very skeptical as to their
-influence on the general infection. The raising of the leucocyte count
-by quinine in influenza appears very unlikely. The use of alkaline salts
-has been a general procedure, particularly as we are now on the alkaline
-wave of therapeutics. Sodium bicarbonate was added to the drinking water
-of all patients (two drams to the quart). We gave this salt for its
-diuretic effect. In a few cases more active diuresis by the alkalines
-was readily and easily produced by the use of “imperial drink” three or
-four times a day. We felt that good kidney elimination was of
-considerable importance.
-
-The use of tartrates and citrates, as in “imperial drink” in a condition
-where we know some kidney impairment is present, is possibly flying in
-the face of danger—especially in view of the fact that these salts are
-so available in the production of experimental nephritis. But we have
-only to see their application in the human in mercury bichloride
-poisoning, where an intense nephrosis usually develops, to fully realize
-that these salts may be given without danger to the kidney. We do not
-suggest that the kidney lesions of influenza and mercury bichloride
-poisoning are the same. We are merely bringing out this point of analogy
-in support of their use in certain desirable cases.
-
-The respiratory symptoms gave us more concern than any other phase of
-the uncomplicated case. The irritating, distressing, non-productive
-cough suggested both a sedative and expectorant. Ammonium chloride (gr.
-iii-v, t. i. d.) was the usual expectorant. It seemed to increase in
-value with the more chronic type of case. It is our impression with
-those acute hacking coughs that the sedatives produced more gratifying
-results. Elixir terpin hydrate with heroin, codeine and occasionally
-morphine were preferred. When good results were noted sedatives were
-given liberally. Steam inhalations combined with tr. benzoin co.,
-followed by spraying the throat with medicated liquid petroleum, gave
-some relief. The tendency to œdema, however, as we saw it in the cases
-complicated by pneumonia made us hesitate to use inhalations. Possibly
-the fear was groundless. Morphine (grs. ⅙) was given for sleeplessness,
-and it was repeated if necessary.
-
-Cardiac stimulants were rarely needed. The tincture of digitalis was the
-choice, but in the uncomplicated cases was very seldom used.
-
-At the beginning of the epidemic we prescribed whisky in almost every
-case. Our idea was that it would have a sedative action. At the present
-time we are very doubtful of its value. Toward the end of the epidemic
-we used it very moderately. The results obtained possibly depended for
-the most part upon the type of patient. Some of the soldiers asked to
-have it discontinued, not from any moral point of view, while others
-wished more frequent doses. The elderly patients seemed to appreciate
-this remedial agent to a fuller extent.
-
-
- _Pneumonia_
-
-The pneumonia following the original infection was, from the standpoint
-of physical diagnosis, often difficult of diagnosis in its early stages.
-The infection commencing as an influenza would at times pass
-imperceptibly into pneumonia, and obviously the points brought out in
-the previous paragraphs on treatment were applied until the diagnosis of
-pneumonia had been established. Some new factors were peculiar to the
-pneumonia and demanded further changes in the handling of the cases.
-
-We would again emphasize the value of careful nursing to conserve the
-patients’ strength. They should be kept warm, well covered, with plenty
-of fresh air. Water should be given regularly and abundantly. The diet
-should be light, one depending a good deal upon the severity of the
-case. We believe it is safer to limit the diet to fluids while the
-infection is still pronounced, but as soon as the crisis has passed one
-may increase the diet freely and fairly rapidly.
-
-Regular elimination from the bowel should be helped by the use of castor
-oil every other day, the dosage made to comply with the patient. We
-noticed much less abdominal distention in this form of pneumonia than
-one is accustomed to see in the ordinary lobar pneumonia. If distention
-were present, plain soap enemas with turpentine gave very satisfactory
-results. Turpentine stupes also are of considerable value. Rest at night
-is needed. When a hypnotic was necessary we gave morphine (gr. ⅙), and
-repeated if the desired results were not obtained.
-
-The day is coming when we are going to isolate our pneumonia cases. This
-was almost an impossibility during the stress of the past epidemic, but
-we know that temporary and fairly satisfactory methods can be applied.
-Many hospitals provided for a type of isolation. In a pneumonia ward
-sheets stretched between the beds keep the fine spray which a heavy
-cough always produces from spreading over the next two or three beds.
-This method is simple and can be easily carried out. We feel almost
-certain of having seen convalescent influenza cases develop pneumonia
-from the adjacent pneumonia patients. As much as is physically possible,
-the uncomplicated influenza and the pneumonia cases should be separated.
-Further, it is to be kept in mind that reinfection by another group of
-pneumococcus is quite possible, even in a ward containing only pneumonia
-patients.
-
-We did not observe any special effect of quinine, salol, salicylates
-after the pneumonia had developed and, therefore, these drugs were
-discontinued. Digitalis in the form of the tincture was at first made a
-routine measure, but toward the middle of the epidemic we stopped this
-routine usage and gave it only as it appeared to be indicated. Our
-impression was that the heart was not involved as it is in ordinary
-pneumonia. A slow, full pulse, as was so often the rule, did not seem to
-require digitalis. For more rapid action of the drug one of the
-hypodermic digitalis preparations or strophanthin was given.
-
-Caffein sodium benzoate or salicylate seemed to be of considerable value
-given hypodermically every two or three hours, the last dose at 4 P. M.
-Its action as a respiratory stimulant and also as a diuretic was what we
-desired to obtain. The drug was used fairly early in the pneumonia, and
-although it was never prescribed routinely we gave it frequently.
-
-Atropine was indicated whenever signs of œdema were evident. Its action
-was not always successful, but in certain severe cases we believe that
-large repeated doses of atropine saved a few lives. One-fiftieth (1/50
-gr.) grain hypodermically, repeated every hour for several doses, was
-usually well borne. We noticed twice in each of two cases after using
-small doses (1/100 every four hours) a peculiar rapid cyanosis not
-associated with dyspnœa develop. This reaction remained, however, for
-only a short time, about 15 to 20 minutes, but it was rather alarming
-while it lasted.
-
-The drug therapy is not very satisfactory in lobar pneumonia, and it is
-less so in the form of pneumonia which follows influenza. There is
-practically nothing essentially new in the drug and general treatment of
-this serious complication over what was shown in 1890, or even in the
-earlier epidemics, save that our nursing and hygienic measures are
-undoubtedly better.
-
-The addition of an immune serum (anti-pneumococcus serum No. 1) to the
-treatment of pneumonia is a milestone in the history of the handling of
-this disease, but we must keep in mind that the pneumonia of the past
-epidemic was not the usual pneumococcic lobar pneumonia. That the
-pneumococcus was present in a great many cases is shown in another
-article of this series, but we also know that the B. influenzæ was
-present in many, and that it played an active part in the disease is
-evidenced by the constant low blood count or actual leucopenia. A
-leucopenia in true lobar pneumonia is most unusual in the United States.
-The rarity of Type I pneumococcus was noteworthy. We were practically
-unable to get any anti-pneumococcic serum which was known to be of value
-at the time of the epidemic, so naturally could not apply this method of
-treatment as was desired. About half a dozen 50 cc. bottles were in
-possession of the army medical officers here, but they unfortunately
-could get no further supply after this was used. We would have liked
-very much to have combined the anti-pneumococcic serum in Type I cases
-with the citrated convalescent blood, as was used by us during the
-epidemic. The anti-pneumococcic chicken serum of Kyes should also be
-considered. This serum has had but a very localized trial, but from
-competent observers who have given it to a considerable extent in some
-of the army camps we are led to believe that it has a very definite
-value. Major Lawrence Litchfield informed the writer that he had
-observed excellent results with Kyes chicken serum during the past
-epidemic in the treatment of pneumonia. This serum was not available for
-our use. It is to be hoped that further experience with Kyes serum will
-be favorable, because from the practical standpoint in the treatment of
-pneumonia it has many commendable features. Again, we desire to point
-out that the use of anti-pneumococcus sera in influenzal pneumonia may
-not be a fair test of their true value.
-
-Very early in the epidemic we realized that the pneumonia was of unusual
-severity and most difficult to treat satisfactorily. We were at once
-impressed by our helplessness, particularly in those patients showing
-cyanosis. Nothing we did seemed to vary the course of the pneumonia
-after this sign was evident.
-
-Our work in the epidemic began about October 10 on receiving a large
-batch of soldiers, about 100, from the Student Army Training Corps of
-the University of Pittsburgh. At the end of the first week several
-points were impressed on our mind. Firstly, in the severe cases of
-pneumonia; and in the early part of the epidemic most of the pneumonia
-was severe, the mortality was excessive, much higher than we have been
-accustomed to experience in Pittsburgh, where, as a rule, our hospital
-ward pneumonia is a very severe infection. Secondly, the wide variation
-in the severity of the epidemic as presented in the student soldiers
-coming from identical surroundings and conditions, the mildness on the
-one hand and the malignant character of the influenza on the other, was
-a very striking feature. This led to our adopting a form of treatment
-which was quite successful.
-
-We worked purely on the hypothesis that those individuals recovering
-from a mild or moderate influenza infection developed a higher grade of
-immunity than those in whom the disease was more severe or fatal, and
-this immunity could be transferred to another. This, of course, was
-merely inference. If the mild cases did present a higher immunity, one
-would naturally think that immune bodies would be present in the blood,
-and that in transfusion from cases which had recovered one might have a
-measure of therapeutic value for this epidemic. Recently Spooner, Scott
-and Heath and others have demonstrated specific agglutins in the serum
-of patients convalescing from the epidemic. On October 17 we gave whole
-citrated blood from a convalescent case of uncomplicated influenza to an
-influenzal pneumonia patient. The result in this case was strikingly
-good, and for the following five or six weeks this method was frequently
-used. We decided to give the whole blood instead of the serum, as we
-were able to treat the cases more readily and rapidly in this way. Our
-method of transfusion was, fortunately, very simple.
-
-We had treated but a few cases when the report of McGuire and Redden
-appeared. These observers working in the Naval Hospital at Chelsea,
-Mass., presented very excellent results in the use of immune serum from
-convalescent influenza cases in the treatment of pneumonia. They
-reported 30 recoveries out of 37 cases, with 1 death, and 6 cases still
-under treatment at the time of their report. This form of treatment
-began at Chelsea on September 28, 1919. In Texas, on October 15, Brown
-and Sweet gave two cases of influenzal pneumonia citrated blood from
-convalescent influenza patients. Their two cases recovered. Our
-published results, although not showing such excellent figures as from
-the Chelsea observers, agree very well with their work.
-
-Since that time a number of confirmatory reports have been brought
-forward. Ross and Hund have shown that this method has been of value in
-their hands, and recently a further statement from McGuire and Redden
-tends to confirm their first views as to the value of immune serum from
-convalescent patients. Their last report giving a mortality of 6 in 151
-cases of pneumonia cannot be other than positive proof of the value of
-this method of treatment.
-
-As the technical side of the work has been given in several articles, we
-hardly think it necessary to again review it in detail. A few phases
-should, however, be recalled. It would seem that either serum or the
-whole citrated blood may be used. Solis-Cohen and his group of workers
-believe that whole blood has stronger bactericidal properties than
-defibrinated blood or the plasma. But yet one cannot complain, even on a
-theoretical basis, against the results obtained with serum by McGuire
-and Redden. The use of whole blood increases the detail of the
-procedure, in that the agglutination reactions must be estimated.
-Unfavorable results in this regard also naturally cut down the supply of
-available donors. In a military hospital a dearth of donors does not
-arise, but in civilian practice the problem is very different. In our
-work we never gave more than 100 cc. of whole blood; usually the amount
-varied between 50 cc. and 75 cc. On account of the small amount we felt
-that isoagglutination would not be a serious factor, and in more than
-200 injections we failed to see any evidence of ill results from this
-source. Giving up to 500 cc., as was done by Ross and Hund, is probably
-a different affair, and accurate agglutination tests are essential. We
-feel that if the case is treated sufficiently early in the disease as
-much good can be shown to occur after 50 cc. as after 100 cc. of blood.
-We do believe, however, that the pooling of sera, where one is able to
-carry out this method, as it means a liberal supply of donors, is really
-the method of choice. Syphilis must be ruled out, both clinically and
-serologically.
-
-As we emphasized previously, the problem presented in the army hospital
-and in civilian practice is a little different. We have had some
-experience with both sides. Fortunately, the greater part of our work
-was with the Student Army Training Corps, where army conditions were
-more or less carried out. There was never any difficulty in getting
-donors. In fact, the idea of giving blood appealed to these young
-fellows. In civilian life it is, in our experience, a more difficult
-problem. The usual personnel of the public ward has always its fair
-percentage of positive Wassermann reactors, and the type of individual
-is quite different from the young soldier. For a relative or friend we
-could easily get a donor, but this group would cover only a small
-percentage of the cases one wished to treat. The technique of giving
-blood can be reduced to a very simple procedure, and by no means should
-be regarded as a difficult surgical undertaking. Combining the receiving
-apparatus of Ross and Hund (J. A. M. A., 72, 1919, p. 642) with the
-syringe method for giving the blood which we suggested in our previous
-article makes an ideal arrangement.
-
-The results depend upon the time of treatment. The earlier the pneumonia
-is recognized the better are the chances of recovery. It is our belief
-that the majority of influenza cases which kept a fairly high
-temperature for more than four days had a lung lesion, even if we could
-not make out definite consolidation. As the convalescent influenza serum
-may have value only for the influenza infection, it would, therefore,
-appear but logical that a late pneumonia which almost always has other
-organisms present would not react as favorably. We have seen very few of
-the deeply cyanotic type recover even with serum. The essential rule is
-to treat them before this stage develops.
-
-We have observed little or no change in the leucocyte count, even after
-successful treatment, and taking our group as a whole we are rather
-surprised at this result. Other observers have noticed a marked increase
-in the leucocytes as the case reacted favorably to the injections. We
-agree with McGuire and Redden that the patients with counts below
-10,000, as a rule, show the best results. This possibly indicates that
-the influenza infection is predominating, and that the usual secondary
-invaders (pneumococcus and streptococcus) are at this time playing but a
-little part. Hence the value of early treatment is apparent.
-
-From the published results of different workers and our own experience,
-we feel that influenza immune serum or whole citrated blood given early
-in the pneumonia is of undoubted value—in fact, almost specific. If the
-epidemic reappears next year, unless some other better method is
-forthcoming, we would advise its more general use, and would suggest the
-collection of pooled serum as early as possible in the epidemic.
-
-At the end of this article there is appended a series of our ward record
-charts of patients who developed pneumonia following the influenza.
-These charts are shown to indicate the results of giving immune
-convalescent citrated blood in pneumonia. The ones presented are from
-some of the group which recovered. We have, of course, the charts from
-the fatal cases, but as they do not bring out any special point, save
-that there was little or no change after treatment, we are omitting
-them. It is not our idea, however, to give the impression that we have
-had nothing but success with this method of treatment. It might be well
-to emphasize some of the salient points which are brought out.
-
-(1) The regularity of the drop in temperature after the injection is
-almost generally demonstrated.
-
-(2) The occasional chill following the injection seemed to have no
-untoward results.
-
-(3) The leucocytes show, as a rule, little or no variation after
-transfusion. Our work agrees with McGuire and Redden’s statement that
-the cases with a leucocyte count under 10,000 give the best results with
-immune serum.
-
-(4) The time of injection in many of the cases was by no means ideal, in
-that the disease was advanced; and again in many the injection should
-have been repeated sooner. This, however, is no fault of ours.
-
-(5) One injection of 50 cc. of citrated blood from a good donor, if
-given early enough, may be all that is necessary. Several charts bear
-out this statement.
-
-(6) The day of disease is dated from the onset of the influenza. The
-demonstrable signs of pneumonia correspond roughly to the initial rise
-in temperature following the influenza. The day of disease of the
-pneumonia is not indicated on the chart, as this information we have
-obtained from the daily notes.
-
-
- _Complications_
-
-The epidemic was well spent before we observed many complications, save
-those referable to the lung. Later various forms of sequelæ have been
-appearing. One must guard, however, against the danger of attributing
-all of our ills to the past epidemic. We are not going to give in detail
-the treatment of these various conditions, nor even mention all of the
-many complications. The main points, however, we desire to emphasize.
-
-We have previously considered pneumonia, which is the principal
-complication with simple influenza, and the two are closely allied. As
-an end result of the pneumonia, non-resolution and fibrosis of the lung
-are of first importance. We cannot say very much on the treatment of
-this condition. The duration varied from a few to several weeks, and
-recovery was infrequent. Our treatment aimed at supplying as much
-nourishment as was possible to give, with, in addition, good nursing.
-The treatment otherwise was purely of a general hygienic type. Tepid
-sponging appeared to give considerable relief from the profuse sweating
-these patients so often had. Drugs were of value only for some local
-effect. We wonder if carefully handled vaccine therapy at the onset of
-such a complication might not prove of some value. The autogenous would
-be the one of choice.
-
-Empyema was not found to be as prevalent as one would imagine. With so
-much non-resolution of lung following the pneumonia we were surprised to
-see so little empyema. All delayed resolutions we explored with the
-needle, so we feel that the condition, if present, would have been
-recognized. The treatment of empyema need not be given any special
-emphasis. It is, as of old, a surgical affair. One or two new points in
-the technique have been brought out in the way of drainage, but possibly
-they have not been sufficiently tried to lay any stress upon them at
-present. Dakin’s solution in certain chronic cases appeared of value.
-Our empyema cases did well.
-
-Pleurisy with effusion was observed a number of times, although it has
-been our experience to find a very few large effusions. Pleural puncture
-often gave negative results, even when the signs did appear to indicate
-the condition. We aspirated the fluid when present. The end results were
-always good. In only one case did we have to repeat the aspiration for
-reaccumulation of fluid.
-
-Chronic bronchitis, accompanied at times with considerable dyspnœa, has
-been seen on several occasions. There is very likely associated with
-this condition some fibrosis of lung, and probably some organization of
-small bronchioles themselves. Expectoration has been variable, profuse
-or scanty, mucoid or purulent. We consider rest in bed, with as full a
-diet as possible to build up the general condition of the patient, the
-best form of treatment. These cases had little or no temperature, and
-consequently at first absolute rest was not considered necessary, but we
-now regard it as the essential part of the treatment. Atropine and
-heroin are of value at certain times. We confess to have seen very
-little benefit from the expectorants. We are rather surprised that this
-sequela is not of more frequent occurrence.
-
-Phlebitis, in our series usually of the formal vein, occurred about as
-often as it does in typhoid fever. The end result, however, is much
-better than in typhoid. We have seen only one case where “the milk leg”
-has resulted. Rest and elevation of the limb were all that we required.
-In the acute stage, if pain was present, a light, carefully applied
-icebag was added. It is important to rest the limb for at least two or
-three weeks, and to caution the patient against remaining on the feet
-too long for some weeks after recovery.
-
-We saw a great deal of acute sinus infection, often occurring even while
-the attack of influenza was present, but, as a rule, this complication
-followed the attack. At times several weeks intervened. The ethmoidal
-sinuses are most susceptible, but a considerable number of acute frontal
-sinus infections were noted, the latter often immediately following or
-occurring during the acute period of the influenza attack. The majority
-of these infections appeared transient, and disappeared with a little
-local treatment. In fact, in frontal sinusitis cold applications seemed
-to be all that was necessary. With some of the more chronic infections
-nose and throat surgery has been followed by relief of symptoms. Acute
-suppurative otitis media, considering the number of influenza patients,
-was not common. Ear drum puncture was done if necessary. We saw one case
-of acute mastoiditis develop. The mastoid process was opened and
-drained.
-
-Acute suppurative meningitis, following or associated with pneumonia,
-appeared on three occasions. The pneumococcus was cultured from the
-spinal fluid in all cases. Anti-pneumococcus sera intraspinally (Type I
-or the Kyes serum) should be given. The Type I serum is of value in a
-similar group infection. We have had no experience with this method, but
-some recoveries from pneumococcus meningitis have been reported after
-the early use of serum given into the spinal canal.
-
-Following the 1890 epidemic cases complaining of blindness or partial
-loss of vision, with optic œdema or neuritis and a glycosuria, were
-occasionally observed. We have seen one of this type, and several
-transient glycosurias without eye signs or symptoms. The glycosuria may
-be of nervous origin. Our method of treatment was one of elimination and
-rest. The gastro-intestinal tract was emptied with calomel, and
-afterward a morning saline was given for a few days. Hot packs were
-administered, one a day for about two weeks. The patient was instructed
-to drink as much water as possible, and we eliminated sugar, bread and
-the 20 per cent. vegetables from the diet. The glycosuria lasted for
-three days, while the vision, although beginning to improve at once
-after treatment, took five weeks to return to normal. The patient was
-kept in bed for three weeks. How long the glycosuria had been present
-before admission to the hospital we do not know. The transient
-glycosuria group without the eye manifestations required very little
-treatment. They also showed a transient hyperglycemia. A carbohydrate
-free diet very rapidly cleared up these cases. After a time we decided
-to watch the course of this group on a non-restricted diet, even with
-sugar, and we found that they all returned to normal (blood and urine),
-in a few days clearly indicating their transient nature. We do not
-regard this process as a diabetes mellitus. We do not give the hot
-packs, although free elimination by bowel was attained in all. These
-cases were recognized only through routine urine examination.
-
-Furunculosis with a high blood sugar, in one case 0.41, without
-glycosuria was a very interesting complication. We saw a great deal of
-furunculosis, always with the increased blood sugar from 0.2 to 0.3, but
-never with glycosuria. Reducing the carbohydrates, or even a fast day
-with good intestinal elimination, had excellent results.
-
-Neuritis and general debility have often been associated with nasal or
-tonsilar infection, which when surgically corrected led to the
-disappearance of symptoms and improvement of health.
-
-Finally, we wish to refer to an isolated case of acute osteomyelitis
-which was incised, and from the purulent fluid present in the bone B.
-influenzæ was grown in pure culture. This is a very unusual
-complication, and is of particular interest on account of the positive
-bacteriological finding. The patient made an uneventful recovery.
-
- McGuire and Redden Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1311.
- McGuire and Redden Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 709.
- Brown and Sweet Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1565.
- Ross and Hund Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 640.
- Spooner, Scott and Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 155.
- Heath
- Maclachlan and Fetter Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 2053.
- Heist and Cohen Jour. Immunol., 1918; iii, p. 261.
- Kyes Jour. Med. Res., 1918; xxxviii, p. 495.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
- THE PREVENTION OF EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VACCINE
- PROPHYLAXIS
-
- By SAMUEL R. HAYTHORN, M. D.
-
-
- INTRODUCTION
-
-In developing practical measures for the prevention or control of
-influenza epidemics, preventive medicine faces one of the most difficult
-problems of modern times. By means of quarantine, protective vaccination
-and instructions in personal hygiene many of the diseases which formerly
-ravaged the world have been brought under control. At first glance it
-would seem to be a simple matter to apply the principles which we have
-found successful against these diseases to influenza and let it go at
-that, but in the recent epidemic many of the formerly successful
-measures were tried and found to be either inefficient, inapplicable, or
-at least of doubtful value.
-
-During the pandemic there was little time to think collectedly, and no
-time to analyze procedures, and even now it is far from easy to
-determine what things were done wisely and what things were of no
-practical value. There exists the greatest difference of opinion as to
-what measures should again be used when the need arises, and what ones
-should be discarded. For instance, there are confirmed exponents of
-prophylactic vaccines, and equally able men who are convinced of their
-uselessness; enthusiastic advocates of the face mask, and almost as many
-objectors; those who would close schools, churches, theatres, etc., and
-those who claim that such measures serve only to prolong the epidemic.
-One naval officer is said to have stated that he had accumulated figures
-either to prove or to disprove the usefulness of any preventive measure
-yet recommended. There is, in short, a chaos of opinions with followers
-who vary from the one extreme of believing there is “virtue in all
-things” to those of the other extreme who state that every susceptible
-person develops the disease in the degree of his susceptibility,
-regardless of any and all preventive measures used. While there remain
-so many points on which definite, concrete knowledge is lacking, and so
-much controversy over the relative value of various measures, this paper
-can do little more than state the facts and discuss their bearing on
-prevention as impartially as possible.
-
-Great progress has been made in controlling contagious diseases in
-recent years—a fact which can be easily verified by anyone who will
-compare the sick reports of the Great World War with those of any war
-previous to the beginning of the present century. The diseases which
-have been most easily controlled have been those against which
-prophylactic vaccines or prophylactic sera have been developed.
-Smallpox, dysentery and typhoid fever have lent themselves readily to
-control by protective vaccination, while reliable temporary immunity can
-be afforded by the administration of sera for protection against
-diphtheria and tetanus. These are by no means all, but are probably the
-most striking illustrations; and with such examples before us, the
-greatest hope for the prevention of influenza apparently lies in the
-development of a prophylactic vaccine against it.
-
-
- _History of Prophylactic Vaccination in General_
-
-The name vaccine came from “vacca,” or cow, and was originally applied
-by Jenner (1796) to the virus taken from cowpox pustules for
-prophylactic inoculation against smallpox. It has come to be loosely
-applied to all forms of preventive inoculations except sera. We have,
-therefore, a variety of vaccines which differ in their nature and method
-of preparation. Some are produced by growing the virus in insusceptible
-animals, some are composed of attenuated viruses, and most common of all
-are the bacterial vaccines, sometimes called “bacterins,” which are
-prepared from killed cultures of bacteria. Sera are used in prophylaxis,
-as well as treatment, and are made by bleeding and separating off the
-serum from animals which have been immunized against the cause of the
-disease in question. Sera and vaccines are wholly different products,
-and the distinction should be made in discussing them, although there is
-a common tendency, particularly among lay writers, to use the words
-interchangeably. Smallpox is the classical example of a disease which
-can be completely controlled by universal vaccination. The parasite
-causing smallpox has never been certainly demonstrated, but over a
-century ago Jenner showed that cowpox, a localized, non-fatal disease,
-protected against smallpox. Modern methods have proven that a cow
-inoculated with smallpox virus develops cowpox, and that thereafter the
-virus loses its power to produce smallpox when it is returned to man.
-Instead, it causes a local pustule, and confers immunity to smallpox
-over a considerable length of time. Rabies is another example in which
-the exact cause of the disease is still in doubt, and in which a
-protective vaccine has proven of great value. Rabies vaccine was
-developed by Pasteur, and is prepared by drying the spinal cords of
-rabbits that have been killed by a highly virulent rabies virus.
-Typhoid, dysentery, pneumonia and several other diseases of known
-etiology have been more or less controlled by the use of vaccines made
-from their respective bacterial causes. These vaccines are of the
-“killed bacteria” type of vaccines, and credit for their application to
-human disease belongs to Sir Almroth Wright (1896). The preparation of
-bacterial vaccines is very simple. Bacteria which are known to cause a
-certain disease are isolated in pure culture, grown on artificial media,
-killed either by chemicals or heat, standardized either by counting, or
-drying and weighing, and suspended in salt solution for subcutaneous
-injection. Salt suspension vaccines are usually given in three or four
-increasing doses, about one week apart. Le Moignic and Pinoy (58) first
-elaborated a lipovaccine for triple typhoid vaccination, which was used
-extensively in France during the war. Whitmore, Fennel and Peterson have
-recently also advised the drying of killed bacteria and the suspension
-of them in oil. This method makes it possible to give a single massive
-dose of bacteria which is sufficiently large to completely immunize the
-individual against the disease, and which prolongs the immunizing period
-by allowing slow absorption over a period of several weeks. These
-vaccines are called lipovaccines, have been adopted in the United States
-Army as the standard typhoid vaccine, and promise in time to supersede
-the salt suspensions entirely from a commercial standpoint. Many other
-modifications in the preparation of bacterial vaccines have been
-advised, notably the class known as sensitized vaccines. These are
-prepared by incubating bacterial vaccines for a time with the serum
-taken from animals already immunized against them. The serum apparently
-absorbs many of the toxic substances, and permits the injection of more
-efficient doses. Besredka advised the use of living cultures which had
-been incubated with immune sera, on the basis that vaccines so prepared
-were very active and non-toxic. The sensitizing treatment, however, does
-not stop the growing powers of the bacteria, and vaccines of the
-Besredka type are generally considered dangerous and so are little used.
-Sensitized killed bacterial vaccines, on the other hand, are quite
-popular.
-
-When a sufficiently large dose of vaccine is given to an individual
-there is usually a transient rise in temperature for from 12 to 48
-hours; the local focus of injection becomes sore and inflamed, and a
-white count often shows an actual increase in the number of
-polymorphonuclear leucocytes in the general circulation. A series of
-doses are usually given. If after a few days blood is withdrawn from the
-patient and immuniological tests made, it will generally be found that
-the patient’s leucocytes take up bacteria, and particularly the type of
-bacteria of which the vaccine was composed, more readily and in greater
-numbers than the leucocytes of the ordinary individual. Wright and
-Douglas (52) and Neufeld and Rimpau (53) have shown that this effect of
-increased phagocytosis is brought about by the vaccine through the
-production of substances which act specifically on the bacteria and
-render them more susceptible to inclusion within the white cells. These
-substances belong to the group of antibodies, and are known as
-“opsonins” or “bacteriotropins,” and are specific for any given
-bacteria. Moreover, the serum of the patient will, as a rule, be found
-to have developed the faculty of agglutinating and bacteriolysing
-suspensions of the specific organism injected and of fixing complement
-in the presence of an antigen prepared from that organism. In animal
-work it has been possible to go still farther, for it can be shown that
-the resistance of the animal can be raised until it is no longer
-possible to kill it with the same dose which is found to be fatal for
-the unimmunized animals. Not only has animal work made it possible to
-determine the protective powers of vaccines, but it has also served to
-show the specific nature of the protective power and the relative extent
-to which “group” or “crossed” protection can be conferred by vaccinating
-with closely allied organisms—as, for instance, paratyphoid bacilli in
-typhoid fever. The non-toxic nature of vaccines is also determined by
-animal experiment before such preparations are injected into humans.
-
-The most successful prophylactic bacterial vaccine which has been
-developed so far is that for typhoid fever. A comparison of the
-occurrence of typhoid fever in the United States Army before and since
-the use of anti-typhoid vaccine is all that need be cited to convince
-one of its value. At the time of the Spanish War there was no
-vaccination against typhoid fever, and there were 20,738 cases, with
-1,580 deaths, among 107,973 men who remained in the camps in the United
-States during the war (54).
-
-During the summer of 1911, the maneuver division of the United States
-Army, having 12,801 men, all of whom had been vaccinated against typhoid
-fever, were stationed at San Antonio, Texas. Two cases of typhoid fever
-developed among them, and neither case died. Among the civilian
-population of the city, living under usual conditions during the same
-time, there were 49 cases of typhoid fever, with 19 deaths. Since 1912,
-typhoid vaccination has been compulsory in the United States Army, and
-the largest epidemic of typhoid fever which I have found reported so far
-during the late war was that at Camp Greene (55), Charlotte, N. C.,
-where 18 cases developed. Only 12 of these men had received the complete
-series of immunizing doses. For a complete discussion of the value of
-typhoid vaccine the interested reader is referred to Gay’s Monograph
-(56) on typhoid fever.
-
-
- _Prophylactic Vaccination Against Influenza_
-
-The hope of finding an early solution to the vaccine problem in
-influenza appeared to be in the development of a prophylactic “bacterial
-vaccine” similar to that which proved so efficient for typhoid. In his
-discussion of the vaccine problem in pneumonia, Fennel pointed out that,
-theoretically, any disease of microbic origin in which spontaneous
-recovery is at all possible should yield to specific prophylactic
-measures. The difficulty, however, of preparing a bacterial vaccine for
-influenza comparable to that for typhoid fever is that the unquestioned
-cause of influenza has yet to be determined. The probable cause of
-influenza is the Pfeiffer bacillus, but its relationship has not been
-proven beyond question. On the other hand, the innocence has likewise
-not been proven, as Dr. Holman in his article of this series has ably
-shown. It is not my intention to go deeply into the question of
-etiology, but simply to bring out a few points which _a priori_ seemed
-to indicate that the reasonable solution of vaccine prophylaxis was in
-the preparation of a pure Pfeiffer bacillus suspension.
-
-The experiments in man lead to very surprising results. Rosenau, Keegan,
-Goldberger and Lake, at Gallops Island, Boston, Mass., (1) inoculated
-volunteers with pure culture of B. Pfeiffer, with secretions of the
-upper air passages and with blood from typical cases of influenza.
-Sixteen men, of whom 13 were supposedly non-immune, had Pfeiffer bacilli
-installed into their nasal passages, and none of them developed the
-disease. Secretions filtered and unfiltered also gave negative results.
-Contact with well-developed early cases also failed. McCoy and Richey
-(1a) conducted similar experiments in San Francisco, with negative
-results. The men of the latter group had been vaccinated with a mixed
-streptococcic vaccine, which may have played some part. Had the
-experiments with the Pfeiffer bacillus been negative and the other
-experiments positive, they would have shown that the bacillus of
-Pfeiffer was not the cause of influenza; but since all attempts were
-negative, it merely brought out the fact that there had been a change,
-due probably to some immune factor, which seemed to have acted alike on
-the Pfeiffer bacillus and all other types of virus present, and to have
-made them all innocuous. These experiments still leave the cause of
-influenza in question.
-
-Those who are opposed to the Pfeiffer bacillus being the cause of
-influenza in its epidemic form base their position on the points that
-the common finding of the bacillus might be accounted for on the grounds
-of its being a secondary rather than a primary invader; that while it is
-not so common at ordinary times, it does occur with other organisms in
-whooping cough and sometimes in chronic diseases of the air passages,
-and that the rules of Koch have not been complied with in that the
-organism has not been found in every case of the disease; that where it
-has been grown in pure culture and inoculated into man and animals, it
-has either produced no disease, or the lesions which followed have not
-been typical of epidemic influenza. On the side of those who believe
-that the Pfeiffer bacillus is the chief cause, or, at any rate, that it
-is partly responsible for epidemic influenza, are the facts of its
-fairly constant presence in the purulent bronchial secretion of patients
-suffering from epidemic influenza; its relatively uncommon occurrence at
-other times; its known pathogenicity in occasional cases of meningitis,
-and in the inflammation of the bony sinuses of the head and face; the
-relative immunity of nearly all common laboratory animals and the fact
-that the attempts to transfer epidemic influenza from man to man failed
-not only when Pfeiffer bacilli were used, but also when direct contact
-and direct coughing by the patient into the face of the volunteer were
-tried. The argument that many cantonment laboratories failed to find the
-organisms loses weight when we find that the percentage of positives
-increased where the material examined was removed directly from the
-lungs at autopsy, where special cultural methods were in use and where
-the laboratory personnel was large enough to devote a sufficient amount
-of time to each individual culture. All of these points indicate that
-the organism was overlooked in a great many instances. In our laboratory
-we found the examination of sputa very unsatisfactory because of the
-great amount of contamination, and because the bacillus seemed to lose
-its ability to grow after a relatively short time in the sputum in
-vitro. Moreover, I am convinced that the bacillus changes its morphology
-to such an extent under varying conditions as to make it impossible of
-identification when present among other organisms in sputum smears. The
-failure of animal inoculations is also not conclusive evidence against
-the Pfeiffer organism, because guinea pigs, rats and mice have a natural
-immunity for them. Rabbits are only slightly susceptible, and then only
-to intravenous injections. The mixture of the Pfeiffer bacillus with any
-one of several other pathogenic organisms will increase the
-pathogenicity of both. Monkeys inoculated intracranially develop a
-typical Pfeiffer bacillus meningitis.
-
-Whatever the ultimate outcome of the investigations as to the parasitic
-cause of epidemic influenza, the Pfeiffer bacillus was the generally
-accepted cause at the beginning of the 1918 epidemic, though it was at
-once realized that most of the deaths were due to complicating
-pneumonias and to secondary infections with other organisms. Under the
-circumstances, one of two courses was open: (a) the acceptance of the
-Pfeiffer bacillus as the presumptive cause of influenza and the
-preparation of a specific prophylactic vaccine against infections with
-that organism; or (b) the use of a mixed bacterial vaccine containing
-the common and most deadly secondary infecting organisms, designed to
-increase the patient’s general resistance by decreasing his
-susceptibility to the allied, collateral and secondary infecting agents.
-Attempts were made along both lines, with more or less unsatisfactory
-results.
-
-
- _The Attempt to Develop a Specific Prophylactic Vaccine by the Use of
- Pure Pfeiffer Strains_
-
-By a specific prophylactic vaccine for any given disease, we mean a
-material which when inoculated into an individual will actively protect
-that individual against the given disease. In infectious diseases, the
-immunizing material is usually of microparasitic origin (in contrast to
-desensitizing substances used in pollen diseases and those due to
-unusual sensitiveness to foreign proteins), and is specific only for the
-disease caused by the microparasite from which the material was
-prepared. With the knowledge in hand during the epidemic, the logical
-plan seemed to be to prepare a pure Pfeiffer bacillus vaccine, the
-object of which was to eliminate primary infection with that organism
-and thus prevent the secondary invaders from obtaining a fertile soil.
-
-While specific Pfeiffer bacillus vaccines had been tried in treatment,
-the field was a comparatively new one so far as prevention was
-concerned. Many of the biological products companies had so-called
-influenza vaccines on the market for treatment purposes, and many of
-these contained Pfeiffer bacilli. A few preparations of pure strains of
-the bacilli were also available, but I was unable to find any records of
-their use for prophylaxis. Lacy (2) reported two cases of sinusitis
-treated with autogenous vaccines made from pure Pfeiffer strains—one
-patient improved rapidly and the other showed no change. Investigation
-of several of the other references on influenza vaccines showed that
-mixed vaccines had been used in each instance. The work of Flexner and
-Wolstein (3, 4 and 5) indicated that active immunizing substances could
-be prepared from the Pfeiffer bacillus, although they worked with serum
-instead of vaccines. They prepared an anti-influenza-meningitis serum by
-immunizing goats and horses. These sera cured monkeys of experimentally
-produced influenzal meningitis. The sera showed agglutinins and
-bacteriotropins for Pfeiffer bacilli, as well as positive fixation tests
-in dilutions of 1 in 100, but they contained no lysins. The serum was
-offered for intradural use in treating influenzal meningitis, but was
-found to have no value when used in human cases.
-
-The first references which we have found on the use of pure Pfeiffer
-bacillus vaccines for the prevention of epidemic influenza were those of
-Leary (6), (7), and of Rosenau (8). Shortly after the appearance of the
-first influenza cases in Boston, Leary used a vaccine prepared from
-several strains of Pfeiffer bacilli both for the treatment of influenza
-and for its prevention. The vaccine for the latter purpose was given to
-medical students and nurses, and the first results were apparently very
-encouraging. Continued use has not been convincing. Barnes (9) reported
-an attempt to protect the employees and patients of an institution near
-Woonsocket. On October 9 a case of influenza developed in the female
-ward, and was followed five days later by another. On October 22 the
-disease appeared in the male ward, and the same day 172 employees and
-patients were given their first inoculation with Leary’s vaccine. Doses
-of 400, 800 and 1,200 million bacilli were given at 24–hour intervals.
-All persons who had developed influenza before the three doses had been
-completed were excluded from the computation of the disease incidence,
-which was found to be 20 per cent. both among vaccinated and
-unvaccinated individuals. The mortality rate was 16 per cent. for the 25
-cases among the vaccinated, and 15.8 per cent. among 57 unvaccinated
-patients. The result failed to show any protective qualities for the
-vaccine.
-
-The best controlled vaccine experiment in which Leary’s vaccine was used
-was that reported by Hinton and Kane (10), and was carried out at the
-Monson State Hospital for epileptics. The hospital had a population of
-979 inmates, ranging from 4 years of age to senility; of these 461 were
-vaccinated and 518 were not. Vaccination was begun on October 6, and
-three doses of 400, 800 and 1,200 million were given at 24–hour
-intervals. The first case of influenza developed a few hours after
-vaccination was completed, but there were no more cases before October
-12, when five cases developed. The table shows the result of the work,
-and that the vaccine failed to protect.
-
- Population. No. of % of No. of % of
- Cases. Cases. Deaths. Deaths.
- Vaccinated 461 163 35.4% 28 17.1%
- Unvaccinated 518 178 32.4% 24 13.4%
-
-Attempts to protect by the use of Leary’s influenza vaccine were made in
-11 other Massachusetts institutions, but the results cannot be used to
-compare the incidence and mortality rates between the vaccinated and
-unvaccinated, because the epidemic was either on the wane, or at least
-well advanced when the vaccinations were begun. The reports are of great
-interest in showing the large number of vaccinations which failed to
-protect.
-
-In the Taunton State Hospital about 800 were vaccinated, and among them
-there were 81 cases of influenza and 17 deaths from pneumonia, even
-though the epidemic was on the wane when vaccinations were begun.
-
-In the Gardner State Colony 834 were vaccinated after the peak of the
-epidemic had passed. This number included all but 15 of the inmates who
-had not contracted influenza up to that time. Out of this group, 62
-vaccinated individuals developed the disease.
-
-At the Massachusetts School for Feeble-Minded 457 inmates were selected
-for vaccination and controls. Of the 234 vaccinated, 56 developed
-influenza. Of the 223 unvaccinated, 185 developed influenza, with 16
-pneumonias and 12 deaths. The vaccinated group, however, were a more
-vigorous group of individuals to begin with, and represented a higher
-mental grade than the unvaccinated group, so that the evidence was
-considered of questionable value.
-
-At the Wrentham State School the influenza epidemic was well under way
-before vaccinations were begun, and hence the susceptible individuals
-were in a large part either affected or infected with the disease. Of
-1,198 unvaccinated persons, 758 developed influenza, giving a morbidity
-rate of 63 per cent. Of 128 vaccinated, 13 developed influenza and 1
-died. Physicians in this institution believe that the vaccinated were
-not as ill as the unvaccinated patients.
-
-In the Medfield State Hospital, having a total population of 1,940,421
-cases of influenza, with 63 deaths, had occurred before vaccinations
-were begun. Of the remaining unattacked inmates 902 were vaccinated.
-After the completion of vaccination one new case appeared among the
-unvaccinated, and there were none among the vaccinated.
-
-At the North Hampton State Hospital there were 9 cases of influenza, 4
-of whom died, among 444 unvaccinated individuals, and 9 cases, with 1
-death, among 563 vaccinated patients.
-
-Among 506 patients vaccinated at the Westborough State Hospital there
-developed 15 cases of influenza, 2 of which terminated fatally. Of the
-415 unvaccinated controls, 25 developed influenza and there were no
-deaths. At the time vaccinations were completed only 13 had developed
-influenza.
-
-In the Worcester State Hospital vaccination was carried out after the
-epidemic had entirely subsided.
-
-At the Bridgewater State Hospital no vaccines were used, but the
-morbidity rate was 29.9 per cent., as contrasted with 32.9 per cent.
-among the unvaccinated at Monson.
-
-At the Danvers State Hospital the population of 853 adults was divided
-into three sections. One section was vaccinated with the Leary vaccine,
-one section with an unheated influenza vaccine prepared by Dr. Rosenau
-at the Chelsea Naval Hospital, and one section held as controls. The
-epidemic had, however, reached its height before vaccination was begun,
-and no information as to the relative value of the vaccines could be
-determined.
-
-In Hinton’s (11) report the analysis covered the studies on about 6,000
-vaccinated individuals, which represented slightly less than half of the
-population of 12 Massachusetts State institutions. Hinton’s conclusions
-were as follows: “The heated suspension of influenza bacilli used as a
-prophylactic vaccine did not prevent influenza, lessen its severity nor
-its complications, and, as far as could be ascertained, resulted in no
-harm.”
-
-About the same time that Leary was working on his vaccine, Rosenau
-prepared an unheated suspension of Pfeiffer bacilli, isolated from cases
-of influenza of the existing epidemic, which he used at the Chelsea
-Naval Hospital and in an experiment at the Pelham Bay Naval Training
-Station. The writer is indebted to Surgeon-General of the Navy W. C.
-Braisted for the data from which this report was compiled—the report of
-the Sanitary Officer of the station not having been completed at the
-time the information was furnished. The vaccine experiment was made in
-the isolation regiment, which had remained practically free of
-influenza. Inoculations were begun on September 30, when 638 men were
-given the first dose of vaccine, 833 men being held as controls. On
-October 4 the second dose was given to 589 men, and vaccination was
-completed on October 8, when 565 men were inoculated. This group
-comprised the total number who received three inoculations. On October
-14 practically all of these men were transferred, so that it was very
-difficult to get a complete record. Those cases which developed
-influenza prior to October 10 have been omitted by the writer, both from
-the control and vaccinated groups, because it is unfair to consider the
-incidence of influenza among controls which developed prior to the time
-the inoculations were completed in the vaccinated group. Between October
-10 and October 24 there were 27 cases of influenza which developed among
-the vaccinated, and 30 among the controls, giving a morbidity rate of
-3.6 per cent. among the 833 controls, as compared to 4.7 per cent. among
-the 565 vaccinated men. Emphasis is laid on the fact that these
-morbidity rates were calculated for both groups on the number of cases
-that appeared after vaccination had been completed. The result failed to
-show protective qualities in the vaccine.
-
-Influenza vaccines for prophylaxis were also prepared in great
-quantities by the New York City Board of Health, and were made under the
-direction of W. H. Parke. No reports on the value of their vaccines have
-as yet appeared, and the writer has been unsuccessful in obtaining any
-data on the matter. The Parke vaccine was made in the following way: A
-large number of strains of Pfeiffer bacilli were isolated from cases of
-influenza during the epidemic. These were grown on a veal infusion agar
-containing 1 per cent. peptone, 0.5 per cent. of sodium chloride, 5 per
-cent. chemically pure glycerin, and the reaction of which was made
-neutral to phenolthalein in the cold. The agar was melted, and from 3
-per cent. to 5 per cent. of citrated horse blood was added to it at a
-temperature above 95° C. The media was then slanted and cooled in 6 × 1
-inch test tubes. Most of the vaccines contained about 17 different
-strains of Pfeiffer bacilli. The strains were inoculated separately on a
-series of slants, and at the end of 24 hours the cultures were washed
-off with sterile water and the washings from each series were placed in
-a separate bottle. Smears were then made to determine whether or not
-gram positive organisms were present, and as soon as each bottle was
-found to be free from contamination the contents were pipetted off into
-a 1,000 c.c. flask, and the dilution with sterile salt solution
-containing 0.25 per cent. phenol made. All of the strains were mixed
-together in the large flask. A sample was then removed for
-standardization by Wright’s method, and the flask was submerged for one
-hour in water at 53° C. Transplants for sterility were made and watched
-for 48 hours. The vaccine was then diluted so that each cubic centimeter
-contained 1,000,000,000 Pfeiffer bacilli. Prophylactic vaccination was
-carried out by giving ½ c.c., 1 c.c. and 1½ c.c. doses at seven-day
-intervals.
-
-
- _Author’s Vaccine_
-
-At the request of the Department of Public Health of the city of
-Pittsburgh, the writer undertook to prepare Parke’s vaccine in large
-quantities. The vaccine was to be prepared under the direction of a
-committee consisting of Drs. Oskar Klotz, W. L. Holman, E. W. Willetts,
-George L. Hoffman and the writer, and the vaccine was to be turned over
-to the City Health authorities for distribution in the community. The
-work was carried out at the Singer Memorial Laboratory, and was begun
-the same day that the committee was appointed. Thirteen strains of
-Pfeiffer bacilli were used. Holman contributed six strains, isolated at
-autopsies done by Klotz at the Magee Hospital. Other fresh cultures were
-furnished by Willetts; Wiese, of the City Laboratory, and by the Singer
-Laboratory. The media used was that recommended by the New York Board of
-Health, save that sheep’s blood was used instead of horse blood because
-of convenience. The same technique was employed, with the exception that
-a modification of the Hopkins method of standardization was used instead
-of the Wright method. This was done because Pfeiffer bacilli are
-extremely small, tend to form unbreakable clumps and tangles, and so
-increase the difficulties of making satisfactory counts, either by means
-of the Wright method or with the Helber-Glynn counting chamber, that the
-methods are independable. Opalescent standards permit of such enormous
-variations that it was decided to use the Hopkins method, or a slight
-modification which we found so satisfactory that we will give our method
-here in detail.
-
-
- _Method of Standardization_
-
-When the sample was removed for standardization it contained not only a
-thick suspension of Pfeiffer bacilli, but also bits of agar and
-blood-stained debris. It was necessary to rid the suspension of the
-gross contamination, and this was done at first by filtering it through
-sterile glass wool filters, and later by centrifuging it at slow speed
-for about 10 minutes. The suspension then contained little but the
-Pfeiffer bacilli, and was placed in the Hopkins tube and centrifuged for
-½ hour on the sixth contact of the rheostat. This gave the per cent. of
-Pfeiffer bacilli in the suspension, and the necessary dilutions to make
-1,000,000,000 per cubic centimeter were readily determined. The Hopkins
-tube consists of a centrifuge tube, with a capillary tube sealed on at
-the smaller end. The centrifuge tube is graduated in 10 c.c., 5 c.c. and
-1 c.c. amounts, and the capillary portion is graduated in 0.01, 0.02,
-0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 c.c. amounts. To standardize the vaccine, 10 c.c. of
-the sample was centrifuged in the tube and the amount of sediment read
-on the capillary scale. If the amount of bacilli fell between the
-graduations, an additional amount of sample was added, so that the
-sediment reached one of the graduated lines, the exact amount of sample
-added being noted. The percentage of the suspension could thus be
-determined by dividing the number of c.c. of sample used into the amount
-of the sediment obtained, and the number of bacteria calculated
-according to Hopkins table. The table available to us did not list the
-Pfeiffer bacillus, but according to it a 1 per cent. suspension of
-staphylococcus contains 10 billion organisms to the cubic centimeter,
-and we estimated that Pfeiffer bacilli were about half the size of
-staphylococci. This assumption was borne out by a number of Wright’s
-method counts on standardized suspension of bacilli. We, therefore,
-calculated that a 1 per cent. suspension of Pfeiffer bacilli should
-contain about 20 million organisms. Then, if 10 c.c. contain 0.02 c.c.
-of bacterial sediment, the per cent. was calculated by taking 0.02/10 =
-0.2 per cent., the strength of the suspension. If 1 per cent. contains
-20 billion, then 0.2 per cent. contains 4 billion per c.c. In order to
-get a 100 million per c.c. suspension, it would be necessary to dilute
-the original suspension 40 times.
-
-Every method of standardization is more or less inaccurate, but the
-above described method gave a fairly uniform product. Drying and
-weighing is claimed by many to be more accurate, but even with this
-procedure a fair amount of non-bacterial sediment is present in the
-material to be weighed.
-
-After the vaccine was completed, cultures were made from the final
-dilutions and were watched for 48 hours. Mice and guinea pigs were
-injected with the first samples to make certain that the material was
-non-toxic. Two laboratory employees also volunteered and received full
-doses before the first batch of vaccine was released. The first five
-litres were turned over to the Red Cross on October 31, one week from
-the day the work was begun. In three more days the laboratory reached a
-capacity of 10 litres a day, and on the fifth day the order was received
-to discontinue preparation of the vaccine.
-
-Relatively little of our vaccine was given out, and in the rush it was
-not possible to determine which physicians had been given our vaccine
-and which had received commercial mixed products, so there is no data on
-its protective powers.
-
-As soon as we found that there was no call for prophylactic vaccines, we
-planned some animal experiments; but inasmuch as we were unable to get
-our cultures of Pfeiffer bacilli virulent enough to kill mice or guinea
-pigs, the minimum lethal dose could not be determined, and without it it
-was impossible to determine the protective value of the vaccine. Mr.
-Purwin, in our laboratory, injected a 25–gram mouse intravenously with 2
-c.c. of a milk thick suspension of Pfeiffer bacilli without killing the
-animal. He was successful in getting a small needle into the tail vein
-and in slowly injecting the whole amount. The mouse was sick for about
-36 hours, but entirely recovered. Guinea pigs were insusceptible to very
-large doses. Had we succeeded by means of a vaccine in completely
-immunizing a man against Pfeiffer bacilli, we still would have been
-uncertain that he was immune to influenza in its “epidemic” form.
-
-The absence of virulence in our laboratory strains may not mean that the
-cultures were non-virulent when first isolated, but it suggests the
-uselessness of attempting to make active vaccines from strains kept on
-artificial media for months or years, such as those commonly offered for
-sale by commercial houses.
-
-The loss of virulence in strains that have been isolated for some time
-is interesting in the light of Parker’s (12) work upon toxine production
-by Pfeiffer bacilli. She found that toxic filtrates appeared in infusion
-broth cultures in from 6 to 8 hours, and that 2 c.c. of a 20–hour
-filtrate would kill a medium-sized rabbit in from 1 to 3 hours. It was
-also found that the poison deteriorated so rapidly that, in order to
-determine its toxicity, the tests had to be made on the same day that
-the filtrate was obtained. Parker succeeded in making an anti-serum
-against the poison, which appeared to be antitoxic for it both in vitro
-and in vivo. This work is interesting, and may be a step toward the
-development of a practical prophylactic serum.
-
-
- _Conclusion_
-
-From the above data, it is apparent that there is very little to
-indicate that an immunity to epidemic influenza is conferred by the use
-of a prophylactic vaccine composed of inert Pfeiffer bacilli alone. If a
-desirable vaccine is to be obtained through the use of these organisms,
-there must be radical changes in the mode of preparation of the vaccine
-or in the size of the doses given.
-
-
- _The Attempt to Protect Against Epidemic Influenza by the Use of Mixed
- Vaccines_
-
-For some years commercial houses have been carrying mixed vaccines for
-the treatment of colds, which they called influenza vaccines. These
-preparations were made up usually of six or more different varieties of
-bacteria, and all of them were of similar composition. There was more or
-less variation in the doses, both as far as the total number of bacteria
-and the relative number of the different types were concerned. A typical
-example of a so-called “mixed influenza vaccine” may be given about as
-follows:
-
- B. Influenza (Pfeiffer) 25 to 400 million per c.c.
- M. Catarrhalis 25 to 400 million per c.c.
- B. Friedlander 25 to 400 million per c.c.
- Pneumococci 25 to 400 million per c.c.
- Streptococci 25 to 400 million per c.c.
- Staph. Albus-Aureus 50 to 800 million per c.c.
- ——— ————
- Totals 175 to 2800 million per c.c.
-
-These vaccines were recommended in the various catalogues for use either
-alone or together with other vaccines in the prophylaxis and treatment
-of common colds, and in acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory
-tract. As a matter of fact, they had been used very little in
-prophylaxis, and had failed to show very much value in treatment. In
-discussing these vaccines from the standpoint of treatment, R. M. Pearce
-(13) had the following to say: “A mixed vaccine for common ‘colds’
-containing several organisms (staphylococcus, streptococcus,
-pneumococcus, micrococcus catarrhalis group, bacillus of Friedlander
-group, diphtheroid group, bacillus influenza) is one of the most recent
-bacterial ‘shotgun’ mixtures, which takes the chance of one lucky
-bull’s-eye in seven shots.” “No one can claim a scientific or even a
-common-sense basis for the treatment of a cold by such a mixture.”
-Catarrhal mixed vaccines of a similar kind were refused acceptance by
-the committee on “New and Non-efficial Remedies” of the American Medical
-Association, in June, 1918 (14), on the grounds that insufficient
-evidence of their therapeutic value had been furnished by their
-manufacturers.
-
-While the above illustrates the status of “mixed vaccine” for
-therapeutic purposes, it is a well-recognized fact that it is possible
-to produce an immunity for most of the bacteria composing such vaccines,
-if killed cultures of the various strains are injected in sufficiently
-large doses. Again referring to Pearce’s article, we find the statement:
-“Prophylactic vaccination rests on a sound, scientific basis of
-experimental studies and clinical observation.”
-
-The attempt to protect against epidemic influenza by the use of mixed
-vaccines was based largely on the following points. The medical
-profession was confronted by a rapidly approaching deadly epidemic,
-against which ordinary measures of control had failed. The epidemic was
-supposed to be due to a primary infection with Pfeiffer’s bacillus, but
-all of the fatal cases were found to have profound secondary or
-symbiotic infections, with one or more of the strains contained in the
-“mixed vaccines.” It was known that mixed bacterial proteins, even
-though they were not actually specific, possessed certain qualities of
-producing reactions unfavorable to infections in general, which were
-characterized by a temporary rise in temperature, by an increase in the
-number of leucocytes, and by a more or less demonstrable amount of
-active immunity against each one of the contained bacterial toxins. The
-artificial production of a leucocytosis was especially desirable,
-because a characteristic of epidemic influenza was the failure of
-leucocytosis on the part of the infected individual. In other words,
-mixed vaccines were used because they were the only available substances
-which offered the hope of creating a reaction against the secondary
-invaders which were so commonly the cause of death in influenza.
-
-Since Pittsburgh’s experience with prophylactic vaccination had chiefly
-to do with the use of commercially prepared mixed vaccines, a brief
-history of the local experience with them may be of interest.
-
-About the time that the first cases of influenza were being reported
-from the Pittsburgh district, articles on preventive vaccines as used in
-Boston and at some of the camps began to appear in the daily papers,
-shortly after which came the announcement that the Carnegie Steel
-Company was offering free vaccination to their employees and to the
-families of their employees. Dr. W. O. Sherman, chief surgeon for the
-company, advocated the use of the vaccine because he hoped to increase
-the immunity to secondary infection and to produce an active
-leucocytosis in the vaccinated individuals, and at the same time to
-allay panic among the employees at a time when an interruption of
-manufacturing and mining pursuits might be disastrous to the entire
-country; and he did it with the assurance that if the vaccine did no
-good, it would at least do no harm. He took steps to arrange for the
-collection of data by which he hoped to determine whether or not the
-vaccine as used by their company did any good. His report has not yet
-appeared. Other large corporations at once instituted prophylactic
-vaccinations with commercial “mixed vaccines.”
-
-In contrast to the altogether laudable efforts of these companies to
-protect their employees, a complete history of the vaccine episode in
-this community necessitates the recounting of a very different phase in
-the matter. When it became known that corporations were vaccinating
-their employees, people in general naturally began to investigate.
-Physicians’ offices were besieged by persons who either demanded
-vaccination at once or wanted to know whether or not there was “anything
-in it.” Conscientious physicians in their turn called up the offices of
-the medical societies, the various laboratories, and telegraphed
-everywhere trying to get some definite data before recommending the
-vaccine to their patients. It was impossible to answer the question
-definitely, because it was a new procedure and purely in the
-experimental stage. On the whole, the medical profession handled the
-situation in a competent and dignified manner, for the great majority
-gave vaccines only after a full explanation to the effect that its value
-was in doubt, or else refused to give it altogether. There were some,
-however, who were not conscientious, and the unscrupulous practitioner
-seldom had a better chance to impose upon the public. The demand for
-vaccine soon exceeded the supply, and it is claimed that there were
-doctors who gave any type of vaccine they could obtain without regard to
-its bacterial make-up or intended purpose. Anti-diphtheritic serum was
-given in many instances, and it is said that even normal salt was used.
-Statements to the effect that exorbitant sums were being charged and
-that guarantees of prevention were being made resulted in the Red Cross
-Society undertaking the distribution of the vaccine. To protect itself,
-the Medical Society issued the following notice in the weekly bulletin
-for October 26, 1918:
-
- The Society wishes it understood that at present there is no vaccine,
- serum or inoculation which will secure anyone against influenza. It is
- desirable that everyone should avoid hysteria and consider only the
- reports which are officially given out by the Health Department, since
- of late various methods of prophylaxis and treatment have found their
- way into the daily newspapers, and these may prove harmful rather than
- do good.
-
-Almost simultaneously the daily papers published the report of
-Surgeon-General Blue, of the United States Bureau of Public Health,
-which expressed practically the same opinion. It was not the intention
-of either of these articles to criticise the practice of vaccination,
-but merely to warn the public against profiteering and fraudulent
-guarantees. They had the unexpected effect, however, of causing people
-to completely lose faith in prophylactic vaccines, and in many instances
-to become actually antagonistic to them. It was during this period that
-the preparation of vaccines from pure influenza strains was undertaken,
-under supervision of the County Society and for distribution through the
-Department of Public Health. Two days after the first supply of this
-vaccine was ready the Red Cross authorities telephoned that there was no
-further call for vaccine. The man in charge of the distribution stated
-concretely that “the bottom had dropped out of the vaccine business.” A
-few days later the Department of Health issued an order to stop the
-preparation of the vaccine.
-
-Many pharmacies, having small supplies of vaccines, realized the great
-call for it and the difficulty of obtaining a new supply, and were also
-guilty of commercialism. Certain of the large biological product
-companies were no exception. One house issued a hand-bill, printed in
-red on a yellow background, which stated: “Epidemic influenza is due to
-the influenza bacillus. The present epidemic of influenza has a tendency
-to develop pneumonia. The use of our influenza bacillus vaccine No. ——
-will abort the influenza and avoid pneumonia and other sequelæ. When
-pneumonia has developed, it can be reduced to less than one-third the
-mortality and duration usual with other methods of treatment,” etc.
-Practically all of the above statements are still unproven, and probably
-will never be shown to be true. Such a bulletin undoubtedly lays this
-firm of vaccine manufacturers open to prosecution under the law
-protecting against false and fraudulent advertising. Several fairly
-well-authenticated incidents occurred in which the representatives of
-vaccine houses offered factory managers and others share and share alike
-in the profits, if the brand of vaccine made by them was used. It is on
-such happenings as the above that the writer advocates legal measures,
-allowing Boards of Health to control the advertising of remedies and
-distribution of biological products during epidemics.
-
-How much Pittsburgh will learn from the experience with vaccines will
-depend on the numerous analyses of data which were acquired during the
-epidemic.
-
-
- _Data on the Prophylactic Value of Mixed Vaccines_
-
-Proof of the prophylactic value of mixed vaccines for epidemic influenza
-depends entirely upon the results of its practical application to human
-subjects in times when the disease is prevalent. Animal determinations
-are out of the question, because it has not been possible to produce the
-epidemic form of influenza experimentally. If all people were equally
-susceptible and were equally exposed, it would be a simple matter to
-compare the number of vaccinated persons who developed the disease with
-the number of unvaccinated persons who contracted it; but since many
-thousands were vaccinated and some of them contracted the disease in
-spite of it, and a greater number of persons who were not vaccinated
-entirely escaped, the analysis is extremely difficult.
-
-The time element is a big factor. In instances where vaccination was
-completed in a community before the epidemic appeared there, the figures
-are worth more than those in which vaccination was undertaken after the
-epidemic had become established. This is true, because the most
-susceptible persons in a community developed the disease as soon as they
-were exposed, the less susceptible ones were not attacked until later,
-and the insusceptible ones escaped altogether. Whenever vaccination is
-begun during an epidemic, the persons vaccinated for prophylactic
-purposes are necessarily chosen from those who have not yet developed an
-attack. The later in the epidemic that vaccination is begun, the greater
-will be the number of persons selected for vaccination from among those
-more or less naturally immune. Then, if the total number of cases among
-the vaccinated is compared with the total number of cases among the
-unvaccinated, the apparent value of the vaccine is increased; but the
-estimation is not a fair one, because the vaccinated group is
-unavoidably selected from among relatively immune persons, while the
-controls include all of the very susceptible people who were suffering
-from the disease at the time vaccination was begun. Where vaccination is
-begun after the epidemic is advanced, the only figures worth while are
-those obtained by a day-by-day or a week-by-week comparison between the
-number of cases developing among controls and the number of cases
-appearing among those vaccinated, and by beginning that comparison at a
-time subsequent to the day on which the prophylactic inoculations were
-completed.
-
-Aside from the interpretation of the results there is possibly a more
-serious reason for objecting to the beginning of vaccination during an
-epidemic. This lies in the danger of producing a temporary negative
-phase in the patient, which makes him somewhat more susceptible to
-natural infection for a few hours immediately following each
-administration.
-
-McCoy (15) outlined the requirements necessary for an ideal vaccine
-experiment as follows: 1. The community should be as large as possible,
-and should number at least 10,000 persons. 2. The conditions under which
-they live should be as nearly equal as possible. 3. The turnover, or
-rather the change in population, should be as small as possible. 4. The
-social service should be efficient and reliable, so that it can be
-definitely ascertained when anyone becomes sick and what the disease is
-from which he is suffering. 5. Fifty per cent. should be vaccinated
-before the epidemic arrives, and the other 50 per cent. should be held
-as controls.
-
-No examples were found which came up to the above requirements, but
-there were some instances in which vaccination was completed before the
-epidemic appeared, and some in which we were able to get a week-by-week
-comparison between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Most of the data
-which has been reported shows that vaccination was begun about the last
-of the second or the first of the third week of the epidemic, and in
-some instances not until after the peak was passed. Add to this the fact
-that the vaccine was given in from three to four doses, at from three to
-seven day intervals—a course which required in the neighborhood of two
-weeks for completion—and it is obvious that the full protective powers
-of the vaccine were not acquired by the individual until the worst of
-the epidemic was over and the number of cases were rapidly subsiding.
-
-In order to get the best understanding from these experiments, the data
-will be presented in three series: I. Those instances in which
-vaccination was completed before the epidemic appeared. II. Those
-instances in which it is possible to compare the relative occurrence of
-influenza in both the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups after
-vaccination was completed. III. Those instances in which vaccination was
-begun after the epidemic appeared and in which comparisons of total
-figures only are available.
-
-
-_Series I. Those Instances in Which Vaccination Was Completed Before the
- Epidemic Appeared_
-
-1. The only instance in the Pittsburgh community in which vaccination
-was completed before the epidemic appeared is that reported from the
-Dixmont Hospital, Dixmont, Pa., and furnished me through the courtesy of
-Dr. Hutchinson (16). The institution had a population of about 1,000
-patients and 300 employees. Prophylactic vaccination was begun on
-October 20, and was completed about November 6. Each c.c. of the vaccine
-used contained 200,000,000 each of B. Pfeiffer, Micrococcus Catarrhalis,
-B. Friedlander, Pneumococci, Streptococci and Staphylococci, both Aureus
-and Albus. Four doses were given of 4 minims, 8 minims, 12 minims and 16
-minims, respectively. Inoculations were carried out at four-day
-intervals. Owing to the isolation of the institution from the general
-community, the first case did not appear until two weeks later—namely,
-on November 20. The results are shown by the table.
-
- Population. No. of % of No. of % of
- Cases. Cases. Deaths. Deaths.
- Vaccinated 600 44 7.3% 0 0%
- Unvaccinated 700 69 9.8% 9 1.2%
-
-None of the vaccinated patients developed pneumonia, though there were
-15 cases among the unvaccinated.
-
-This experiment shows a slight percentage in favor of vaccination, and
-indicates that there was some decrease in the severity of the secondary
-infections.
-
-2. The experiment reported by McCoy, Murray and Teeter (17) showed quite
-opposite results from the above, and was an excellent example of a small
-though completely controlled test. In an asylum for the insane in San
-Francisco all of the patients under 41 years of age were divided into
-two groups—one group was kept as controls and the other was given a
-vaccine furnished by F. O. Tonney, of the Chicago Health Department. The
-vaccine contained 500,000,000 each of B. Influenza, Pneumococcus I, II
-and III, 1,500,000,000 Pneumococcus IV, 1,000,000,000 Streptococcus
-Hæmolyticus and 500,000,000 Staphylococci. Doses of 0.5 c.c., 1 c.c. and
-1½ c.c., which were given at 48–hour intervals. Inoculation was
-completed on November 15, and the first case of influenza appeared on
-November 26. The table shows the result.
-
- Vaccinated. Not Vaccinated.
- Persons in group 390 390
- Cases of influenza 119 103
- Cases of pneumonia 23 17
- Number of deaths 10 7
-
-3. The report of Minaker and Irvine (18) included several groups of men,
-the first two of which apparently belonged in our first series. They
-used a vaccine, each c.c. of which contained 5,000,000,000 B. Pfeiffer,
-3,000,000,000 each of Pneumococcus I and II, 1,000,000,000 Pneumococcus
-III, 100,000,000 Streptococcus Hæmolyticus. In all, they vaccinated
-11,179 persons.
-
-(a) Their first group numbered 4,950 persons in quarantine at the Naval
-Training Station. The quarantine was maintained for 24 days, and no
-influenza appeared during that time. Three thousand five hundred and
-fourteen of them were released at a time when there were still 200 to
-300 cases of influenza being reported daily in San Francisco. Out of the
-3,514 men, 15 had influenza, and there were no deaths.
-
-(b) At the Mare Island Navy Yards 1,950 marines were released
-immediately after completion of the inoculation. They were turned into
-Valejo and San Francisco, where influenza was at its height. Only 35
-cases, with 1 death, occurred, and these developed shortly after the men
-were released in San Francisco. This group was controlled with an
-unvaccinated group of 8,232 persons who remained at Mare Island, and
-1,296 cases of influenza, with 65 deaths, occurred among the controls.
-
-(c) At San Pedro 3,100 were vaccinated, and of these 53 had influenza,
-and there were no deaths. The occurrence among these was compared with
-the prevalence of the disease in Los Angeles, but this part of the
-report leaves much to be desired in the way of the relative dates, etc.
-
-(d) The fourth group, consisting of 1,080 civilians, developed 14 cases,
-with no deaths. However, vaccination of this group was not completed
-until 21 days after the pandemic had appeared in the community.
-Minaker’s and Irvine’s analyses show a favorable percentage for
-vaccination in the first two groups, but their groups three and four
-were not sufficiently well controlled to be of much help.
-
-4. In a report which appeared during October, 1918, Eyer and Lowe (29)
-published the results of prophylactic inoculation of 1,000 New Zealand
-troops with a mixed catarrhal vaccine. They controlled their experiments
-with 19,000 New Zealand troops who were not inoculated. A comparison of
-the incidence of acute respiratory disease and influenza during the
-primary wave of the epidemic as it appeared during June and July, gave
-two cases among the vaccinated troops and an average of 43.2 cases per
-thousand among the controls.
-
-Later they reported (58) the results of much larger experiments as
-carried out at 17 different camps and hospitals. The vaccine which they
-used was a typical “mixed” vaccine, save that the authors emphasized the
-advantage of using strains not more than three generations removed from
-the body. At some of the camps their reports were unfavorable, but upon
-the whole their results, as summarized below, were most encouraging. In
-most instances inoculations were completed just prior to the arrival of
-the autumn epidemic.
-
-Out of a total average strength of 21,759, approximately 16,104 men
-received full prophylactic vaccination, and approximately 5,700 were
-uninoculated, or had received only 1 dose; 3,366 cases of influenza
-developed—15 per cent.; 1.3 per cent. occurred among the vaccinated,
-while 4.1 per cent. developed in the uninoculated; 8 per cent. of the
-severe cases among the protected died, as compared to 23 per cent. among
-the uninoculated. The death rate for all infected cases was 0.26 per
-cent. among the inoculated and 2.2 per cent. among the uninoculated.
-
-NOTANDA.—All of the above reports, comprising the “Series I”
-experiments, indicate that mixed vaccines reduced the number of severe
-illnesses and lowered the death rate to some extent.
-
-
- _Series II. Those Instances in Which It Is Possible to Compare the
- Relative Occurrence in Both Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Groups After
- Vaccination Was Completed_
-
-1. The report on prophylactic vaccination at the Hospital for the Insane
-at Retreat, Pa., was very kindly furnished by Dr. Charles B. Maberry
-(20). When the epidemic approached, the institution was placed in
-quarantine and remained free from influenza until October 28, when two
-cases appeared in nurses who had broken quarantine. Influenza spread in
-the male ward, but the female wards were kept free during the whole of
-the epidemic. There were 370 male patients, but 60 were in the infirmary
-and were not included in the calculation. Out of 310 patients, 210
-received vaccines. Ordinary commercial mixed vaccine was used, and
-vaccination was begun two days after influenza appeared. During the
-first week there were 40 cases of influenza, 6 of which occurred among
-those who had received a single dose of the vaccine. After the first
-week there were 38 cases of influenza, with 10 pneumonias and 5 deaths,
-among the unvaccinated, giving a morbidity rate of 38 per cent. and a
-mortality rate of 5 per cent. In the vaccinated group there were no
-cases after vaccination was completed. Maberry states further that in
-ward III the only cases which appeared subsequent to vaccination were in
-six patients who refused preventive inoculations. This appears to be the
-most favorable of any of the reports.
-
-2. Nurses on duty in hospitals everywhere suffered greatly from
-influenza, and those of Pittsburgh were no exception. Some of the
-hospitals vaccinated the nurses during the epidemic and some did not,
-and it was hoped that by getting a week-by-week comparison of the number
-of cases among vaccinated and non-vaccinated nurses some reliable data
-would be obtained. A circular letter sent to all of the hospitals in the
-community contained a blank asking for the number of nurses, date of
-appearance of the epidemic, use of vaccine, dates of inoculations, and
-for a week-by-week occurrence of influenza in each group. Only 7
-hospitals complied with the request, and of them only 5 sent complete
-data. Complete reports were received from the Allegheny General,
-Columbia, Presbyterian, South Side and St. Francis Hospitals. Of a total
-of 336 nurses in these 5 institutions, 38 developed influenza in the
-first week, 48 in the second, 39 in the third, 43 in the fourth, and 45
-subsequent to the fourth week, making a total of 213—a morbidity of 63
-per cent. The Mercy and St. Margaret’s Hospitals reported the total
-number of nurses and the occurrence of influenza among them, and adding
-in their reports there were 521 nurses on duty in 7 hospitals, with 257
-cases of influenza, giving a morbidity rate of 50 per cent.; 28 cases of
-pneumonia and 11 deaths, giving a 2 per cent. mortality rate. The total
-figures from hospitals where vaccines were used are against vaccination,
-due partly to the fact that vaccination was started late. In these
-hospitals the morbidity was 66 per cent. and the death rate 3 per cent.
-In the hospitals where vaccines were not used the morbidity rate was 20
-per cent. and the death rate 1.2 per cent. No dependable data was
-obtained, but the report from the South Side Hospital was interesting.
-Of 60 nurses on duty, 36 had influenza and 2 died. Of this number 19
-were stricken the first week. Three days after the first cases were
-admitted to the hospital vaccination was begun, and was given to most of
-the nurses still on duty. Of those taking vaccines 20 developed
-influenza and 1 died during the period of immunization, but after the
-inoculations were completed there were no more cases in either group.
-
-During the epidemic it was said that benefit was derived from the use of
-vaccines on nurses at the West Penn Hospital, but the writer was unable
-to obtain a report from this institution. The collected data on nurses
-was useless, though it is interesting, in that it shows the possibility
-of making figures prove almost anything you want them to prove.
-
-
- _Series III. Those Instances in Which Vaccination Was Begun After the
- Epidemic Appeared, and in Which Comparisons of Total Figures Only Are
- Available_
-
-Undoubtedly the largest attempt at prophylaxis against epidemic
-influenza through the use of “mixed vaccines” was that made under the
-direction of Dr. W. O. Sherman for the Carnegie Steel and H. C. Frick
-Coke Companies. The results which Dr. Sherman hoped to attain when he
-planned using the vaccine and collecting the data have already been
-given. Commercial mixed vaccines similar to those described under the
-“Series I” experiment were used, and four doses, three days apart, were
-given. Inoculations were begun on October 20, 1918, and were completed
-during the first week of November. Vaccine was administered to the
-employees and their families without charge. Later cards were given to
-all employees, and they were made to fill them out and return them. On
-the cards were blanks calling for the name, age, sex, color, number of
-inoculations, whether or not the employee himself or any member of his
-family had had influenza, and how many days the sick individuals had
-been in bed. Each mill and mine was then supplied with a set of blank
-forms providing for a complete statistical record of the number of
-inoculations and the total incidence of influenza, pneumonia and death.
-From the reports of the respective mills and mines the total figures
-given in the charts were compiled.
-
-Difficulties were encountered in every part of the work. The vaccine
-demand was so great that the products of three different firms were
-used. So many doctors were in service that most of the vaccine had to be
-given by carefully coached nurses. The bulletins of the United States
-Bureau of Public Health and of the Allegheny County Medical Society,
-with their warnings about influenza vaccines being only in the
-experimental stage, appeared just at the time the work was begun and
-caused a great many to refuse to complete vaccination after one or two
-doses had been given. So few medical men were left that it was
-impossible to have them see all cases and so determine the nature of
-many of the illnesses which were occurring. It was assumed, therefore,
-that any employee who had fever and was sick for a period of three days
-had influenza, and that any who were confined to bed for seven days or
-more had pneumonia. The figures of the central offices were made up from
-the reports of 14 steel mills, 1 cement factory, 4 warehouses and 57
-mining districts. The accuracy of data depended on the careful work of a
-great many local statistical workers, which made individual variations
-hard to control. The greatest difficulty of all, however, lay in finding
-a common basis for comparisons of the incidence of influenza, pneumonia
-and death in the vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups, since the data on
-the former group included the occurrence only after the peak of the
-epidemic had been passed, and that of the latter group included the
-occurrence for the entire epidemic.
-
-The total figures are given in the three charts.
-
-
- CHART I.
-
- CARNEGIE STEEL COMPANY.
-
- All Works Except Homestead, City Mills, Columbus, Lucy and Isabella.
-
- STATISTICAL REPORT ON INOCULATION AGAINST INFLUENZA.
-
- 1. Number of employees who had influenza 5,728 18%
-
- 2. Number of employees who did not have influenza 24,956
- ——————
- Total number of employees 30,684
-
- 3. Total number of persons
- inoculated One inoculation 2,983
- Two inoculations 3,675
- Three inoculations 4,626
- Four inoculations 10,053
- ——————
- Total 21,337
-
- 4. Cases influenza developed
- after No inoculations 2,133 23%
- One inoculation 745 25%
- Two inoculations 776 21%
- Three inoculations 794 17%
- Four inoculations 1,280 12%
- ——————
- Total 5,728
-
- 5. Cases influenza pneumonia
- developed after No inoculations 804 37%
- One inoculation 356 48%
- Two inoculations 403 52%
- Three inoculations 321 40%
- Four inoculations 459 36%
- ——————
- Total 2,343
-
- 6. Deaths from influenza and “flu
- Pneumonia” after No inoculations 104 4.7%
- One inoculation 32 4.3%
- Two inoculations 33 4.2%
- Three inoculations 21 2.6%
- Four inoculations 33 2.5%
- ——————
- Total 223 3.9%
-
-
- CHART II.
-
- H. C. FRICK COKE COMPANY.
-
- STATISTICAL REPORT ON INOCULATION AGAINST INFLUENZA.
-
- 1. Number of employees who had influenza 5,248 31.4%
-
- 2. Number of employees who did not have influenza 11,464
- ——————
- Total number of employees 16,712
-
- 3. Total number of persons
- inoculated No inoculations 3,122
- One inoculation 2,483
- Two inoculations 2,548
- Three inoculations 3,550
- Four inoculations 5,009
- ——————
- Total 13,590
-
- 4. Cases influenza developed 47.9%
- after No inoculations 1,495 of (3
- One inoculation 634 25.5%
- Two inoculations 770 30.2%
- Three inoculations 1,078 30.4%
- Four inoculations 1,271 25.0%
- ——————
- Total 5,248
-
- 5. Cases influenza pneumonia 6.3%
- developed after No inoculations 94 of (4
- One inoculation 33 5.2%
- Two inoculations 42 5.4%
- Three inoculations 69 6.4%
- Four inoculations 85 6.7%
- ——————
- 6.1%
- Total 323 of (4 total
-
- 6. Deaths from influenza and “flu 2.0%
- No inoculations 30 of (4
- One inoculation 13 2.0%
- Two inoculations 21 2.9%
- Three inoculations 16 1.5%
- Four inoculations 37 2.9%
- ——————
- 2.2%
- Total 117 of (4
-
-
- CHART III.
-
- BESSEMER & LAKE ERIE RAILROAD.
-
- STATISTICAL REPORT ON INOCULATION AGAINST INFLUENZA.
-
- 1. Number of employees who had influenza 1,275 24%
-
- 2. Number of employees who did not have influenza 3,986
- ——————
- Total number of employees 5,261
-
- 3. Total number of persons
- inoculated No inoculations 3,091
- One inoculation 232
- Two inoculations 249
- Three inoculations 479
- Four inoculations 1,210
- ——————
- Total 2,170
-
- 4. Cases influenza developed
- after No inoculations 705 55%
- One inoculation 111 48%
- Two inoculations 91 36%
- Three inoculations 129 27%
- Four inoculations 239 19%
- ——————
- Total 1,275
-
- 5. Cases influenza pneumonia 40%
- developed after No inoculations 283 of (4
- One inoculation 75 67%
- Two inoculations 59 64%
- Three inoculations 51 42%
- Four inoculations 69 28%
- ——————
- Total 537
-
- 6. Deaths from influenza and “flu 5.6%
- Pneumonia” after No inoculations 40 of (4
- One inoculation 5 4.5%
- Two inoculations 0
- Three inoculations 0
- Four inoculations 3 4.3%
- ——————
- Total 48
-
-Charts I and III show a decrease in the incidence of influenza in direct
-proportion to the number of inoculations given. This finding would have
-been very important had vaccination been completed before the epidemic
-appeared. There is, however, no convincing evidence in either of these
-charts that the vaccine cut down the relative number of pneumonias, or
-decreased the death rate to any appreciable extent. Chart I also shows
-the interesting fact that influenza occurred slightly more often among
-those who had one inoculation than among those who were not vaccinated
-at all.
-
-Chart II would indicate that influenza occurred much less frequently in
-the vaccinated than in the control group, but a closer analysis brings
-out the contradictory finding that influenza occurred at the same rate
-in the group of 634 persons who had only 1 dose that it did in the group
-of 1,271 who completed the course.
-
-The reports from the separate communities were so conflicting that to
-attempt to analyze them leads only to confusion.
-
-No reports of harmful effects from the use of the vaccine were received,
-and several physicians who attended sick employees say that, even though
-the figures do not show it, they feel certain that the vaccinated
-persons in general were not as sick as those who were not vaccinated.
-
-On account of the conditions under which the vaccinations were done and
-the reports compiled, Dr. Sherman has not felt justified in making a
-report, fearing that erroneous conclusions might be drawn from the data.
-We are greatly indebted to him for the use of his reports, without which
-our account of the influenza epidemic in Pittsburgh would have been very
-incomplete.
-
-2. Another large steel corporation who used vaccine but asked that their
-names be withheld furnished the following report. During the epidemic
-the company offered free vaccination to its 27,000 employees and their
-families. Commercial mixed vaccines were used, three injections given,
-and vaccination begun on October 19, which was about the time of the
-peak of the epidemic in Pittsburgh. The results include a record of all
-employees who lost over six days between October 1 and November 30.
-
- ───────────────────────────────┬────────────┬───────────┬───────────
- EMPLOYEES │ MORBIDITY │ PNEUMONIA │ MORTALITY
- ───────────────────────────────┼──────┬─────┼─────┬─────┼─────┬─────
- │ No. │ % │ No. │ % │ No. │ %
- ───────────────────────────────┼──────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────
- Received only one dose 3,895│ 511│13.13│ 31│ 0.8│ 28│ 0.72
- Received only two doses 3,329│ 414│12.44│ 40│ 1.2│ 19│ 0.57
- Received all three doses 9,897│ 468│ 4.75│ 46│ 0.46│ 32│ 0.32
- ───────────────────────────────┼──────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────
- Total of above 17,119│ 1393│ 8.14│ 117│ 0.68│ 79│ 0.46
- Received no doses 10,036│ 1522│15.17│ 154│ 1.53│ 106│ 1.06
- ───────────────────────────────┼──────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────
- Total for both groups 27,155│ 2915│11.66│ 271│ 1.10│ 185│ 0.76
- ───────────────────────────────┴──────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────
-
-Before satisfactory conclusions can be drawn from these figures it is
-necessary to know how many of the 10,036 persons became sick before
-vaccination, and whether or not the rate of decrease in this group was
-not similar to that shown by the number of patients who developed
-influenza during the intervals between their doses of vaccine. The
-relatively high percentage of cases following the first and second doses
-are capable of explanation on one, or perhaps on all, of the three
-following grounds: (a) the general subsidence of the epidemic, which
-showed a rapid decrease by the time the third dose was given; (b) the
-increased protection afforded by the three doses of vaccine, and (c) the
-broken resistance of the patient following sudden sensitization by the
-vaccine.
-
-3. Rosenow (21) prepared a mixed vaccine by growing the various bacteria
-in glucose broth, for from 18 hours to 36 hours, centrifuging and
-suspending the sediment in salt solution and making up the vaccine on a
-percentage basis.
-
-
- FORMULA OF VACCINE
-
- Pneumococci, Types I (10 per cent.), II (14 per cent.) and
- III (6 per cent.) 30 per cent.
- Pneumococci Group IV and the allied
- green-producingdiplostreptococci described 30 per cent.
- Hemolytic Streptococci 20 per cent.
- Staphylococcus Aureus 10 per cent.
- Influenza bacillus 10 per cent.
-
-Most of the vaccine was distributed within a radius of 200 miles of
-Rochester, Minn., but samples were furnished to physicians all over the
-country, who agreed to return statistics on its use. No evidence was
-found that this vaccine caused a temporary break in the resistance of
-the user. Out of a total of 20,972 persons vaccinated, 14.6 cases of
-influenza, 1.8 cases of pneumonia, with 1.8 mortality, occurred per
-thousand in the six weeks following vaccination. As controls, he took
-“such persons in institutions, colleges, factories and communities where
-vaccine was used, and included only those reports which contained
-accurate data as to the incidence and mortality among them.” Among
-61,753 such controls he found 229 cases of influenza, 15.7 cases of
-pneumonia and 3.4 deaths per thousand. He concluded from his results
-that “it appears possible to afford a definite degree of immunity by
-prophylactic inoculations to persons against the more serious
-respiratory infections during the present epidemic.” It is quite
-difficult to agree with Rosenow in his interpretation of the figures as
-presented by him, inasmuch as he made no allowance for the stage of the
-epidemic at which vaccination was carried out, either among the
-vaccinated or the non-vaccinated. Such a comparison would be well nigh
-impossible where the vaccine was sent in varying quantities to such a
-large number of places.
-
-4. League Island Report (22). Vaccines were used as a preventive in 50
-persons, most of whom were hospital apprentices and in the wards 12 to
-15 hours a day. Other precautions were used, such as masks, but not a
-single case developed in the group. The vaccine was used as a curative
-agent in 50 uncomplicated cases; none of the patients injected early
-developed pneumonia.
-
-5. Puget Sound Navy Yards Report (23). The vaccine used at this station
-was made from hæmolytic streptococci, no other organisms being used;
-4,212 men were vaccinated, and not one died from influenza. Among 111
-Philippinos isolated and vaccinated there occurred only 2 cases. Among
-361 marines vaccinated early there occurred 2 cases. Among 62 marines at
-the ammunition depot who were vaccinated early there occurred 3 cases,
-only 1 of which occurred after completion of vaccination. Among 662
-bluejackets at Seattle Training Camp only 10 men developed the disease.
-Among 83 at the aviation corps there were 32 cases—31 of them developed
-the disease within a few hours after the first injection. There were no
-deaths in any of the above groups. The period of observation was closed
-on October 21, and so few cases of influenza appeared subsequent to that
-date that it seemed that the epidemic was practically over at the time
-the data was obtained.
-
-6. Kitano (24) used a vaccine for prophylaxis containing 0.2 m.g. of
-Pfeiffer bacilli per c.c. on 10,300 persons with encouraging results. He
-used vaccine for treatment on 87 patients, without any deaths. In the
-same group were 270 cases treated in the usual way, with 23 per cent.
-mortality. The vaccine lessened the severity, shortened the period of
-illness, and lowered the mortality.
-
-7. Wynn (25) used mixed vaccines in the treatment of influenza, and
-believed they aborted the disease if given early.
-
-8. Norman White (26) states that vaccination in India would be
-impractical, because the disease is so brief and severe that it would be
-over before innumerable doctors could complete inoculations.
-
-9. Whitingham and Sims (27) reported the use of a mixed vaccine in an
-institution where 156 were inoculated and 149 were not. The case
-incidence was 5 per cent. among the vaccinated and 12 per cent. among
-the controls. No statement of the stage of the epidemic at which
-vaccination was done is mentioned in the report.
-
-10. Cadham (28) reported on inoculations in a military hospital and in
-the civilian population near Winnipeg. Of 282 vaccinated soldiers
-admitted to the hospital, 17 had pneumonia and 5 died. Of 238 not
-vaccinated, 41 had pneumonia and 17 died. Among 24,184 civilians given
-two doses, 9.7 per cent. had influenza and 0.5 per cent. had pneumonia
-and 0.09 per cent. died. Among 85,941 controls, 24.8 per cent. had
-influenza, 2.2 per cent. pneumonia and 0.66 per cent. died. Cadham
-states that most of the inoculations were made early in the epidemic,
-but no accurate statistics were kept on the point.
-
-11. A conference was held at the British War Office on October 14, 1918
-(30), to discuss prophylactic vaccination and vaccines for treatment of
-influenza. Elaborate plans regarding dosage and gathering of statistics
-were made.
-
-NOTANDA.—For reasons already given, the reports in Series III fail to
-give very reliable data on which to base a knowledge of the value of
-preventive vaccination against epidemic influenza.
-
-
-_The Attempt to Prevent Pneumonia as a Complication of Influenza Through
- the Use of Lipovaccine_
-
-Whitmore, Fennel and Peterson (31) developed a method of preparing an
-oily suspension of killed bacteria which they called “lipovaccine.” The
-method was used at first in making typhoid and dysentery vaccines. The
-advantages of lipovaccines (32) over salt suspensions are: the
-prevention of autolysis of the bacteria, thus increasing the length of
-time during which the vaccine remains active; the slow absorption of the
-dose, allowing the patient to continue to absorb immunity-producing
-substances over a period of days or weeks; the administration of a
-single massive dose, which does away with the three doses necessary when
-salt suspensions are used; and perhaps, also, the direct reduction in
-the toxicity of the dose by the lipoid material.
-
-Based upon the classification of pneumococci by Dochez and Gillespie
-(33) in this country, and by Lister (34), (35), (36) in South Africa,
-and upon the latter’s successful use of anti-pneumonia vaccine on the
-Rand, an anti-pneumonia lipovaccine was prepared at the Army Medical
-School which contained approximately 10,000,000,000 each of types I, II
-and III pneumococci. The vaccine was made by growing the pneumococci in
-dextrose broth, centrifuging them out of the broth with a sharpless milk
-centrifuge, drying the sediment at 55° C., weighing it out so that each
-cubic centimeter of the finished vaccine contains 0.83 m.g. of each
-type, and making a suspension of them in olive oil. More recently
-cotton-seed oil has been used.
-
-The result of the use of a salt suspension pneumococcus vaccine at Camp
-Upton was published by Cecil and Austin (37). A study of the
-agglutination and protective power of the serum of 42 persons vaccinated
-against pneumococcus types I, II and III demonstrated that a definite
-immune response could be secured to types I and II but not to type III.
-Twelve thousand five hundred and nineteen men were vaccinated at the
-camp, and most of the men received three or four inoculations at
-intervals of from five to seven days. The men were under observation for
-ten weeks, and during that time no cases of pneumonia of the three fixed
-types occurred among those who had received two or more injections. In a
-control of approximately 20,000 men there were 26 cases of pneumonia of
-types I, II and III. The incidence of pneumococcus type IV pneumonia was
-less among the vaccinated than among the unvaccinated groups. There
-were, however, 17 cases of pneumonia among the vaccinated men, compared
-to 173 cases of pneumonia among the controls. The annual pneumonia death
-rate for vaccinated groups in the army was 0.83 per one thousand, and
-for unvaccinated groups was 12.8.
-
-Fennell reported the use of pneumo-lipovaccine in Washington during the
-influenza epidemic, but the number of cases cited by him were too small
-to permit of definite conclusions. His results appeared favorable.
-
-Cecil and Vaughan (37a) reported on the results of vaccination with
-pneumo-lipovaccine at Camp Wheeler; 13,460 men, comprising 80 per cent.
-of the camp, were inoculated. Most of these men were under observation
-for 2 or 3 months after vaccination, and there occurred among them 32
-cases of pneumococcus types I, II and III pneumonia. In one-fifth of the
-camp which was not vaccinated there occurred 43 cases of pneumonia. They
-observed that influenza caused a marked reduction in the resistance to
-pneumonia among vaccinated as well as non-vaccinated men. Of 155 cases
-of pneumonia of all types, which developed one week or more after
-vaccination, 133 were secondary to influenza. The death rate among
-vaccinated men one week or more after vaccination was 12.2 per cent.,
-whereas the death rate for 327 cases of all types of pneumonia which
-occurred among unvaccinated groups was 22.3 per cent. The death rate for
-primary pneumonia among vaccinated groups was 11.9 per cent., and among
-unvaccinated 31.8 per cent. It was found that protective bodies do not
-begin to appear in the serum after lipovaccines are given until the
-eighth day after the injection. Twenty-four cases of pneumonia occurred
-in the first week after vaccination. In their conclusions Cecil and
-Vaughan state that there was no evidence whatever that pneumococcus
-vaccine predisposed the individual, even temporarily, toward either
-pneumococcus or streptococcus pneumonia. Most of the reactions after
-vaccination were mild, but one disagreeable feature was that in a
-certain percentage there persisted a small fluctuating mass at the site
-of the injection. Lacy saw a number of these cysts aspirated, and the
-contents were found to be a sterile, oily fluid, with many leucocytes
-present. In one instance the primary reaction disappeared within a few
-days after vaccination, but recurred after four months and persisted for
-several weeks.
-
-NOTANDA.—The army lipovaccine apparently offers a certain definite
-amount of protection against pneumonia, which was the most dangerous
-complication of influenza. The protective substances do not appear in
-the serum until eight days have elapsed after the vaccination, and while
-no definite evidence has appeared to show that there is a temporary
-increase in susceptibility immediately after vaccination, the best
-results would undoubtedly be obtained where the dose is given something
-more than eight days before the appearance of the epidemic. The
-indications are that the vaccine will not protect against influenza, but
-that the complication of pneumonia is less likely to occur in the
-vaccinated than in the unvaccinated individual.
-
-
- _Summary_
-
-Records of attempts to confer immunity to influenza by the use of
-vaccines have been separated into related groups and studied. Those
-where pure Pfeiffer strains were used have been considered in one group.
-Those where mixed vaccines were used have been analyzed in three
-sub-groups or series, depending on the relation between the times of
-vaccination and of the advent of the epidemic, upon whether or not a
-week-by-week comparison of the occurrence of influenza among vaccinated
-and unvaccinated groups was made, and upon whether or not statistics for
-total comparison alone were available. The third group included the
-reports of the use of army pneumo-lipovaccines for the prevention of the
-secondary pneumonia complications of influenza.
-
-
- _Conclusions_
-
-From our statistics we conclude that:
-
-1. There is as yet no evidence that vaccines composed purely of strains
-of Pfeiffer bacilli will confer immunity to epidemic influenza.
-
-2. The only data which can be used as a basis for estimating the value
-of mixed vaccines as a preventive for epidemic influenza must be
-obtained from experiments in which vaccination was either completed
-before the epidemic appeared, or in which week-by-week comparisons
-between the number of cases occurring in the vaccinated and unvaccinated
-groups can be made.
-
-3. Data obtained from experiments conducted under the above
-qualifications is inconclusive, but presents little evidence of the
-value of mixed vaccines in protecting against influenza. There is,
-however, an indication that mixed vaccines used prior to the arrival of
-the epidemic will lessen the number and the severity of secondary
-pneumonias, and will probably lower the death rate to a small degree.
-
-4. The army pneumo-lipovaccine apparently offers some protection against
-primary infections with types I, II and III pneumococci, and a somewhat
-lesser amount of protection against secondary pneumococcic infections
-with these strains following influenza.
-
-5. While it is impossible to say that the large number of influenza
-cases developing almost immediately after vaccination would not have
-occurred anyway, it is at least suggestive that a temporary break occurs
-in the resistance after the inoculation, and that unusual care should be
-taken by persons who have been recently vaccinated, particularly when
-they are in the midst of an epidemic disease.
-
-
- PART II. GENERAL PROPHYLACTIC MEASURES
-
-One of the most remarkable things about the 1918 pandemic was the great
-rapidity with which it spread to all parts of the world. From the report
-of the first cases which landed in Boston until the epidemic arrived in
-San Francisco the time consumed was less than two months, and the peaks
-of the two epidemics were just about one month apart. Apparently no part
-of the world escaped. Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America, and
-some of the remote islands of the Pacific, all reported large epidemics,
-with high mortality and great suffering. The deplorable failure of
-precautionary measures in controlling the spread, or at least in
-limiting the disease, may be offset in a measure by the unusual
-conditions under which almost everybody had been living. Vast numbers
-from all over the world were gathered together because of the war.
-Thousands of men were housed together in army camps or in training
-cantonments. Other thousands were doing relief work or engaged in the
-manufacture of munitions. Most of those at home were doing double duty,
-and were on a severe nervous strain. Everyone everywhere was working to
-the limit and was consequently fatigued. The necessities of war had cut
-down the amounts of food generally, and sugar and fat rations
-particularly. Traffic, both between nations and at home, had never been
-so great nor accommodations so insufficient. So that it is likely that
-all of these and many more changes in the daily routine of individuals
-led to a condition of lowered resistance, and at the same time increased
-their chances of exposure. One point, at least, stands out prominently,
-and that is that “influenza as it occurred clinically during the first
-great wave was different from those cases which appeared later.” This
-was seen in the acuteness of the onset, in the severity of symptoms, and
-in the high mortality rate. Therefore, any measure which afforded
-protection, if only for the time being, is worthy of retrial.
-
-In view of the fact that recurrences have followed closely in the wake
-of all former influenza epidemics, and with the hope of stimulating
-concerted investigation of preventive measures, the American Public
-Health Association (57), at its meeting in Chicago in December, 1918,
-appointed a committee to outline “a provisional working formula, based
-on the facts and opinions brought out at the meeting.” A summary of the
-opinions as taken from the report of the committee is given here. They
-reported that the disease was probably due to some micro-organism or
-virus as not yet identified; that while it was known as “influenza,” it
-was not known to be identical with the disease generally known under
-that name; that there was no known laboratory method of differentiating
-it from ordinary colds, bronchitis, etc.; that there was no known
-laboratory method of determining when a patient ceased to be infective;
-and that the deaths from influenza were due to secondary pneumonia
-resulting from an invasion by one or more forms of streptococci, or by
-one or more forms of pneumococci, or by the so-called influenza bacillus
-or bacillus of Pfeiffer. Because of the clear and concise manner in
-which this report brings out the opinions held, at the time, by a
-majority of the medical profession a portion of the report is given here
-_verbatim_.
-
-“Evidence seems conclusive that the infective micro-organisms or virus
-of influenza is given off from the noses and mouths of infected persons.
-It seems equally conclusive that it is taken in through the mouth or
-nose of the person who contracts the disease, and in no other way except
-as a bare possibility through the eyes by way of the conjunctivæ or tear
-ducts.
-
-“If it be admitted that influenza is spread solely through discharges
-from the nose and throats of infected persons, finding their way into
-the noses and throats of other persons susceptible to the disease, then,
-no matter what the causative organism or virus may ultimately be
-determined to be, preventive action logically follows the principles
-named below, and, therefore, it is not necessary to wait for the
-discovery of the specific micro-organism or virus before taking such
-action.
-
-“1. Break the channels of communication by which the infective agent
-passes from one person to another.
-
-“2. Render persons exposed to infection immune, or at least more
-resistant, by the use of vaccines.
-
-“3. Increase the natural resistance of persons exposed to the disease by
-augmented healthfulness.”
-
-The ways and means of carrying out these principles are many and varied,
-and it is merely the intention of this paper to put together a sort of
-digest of some of the more important arguments for and against some of
-the seemingly more important measures proposed.
-
-
- _Methods Proposed for Breaking the Channels of Communication_
-
-(a) Rigid quarantine for all persons suffering from the disease and all
-contacts. During the epidemic quarantine was advocated by many people.
-It was pointed out that the disease spread most rapidly in camps, in
-ships, and in quarters generally where large numbers of persons were
-closely associated; that it was quite as contagious and more rapidly
-fatal than most diseases which are regularly quarantined; that while it
-was admitted that there is no laboratory method to make certain the
-diagnosis, and no method of telling how long convalescents are capable
-of transmitting the disease, as there is, for instance, in diphtheria,
-still there is no question of the value of the arbitrary quarantine used
-in measles, scarlet fever and smallpox, all of which are diseases in
-which the parasitic causes are not known. Further, the opinion was
-expressed that complete isolation and quarantine would not only protect
-the community from influenza, but that it would also in a measure
-protect the patient from contact with numerous outside strains of
-pneumococci and streptococci, and so lessen secondary infection and
-reduce the general mortality.
-
-There are many reasons why quarantine is not applicable in epidemic
-influenza. Most important of all is probably the inability to make
-certain the diagnosis, especially during the early stages in light
-cases. This would work detrimentally in several ways. Really ill
-patients would delay calling a physician until late, for fear of
-unnecessary quarantine. Many needless and unjust quarantines would
-result when the diagnosis was uncertain and the physician anxious to
-carry out quarantine measures efficiently. Many patients would have
-contacts running about and infecting their neighborhoods while a delayed
-diagnosis was being made. Influenza was so contagious during the
-epidemic that it would have necessitated general quarantine not only of
-all infected persons but also of all contacts to have obtained any
-favorable results, and since nearly everyone was either a patient or a
-contact, all lines of business would literally have been paralyzed by
-the procedure. If it is true that the infected person is most dangerous
-to others before he has developed symptoms himself, he is a carrier
-impossible of detection and control. Points in favor of the hypothesis
-that infected persons spread the disease before they develop symptoms
-are found in the following facts. As the disease passed from community
-to community officials became alert for the appearance of the first
-case. In army barracks and in large institutions it was often possible
-to determine the first case at its development. The case was, in many
-instances, removed at once and isolated, but I have seen no instance in
-which such a measure was successful in curbing the disease. As
-subsequent cases appeared they were likewise immediately removed, but
-the cases continued to spread just the same. Bloomfield (38) cited the
-incident of a student who spent a few hours visiting his sister in a
-part of the country where there had been no influenza. He appeared well
-at the time, but six hours after his return to school he developed
-influenza. Two days after the contact the sister came down with the
-disease. On the other hand, he told of a student who did not contract
-the disease, though he slept for two nights in the same bed with his
-roommate, who had returned to school with a well-developed case of
-influenza. The unsuccessful attempts to transmit influenza in the
-experiments of Rosenau (37), McCoy (37a) and others already cited would
-indicate that the cases from whom the material was taken were no longer
-infectious, although some of them had been showing symptoms for only
-about 12 hours. Bloomfield observed that the general use of face masks
-in the wards did not alter the course of the epidemic, and stated that
-if face masks are protective, infection from early unisolated cases must
-be assumed.
-
-Provided influenza is generally transmitted during the period of
-incubation, a theory which seems consistent with the facts, rigid
-quarantine for epidemic influenza is impracticable and probably useless.
-
-
- _Partial Isolation by Means of the Cubicle System_
-
-The so-called cubicle system consists in the dividing of rooms, or more
-particularly of wards, into small compartments by means of suspending
-sheets from wires so that each bed is separated from its neighbor. Capps
-(39) reported favorably on the method as used at Camp Grant, where
-sheets or halves of tents were suspended from wires or from the mosquito
-netting frames which were a part of the standard beds. Doctors, nurses
-and attendants were forced to wear masks in the wards, and patients were
-not allowed out of the cubicles without them. In discussing this paper
-Thayer emphasized the value of screening, masking and the wearing of
-gowns, and also recommended thorough washing of the hands between the
-examination of each two patients; and Emerson called attention to the
-fact that the first demonstration of the cubicle system as an adequate
-means of preventing acute respiratory diseases was made at the Pasteur
-Institute of Paris, where it had been in operation for 10 years. The
-latter stated that the system had been used in various hospitals in
-America and was essential for the care of diphtheria, measles and
-scarlet fever. He further indicated that if the technique of personal
-cleanliness of nurses, doctors and attendants could be perfected, it was
-probable that the height of the cubicle partition could be reduced to
-that of a “red string.” The method certainly seems worthy of
-consideration and trial, particularly in large general hospitals and
-public institutions.
-
-
- _The Use of the Face Mask_
-
-The question of the value of wearing a gauze mask over the mouth and
-nostrils during an influenza epidemic is still an open one. Masks,
-however, have been found useful in protecting against some other
-diseases of respiratory origin. In December, 1917, Weaver (40) reported
-favorably on the use of gauze masks in the Durand Hospital of Infectious
-Diseases. The masks were used by nurses in attendance upon patients with
-contagious diseases, and also by patients who were convalescing from
-diphtheria, meningitis or pneumonia and who were in the same wards with
-those having other respiratory diseases. In a later article Weaver (41)
-stated that by the use of masks they had been able to reduce the
-percentage of diphtheria carriers among their nurses in the diphtheria
-wards to 5.2 per cent., as compared to the average of 23.25 per cent.
-during the 20 months immediately preceding their adoption of their use.
-He recommended the general use of masks for physicians when in contact
-with all types of respiratory diseases. In March, 1918, Capps (39a)
-reported encouraging results in the control of infections through the
-masking of all patients at Camp Grant. During the epidemic the wearing
-of masks became quite general, and was very popular in many sections.
-
-Several sets of laboratory experiments have been carried out recently to
-determine whether the masks are of practical value or not. The
-experiments have generally consisted in spraying cultures of living
-bacteria over sterile bacterial plates which were protected by one or
-more layers of gauze. A number of variations were made in the manner in
-which this was done: (a) the distance between the nozzle of the spray
-and the mask was varied, and the distance between the plate and the mask
-kept constant; (b) the distance between the plate and the mask varied,
-and the distance between the nozzle and the mask kept constant; (c) the
-use of masks both over the nozzle of the spray and over the plate being
-kept constant, and the distance between the two masks varied. In a
-somewhat different set of experiments the mask was placed over the mouth
-of a person, who was told to talk or cough over an agar plate, and the
-bacterial plate being held at various measured distances from the face.
-By counting the number of colonies which developed upon the plates it
-was possible to get fairly reliable data as to the efficiency with which
-the bacteria were intercepted by the gauze. Weaver (42) found that if
-enough gauze was used, it would filter out all of the bacteria passing
-from the spray in the direction of the plate. The efficiency of the mask
-being in direct proportion to the fineness of the mesh and the number of
-layers employed. Doust and Lyon (43) made a series of experiments to
-determine the distance through which droplets are carried when expelled
-under different circumstances. They found that in ordinary speech
-infected material is projected for about four feet, and that during
-coughing the material is carried about ten feet. They demonstrated that
-masks of medium meshed gauze, two to ten layers thick, worn by the
-person coughing did not prevent the passage of infectious material into
-the air, but that a three-layer buttercloth mask was much more
-efficient. Haller and Colwell (44) used three distinct sets of
-experiments—one with the mask over the mouth of the patient, one with
-the mask over the plate, and the third with masks over both—and
-concluded that a five-layer mask made up of 24 × 20 mesh protected the
-plate in the second series of experiments. They suggested marking one
-side of the mask, so that it would always be worn with the same side
-out. Leete (45), in England, by a similar series of experiments
-concluded that a dry mask of six to eight layers of butter muslin worn
-by a contact would protect him against droplet-carried infections.
-Dannenberg (46) suggested making the gauze mask over a copper screen
-wire frame to give it shape and keep it away from the mouth, thus
-keeping it relatively dry. All observers agree that masks while dry are
-more efficient than they are after they have become moist.
-
-The efficiency of the mask has also been widely discussed from the
-clinical standpoint. Mink (47) in discussing their use at the Great
-Lakes Training Station said that he had no objection to the mask as it
-is “intended to be worn,” but that as it “was worn” by the medical corps
-men at the station 8 per cent. of those who used the mask developed
-influenza, as compared to 7.75 per cent. of those who did not; 30 per
-cent. of the dental officers at the station developed the disease in
-spite of the fact that they were all accustomed to wear masks during
-their work. In discussing the mask Vaughan (48) said: “With reference to
-the mask, I am strongly of the opinion that we have overestimated its
-value. * * * When I went to Camp Devens they were not using the mask. I
-called the doctors together and told them its use was not compulsory,
-but I said: ‘Every doctor who took care of cases of pneumonic plague and
-did not wear a mask died from it, and every man who cared for pneumonic
-plague cases and didn’t wear a mask did contract it.’” They were then
-allowed to choose for themselves. It has been pointed out that the
-epidemic dropped off at once in San Francisco with the universal
-compulsory use of the mask on the street, but it is also said that the
-epidemic in Los Angeles, which ran a course parallel to that in San
-Francisco and in which masks were only indiscriminately used, began to
-drop off simultaneously. While it is difficult to get at the facts, it
-seems that, provided epidemic influenza is carried through the air or by
-means of droplets, the universal use of masks should decrease the number
-of exposures. The claim has been made that masks merely tend to prolong
-the epidemic, and that susceptible persons develop the disease after the
-epidemic proper has passed. If the mask will protect the susceptible
-individual until the virulence of the disease has decreased, it will
-better that individual’s chances for recovery, and so is worth the
-trouble.
-
-
- _General Closing Orders_
-
-In most large cities orders were issued closing churches and theatres
-and prohibiting public gatherings of all kinds. In New York these places
-of public gathering were not closed, and it has been pointed out, as an
-argument against closing orders in the future, that the death rate there
-was less than in Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, etc. Copeland (49),
-of the New York Board of Health, stated that the unventilated picture
-shows were closed, but that the theatres were used as places of public
-instruction. New York’s relatively low death rate was difficult of
-explanation, but it is very certain that it had nothing to do with the
-fact that closing orders were not in vogue. If it were possible to
-obtain the figures, it would be interesting, indeed, to compare the
-death rate from influenza among New York’s theatre-attending public
-during the epidemic with the death rate of the community in general.
-
-Generally speaking, any unnecessary public gatherings are inadvisable
-during any epidemic. While our exact knowledge of the mode of
-transmission of influenza is incomplete, it is unquestionably a contact
-disease. People who have been exposed and who have not yet contracted
-the disease are known to have transmitted it to a third person. A
-certain number of people from infected homes will attend public
-gatherings as long as they are able, for it is impossible to get
-together any large group of persons all of whom are going to play fair.
-It is true that these meeting places may be used in a measure to allay
-panic and to instruct the public in health measures, but there are many
-efficient and far less dangerous methods of accomplishing the same
-results. Vaughan in discussing assemblies in large halls mentioned that
-in a hall at Camp Forest, which held 9,000 people, the individuals had a
-space of about 16 inches laterally between their noses. He pointed out
-that if many of them were talking, coughing or sneezing, the air
-contamination would soon become so great that it could make little
-difference whether there was a roof over the building or not. He
-emphasized the fact that it is just as possible to crowd men in the open
-as it is indoors. Ventilation is undoubtedly an important factor, but it
-cannot correct overcrowding. As far as the educational value of the
-public gatherings was concerned, it may be observed that regular
-attendants of theatres and moving-picture houses during the year of 1918
-had become quite accustomed to appeals regarding all sorts of public
-movements from speakers who appeared between the acts, or pictures, but
-that the closing of these places threw a wholesome scare into them which
-made them pay far closer attention to prophylactic measures than almost
-anything that could have happened. “Object-lessons are always superior
-to didactic teaching.” In Chicago a new argument for the closing of
-theatres was advanced. It was said that with no place to go many people
-retired earlier and obtained more than their accustomed amount of rest.
-It was believed that this aided in increasing their natural resistance.
-The argument that the closing of these places served only to delay the
-epidemic is an argument in favor of the measure, because the virulence
-of the disease decreased rapidly as the epidemic progressed.
-
-
- _The Closing of Schools_
-
-Boards of Health generally were opposed to the closing of the public
-schools. This position gave rise to innumerable clashes with anxious
-parents. The health authorities took the position that children were
-relatively insusceptible to influenza; that while they were quiet in a
-well-ventilated schoolroom they were little exposed; that those who
-coughed or sneezed could be examined at once, and that daily school
-inspection would lead to early discoveries of all cases, so that doctors
-and nurses could take immediate steps to treat the patients and to
-protect the families from which they came. Copeland advocated the
-continuance of the schools in New York, and based his position on the
-fact that out of 1,000,000 children in New York City 700,000 came from
-tenement homes. He believed these children were far better off in
-school, where they received daily medical attention, than upon the
-streets or in unhygienic homes.
-
-In Pittsburgh the school children were quizzed as to the number of sick
-at home, and this gave valuable information on the stage of the
-epidemic. They were sent home with printed warnings against sneezing,
-coughing and spitting, and were thus used as a means of instructing
-their parents. The Pittsburgh schools were kept open until the sickness
-of a number of teachers and the withdrawal of many scholars made it
-advisable to close.
-
-Three very potent arguments have been brought forward in favor of
-closing the schools: (1) As long as the schools are open children from
-infected homes are forced into contact with children from uninfected
-homes, and we are at present unaware of the extent to which the disease
-may be carried by a third person. (2) Children in as yet uninfected
-homes which are comfortable and hygienic are far better off than they
-are in school, and can hardly be considered in the same class with
-children from unclean tenements. (3) If the period of greatest contagion
-is before symptoms develop, inspection, while valuable for the
-institution of treatment, cannot hope to aid in curbing the epidemic. It
-is evident that different measures must be employed in applying closing
-orders to crowded cities, moderately large towns and rural districts.
-The difficulty lies in determining the best means for serving each
-community.
-
-
- _The Closing of Public Dance Halls_
-
-Public dances should undoubtedly be prohibited during epidemics. They
-not only present all the bad features of other public gatherings, but
-during the dancing people are brought in very close contact and often
-breathe directly into each other’s faces. In addition, air currents are
-stirred up and a certain amount of dust is raised. During the exercise
-the dancers breathe more rapidly and deeply, thus inhaling unusually
-large amounts of dust, droplets and contaminated air. Another feature is
-found in the “resistance-breaking” element of alternate overheating and
-rapid cooling of the body.
-
-
- _Regulation of Public Eating and Drinking Places_
-
-Public eating places are a necessity and cannot be closed. People should
-be cautioned against using them as places of amusement and of
-congregation during epidemics. Boards of Health should feel it just as
-much their duty to see to the sterilization of dishes and eating
-utensils as they do to the enforcing of any other public health
-functions, and they should also insist on the daily inspection of the
-employees of such establishments. The beer saloon question may be passed
-over for the present, but the soda-water fountain as conducted during
-the 1918 epidemic was undoubtedly a great menace. Ice cream, syrupy
-mixtures, etc., of various kinds are readily contaminated by pathogenic
-organisms which may serve as secondary infectors, if in no other
-capacity. The syrups, moreover, adhere to the spoons and glasses, which
-are rarely thoroughly washed and are practically never sterilized
-between customers. The use of paper dishes and glasses is probably a
-step in the right direction, but the spoons should be thoroughly washed
-and sterilized. The fact that soda-water employees are not always
-selected for high-grade intelligence, and are generally left largely to
-their own hygienic procedures, makes the chances of transferring
-infections at these places enormous. If soda fountains are allowed to
-continue business at all during the epidemics, it should be only under
-the very strictest supervision by Boards of Health. The scalding of all
-utensils should be enforced by law.
-
-People generally should be cautioned to use exceptional cleanliness in
-the preparation of all foods in the home. In discussing the recent
-epidemic Lynch and Cummings (50) stated that “the mess-kit wash water
-proved the major route of transmission from sick to well in the army.”
-Vaughan said: “I am pretty certain, not convinced, that hand-to-mouth
-infection is of more importance than droplet infection.”
-
-
- _Regulation of Traffic_
-
-Business must be conducted in epidemic as well as in normal time, and
-employees must go to and from their places of occupation. In cities
-where the distance from the residence to the business districts is
-great, street cars and other public conveyances must be used. Their use
-undoubtedly increases the number of contacts and leads to a wider
-distribution of the disease, but, like eating in public restaurants, it
-is a chance which many have to take. Few places offer better
-opportunities for exposure than street cars—where people of all grades
-of intelligence, representing all states of health and degrees of
-cleanliness and uncleanliness, are crowded closely together, breathe
-into each other’s faces, and handle the same straps and supports.
-
-In Pittsburgh the cars have a seating capacity for from 30 to 50
-persons, but during the morning and evening hours they are crowded to
-capacity, and are commonly seen to carry more than 100 passengers at a
-time. Here, too, the unkempt, indifferent foreign element is
-conspicuous, and these people are known to disregard all hygienic
-teachings. A few days after the appearance of the epidemic the street
-cars were placarded with warnings against coughing, spitting and
-sneezing. The cards instructed people who became ill to go home, to go
-to bed and to remain there until they were well. Later a second order
-appeared which gave notice that all windows in street cars were to be
-kept raised six inches and that no heat was to be allowed in the car.
-The order was intended to improve ventilation, and, for a wonder, it was
-enforced. During the first few days the weather was fine, warm and
-clear, and the draught caused by the open windows brought no discomfort;
-but later the weather became cold and several days of drizzling rain set
-in. The cars with open windows became very uncomfortable, but the
-streetcar employees insisted upon obeying the order to the letter. No
-judgment was exercised by them, and the windows were kept open night and
-day, cold or warm, crowded or empty, in fair and rainy weather alike,
-and no heat was allowed to be turned on. Many people preferred standing
-to exposing their backs and necks to the cold draughts, and it is more
-than likely that such use of open windows did far more harm than good.
-As above quoted, Vaughan pointed out that crowding is just as dangerous
-out of doors as indoors, and it is certain that crowding in cold,
-draughty cars is dangerous, both from the close contact and because of
-the added danger of lowering bodily resistance.
-
-In an attempt to decrease the crowding on public conveyances the
-so-called “stagger-hour” system was adopted in New York. Under this
-arrangement manufacturers and business houses changed their working
-hours in such a way that the morning and evening travel was spread out
-and the average number of people carried per hour was proportionately
-decreased.
-
-Looking backward over the methods used to decrease the spread through
-the use of public conveyances, it seems that the following procedures
-have the best claims for retrial: (1) Placarding the cars. This appeared
-to reduce the amount of coughing and sneezing, even in face of the fact
-that the cars were unusually draughty and chilly. (2) The adoption of
-the “stagger-hour” system where the practice is feasible. (3) The
-instruction of the people to use the street cars as little as possible.
-
-
- _Enforcement of Anti-Spitting Ordinances_
-
-All street cars and trains carry anti-spitting notices either to the
-effect that spitting will be prohibited on penalty and fine and
-imprisonment, or giving stated amounts of the fine. Yet spitting is
-constantly indulged in in these places and one rarely sees or hears of
-the enforcement of the law. If the ordinance was worth making a law, it
-is certainly worth enforcing, and yet there is probably no law so
-flagrantly broken. Ordinary police officers pay no attention to the
-enforcement of the spitting ordinance and have been known to refuse to
-even reprimand spitters. The incident of a sanitary officer wearing a
-uniform and a cap, indicating to the public his official position, who
-was seen sitting in the smoking car in a local suburban train and
-spitting profusely on the floor has been recounted on very reliable
-authority. Another incident is known in which a street car conductor was
-asked by one passenger to stop another who was expectorating abundant
-mucoid sputum upon the floor. The conductor replied that he had orders
-not to notice such things. It is no wonder that people are indifferent
-to such impotent measures. Whether it is possible to convey epidemic
-influenza or not by means of sputum, it is certain that tuberculosis is
-spread in this way, and that influenza predisposes to tuberculosis and
-causes old healed tuberculous foci to become active. People should be
-made to understand that they may have tuberculosis without knowing it
-themselves, and that by spitting it may be transmitted to other persons.
-Spitting by persons aware that they have tuberculosis is criminal
-negligence and such persons should undoubtedly be prosecuted. If a
-person knows that he has tuberculosis and deliberately spreads about the
-infection so that other persons contract the disease and die from it, he
-is directly responsible for the deaths. It would be hard to imagine
-trying to control manslaughter committed in any other way by merely
-putting up signs in conspicuous places forbidding the act. The average
-boy acquires the spitting habit between the ages of 8 and 12 years, and
-in many instances carries it to the grave. The one possible way of
-stopping spitting seems to lie in teaching the dangers of it to
-children, beginning in the kindergarten and emphasizing it throughout
-the child’s education. It is possible that in this way spitting may
-become obsolete in two or more generations.
-
-
- _Increasing Natural Resistance by Augmented Healthfulness_
-
-If there is any way of increasing the natural resistance against
-epidemic influenza, it is a most desirable goal toward which to work,
-but it must first be determined along what lines the effort is to be
-directed. It was not the aged, the unconditioned nor the physically
-unfit who suffered most from influenza, but was rather the best trained,
-most healthful and most robust young persons we had. Those in the army
-had been selected because of their physical fitness and they had further
-received excellent physical training in the various camps and
-cantonments. It would not be possible to bring any large percentage of
-the general public up to such a stage of “augmented healthfulness” as
-healthfulness is generally understood. It has been said that men in the
-military camps were more commonly infected because they were more
-active, went about more and were, therefore, more frequently exposed. In
-one particular this statement is true, for men marching rapidly and
-exercising violently breathe more deeply and at a faster rate than they
-do under ordinary conditions, so that they naturally draw greater
-quantities of air into their lungs. It was an obvious fact that those
-persons given to sedentary lives were less often affected than the
-active and vigorous. Practically speaking, it would seem that during
-influenza epidemics people should be instructed to take more than the
-usual amount of sleep and rest, to indulge only in mild exercises, to
-eat good, wholesome food, to wear warm clothing, to seek mental and
-physical relaxation at home, and, above all, to avoid crowds and public
-gatherings.
-
-In some instances the constant use of oils in the nose and throat was
-advised, the theory being that the oil served the double purpose of
-preserving the healthy condition of the mucous membranes by lessening
-crusting, crevicing and drying, and of mechanically protecting from
-infection by the presence of the layer of oil. Many of the different
-liquid paraffins, both medicated and in the natural state, were used. It
-is probably advisable to apply such oils either with a swab or from a
-medicine dropper, rather than to attempt to spray them, since in the
-latter method there is some danger of blowing infectious material down
-into the trachea and larynx.
-
-It is hardly necessary to point out the importance of augmented
-cleanliness of the mouth, teeth and throat by means of mild antiseptic
-washes and tooth-cleansing materials during an epidemic.
-
-
- GENERAL MEASURES
-
-
- _Public Health Administration_
-
-Unless one had had a wide experience in the administrative side of
-public health matters, it would be useless for him to try to discuss the
-details of handling any sort of an epidemic, and even then local
-conditions vary so much in different cities and States that each
-administrator’s experience must differ greatly. The difficulty with
-reports of epidemics by public health officials is usually found in the
-fact that the reports are impersonal compilations and convey no idea to
-the reader, or rather to the student (for no mere reader is attracted to
-them), of what situations were faced, of what difficulties were in the
-way, of how the conditions were met, or what the administrator after due
-reflection would advise doing next time under similar circumstances. In
-the face of inexperience the writer ventures the following suggestions
-for improvement, though no originality is claimed for the ideas.
-
-The administrative powers should be centralized in one individual, or in
-an executive officer acting for a competent board of advisers, who
-should be endowed with the powers to carry out the measures which seem
-best suited to meet the situation at hand, and who should be beyond the
-pale of political interference and in position to prevent political
-fiascos, built more or less directly on health regulations.
-
-The United States Public Health Service should work toward standardizing
-health laws and penalties for all States.
-
-Thorough enforcement of ordinances requiring the reporting of all cases
-and all deaths as now demanded by public health rulings should be
-insisted upon. These reports are so important to a knowledge of the
-progress of the epidemic that the section on preventive medicine of the
-American Medical Association (51) has just advised the consideration of
-eliminating from membership in the Association any physician who
-willfully fails or refuses to comply with the regulations requiring the
-reporting of communicable diseases. Additional information can be
-obtained by daily canvasses of the schools, when open, of the large
-industries, and of the daily admissions to hospitals. Data on the daily
-facilities for the handling of additional cases in hospitals should be
-on file in the office of the administrator of health.
-
-Printed instructions giving in detail the proper procedures for
-isolation of the patient and the protection of the family should be
-supplied to physicians for distribution at the first visit to suspected
-cases.
-
-
- _Desirable Laws_
-
-Some specific laws governing the following points would be of great
-advantage during the progress of an epidemic: (a) A law providing for
-the commandeering by boards of health of vaccines, sera or other
-substances for which a sudden unusual demand may occur, and for the
-distribution of such substances by the authorities to the public at the
-prices ordinarily asked. (b) A law permitting the exclusion from the
-daily papers by boards of health of advertisements containing obviously
-false and fraudulent statements relative to the epidemic. (c) A law
-permitting the health authorities to go into public eating places and
-demand proper sterilization of dishes and eating utensils with the
-alternative of closing the establishment. (d) A set of laws making the
-penalties sufficient to prevent violations of the regulations.
-
-
- _Education of the Public_
-
-From the beginning to the end of an epidemic the health authorities,
-aided by the medical profession, should take the public wholly into
-their confidence. At the first news of the approach of the disease a
-general bulletin should be issued giving all of the main facts that are
-available. This was done in a way by the American Public Health Service,
-but the bulletin reached only a small fraction of the people, and
-although parts of it appeared later in the daily papers, it was pretty
-generally missed. The papers should be used freely and the space paid
-for when necessary, so that the news of the epidemic is featured
-emphatically. The establishment of a question and answer department or a
-bureau of information would take care of a great deal in the way of
-denying misinformation. The public should be encouraged to report
-helpful facts of all kinds, but with the understanding that no rumors
-would be published without investigation and confirmation. In this way
-it would be possible to prevent articles advising harmful and useless
-remedies from reaching the press, and aid in suppressing some of the
-“Sure Cures,” so many of which appeared to abuse the confidence of the
-unwary during the 1918 epidemic. Several such cures have been most
-interestingly discussed in a recent bulletin of the United States Public
-Health Service. The bulletin divides the “Sure Cures” into three
-different classes, as follows: “First comes the individual who has a
-specific remedy, the formula of which he will sell for a price * * *;
-next comes the person with a pseudo-scientific treatment, e. g.,
-isotonic sea water, ‘orzono therapy,’ ‘harmonic vibrations.’ * * * Still
-another type, who gives freely of his advice that humanity may be spared
-from pestilence.” Among the latter are found advice for placing sulphur
-in the shoes, wearing of amulets, inhaling of alcohol, chloroform, etc.,
-as well as numerous religious and mental science treatments, etc. A
-frank statement of facts and a discussion of the ridiculous side of many
-of these claims would undoubtedly benefit the entire public. The
-placarding of the cars and the warnings posted in conspicuous places no
-doubt helped greatly, and this method undoubtedly should be continued.
-As long as theatres are allowed to remain open, speakers may be used to
-advantage to emphasize important points. The County Medical Societies
-should be asked to appoint committees for supplying information or for
-seeing that the information given to the public is authoritative. In
-large cities committees may be organized among hospital superintendents,
-so that the heartiest co-operation between health authorities and
-hospitals will be available. The ever-ready aid of the Red Cross and of
-every other auxiliary body should be employed to the fullest extent to
-allay apprehension and relieve suffering.
-
-
- _Summary_
-
-The exact knowledge of the mode of transmission of epidemic influenza is
-still wanting, but it is known to be spread by contact. Attention should
-be directed toward every practical means of decreasing the number and
-intimacy of contacts. Publicity campaigns and other educational measures
-should be pushed strongly. Health Departments should adopt a policy of
-preparedness during inter-epidemic times, should make every effort to
-centralize and standardize their work, and should take steps to obtain
-sufficient legal backing, so that upon the appearance of the epidemic
-they can take the lead, speak with authority and enforce their
-ordinances and measures. The physician’s duty is to inform himself on
-the value of the various measures, and if he is at odds with the public
-health methods, he should settle them between epidemics, so that when he
-is called upon to carry out public health orders he can do it to the
-letter and without criticism. Laymen should learn that quiet living
-without violent exercise, the keeping of good hours, the avoidance of
-public gatherings and of unnecessary exposure is the best policy to
-pursue during influenza epidemics. They should strictly obey the orders
-of those who have specialized in the control of epidemics, and all
-business men must stand ready to help in every possible way and to make
-their business interests subservient to the public good.
-
-
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
-
- 1. Rosenau, Keegan, Public Health Report, 1919; xxxiv, No. 2,
- Goldberger and Lake p. 33.
- 1a. McCoy and Richey Public Health Report, 1919; xxxiv, No. 2,
- p. 34.
- 2. Lacy Jour. Lab. and Clin. Med., 1918; iv, p. 55.
- 3. Wollstein Jour. Exper. Med., 1911; xiv, p. 73.
- 4. Flexner Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1913; lxi, p.
- 1872.
- 5. Park and Williams Bacteriology, 1914 Edition; p. 437.
- 6. Leary Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 2098.
- 7. Leary Amer. Jour. Public Health, 1918; viii, p.
- 755.
- 8. Rosenau Preliminary report furnished through
- Surgeon-General of the Navy W. C.
- Braisted.
- 9. Barnes Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 1849.
- 10. Hinton and Kane The Commonwealth Mass. State Dept. Health,
- 1918; vi, Nos. 1 and 2, p. 28.
- 11. Hinton and Kane Hinton’s Report.
- 12. Parker Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1919; lxxii, p.
- 476.
- 13. Pearce Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1913; lxi, p.
- 2115.
- 14. Committee on New and
- Non-Official Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxx, p.
- Remedies 1967.
- 15. McCoy Personal Communication.
- 16. Hutchinson Dixmont Hospital Report.
- 17. McCoy, Murray and Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- Teeter 1997.
- 18. Minaker and Irvine Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1919; lxxii, p.
- 847.
- 19. Sherman Report.
- 20. Maberry Report from Hospital for Insane, Retreat,
- Pa.
- 21. Rosenow Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1919; lxxii, p.
- 31.
- 22. Beaver, Boles and Case Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1919; lxxii, p.
- 265.
- 23. Ely, Lloyd, Hitchcock
- and Nickson Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1919; lxxii, p. 24
- 24. Kitano Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1919; lxxii, p.
- 1575.
- 25. Wynn Pract. London, 1919; cii, p. 77.
- 26. Norman White Lancet., 1919; i, p. 707.
- 27. Whitingham and Sims Lancet., 1918; ii, p. 865.
- 28. Cadham Lancet., 1919; ii, p. 885.
- 29. Eyre and Lowe Lancet., 1918; ii, p. 485.
- 30. Conference British War
- Office
- 31. Whitmore, Fennel and Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxx, p. 427;
- Peterson also p. 902.
- 32. Fennel Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 2115.
- 33. Dochez and Gillespie Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1913; lxi, p. 727.
- 34. Lister Publications of the South African Institute
- for Medical Research, No. 2, 1913.
- 35. Lister Publications of the South African Institute
- for Medical Research, No. 8, 1916.
- 36. Lister Publications of the South African Institute
- for Medical Research, No. 10, 1917.
- 37. Cecil and Austin Jour. Exper. Med., 1918; xxviii, p. 19.
- 37a. Cecil and Vaughan Jour. Exper. Med., 1919; xxix, p. 457.
- 38. Bloomfield Johns Hopkins Bull., 1919; xxx, p. 1.
- 39. Capps War Med., Vol. ii, p. 371.
- 39a. Capps Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxx, p. 910.
- 40. Weaver Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxx, p. 76.
- 41. Weaver Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 1405.
- 42. Weaver Jour. Infect. Dis., 1919; xxiv, p. 218.
- 43. Doust and Lyon Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 1216.
- 44. Haller and Colwell Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 1213.
- 45. Leete Lancet., 1919; i, p. 392.
- 46. Dannenberg Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxx, p. 99.
- 47. Mink Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc. 1918; lxxi, p.
- 2175.
- 48. Vaughan Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 2100.
- 49. Copeland Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 2173.
- 50. Lynch and Cummings Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918; lxxi, p.
- 2174.
- 51. Amer. Med. Association Public Health Report, 1919; xxxiv, p. 1413.
- 52. Le Moignie and Pinoy Compt. rendu. Soc. Biol., 1916; lxxix, pp.
- 201 and 352.
- 52a. Wright and Douglas Proc. Royal Soc. Med., 1904; lxxiii, p.
- 128, and lxxiv, p. 147.
- 53. Neufeld and Rimpau Zeitschr. f. Hyg., 1905; li, p. 283.
- 54. Rosenau Prevent. Med. and Hyg., 1918.
- 55. Brown, Palfrey and Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1919; lxxii, p.
- Hart 463.
- 56. Gay Typhoid fever. (Published by Macmillan Co.,
- 1918.)
- 57. Eyre and Low Lancet. I, April 5, 1919; p. 557.
-
-
-
-
- PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMICAL OBSERVATIONS IN EPIDEMIC
- INFLUENZA
-
- By C. C. GUTHRIE, PH. D., M. D.
-
-
-The material consisted of cases in the acute stage of epidemic influenza
-with and without clinical pulmonary involvement (alveolar); of
-convalescents, and of normal individuals without influenzal history.
-
-It was hoped that it would be possible to follow selected cases over
-considerable time periods, observation to compromise coordinated
-clinical as well as laboratory data, but the exigencies of the situation
-rendered this impossible. Unfortunately, this limits the value of the
-studies. But since similar observations were made on cases ranging from
-normal to the gravest severity—in fact, preceding death but a few hours
-in some instances—and from the nature of the findings, certain
-conclusions are clearly warranted.
-
-It is regrettable that the data on certain points is not more extensive,
-and particularly that other methods of observation were not employed. As
-an example of the latter, measurements and analyses of expired air may
-be given, as this was planned from the beginning and unsuccessful
-efforts made to provide the required apparatus. In view, however, of the
-circumstances of the investigation, it is felt that the studies made
-are, on the whole, reasonably comprehensive and complete. And it is only
-fair here to acknowledge that this was rendered possible by the cordial
-and practical support of the Medical School, the military authorities,
-the director of the laboratories, clinical colleagues, particularly Dr.
-W. W. G. Maclachlan, and last, but not of less importance, of the
-members of the department who made the studies.
-
-In presenting the results, it is deemed most expedient and practical to
-omit extensive tabulations and to summarize the data under each subject.
-
-From the report it will be obvious that certain studies were in
-preliminary stages at the termination of the investigation. This was due
-in certain instances to the lateness of their undertaking, or time
-consumed in providing essential equipment and methods; or to
-disappearance of suitable cases due to waning of the epidemic.
-
-
- RESULTS
-
-
- _Circulation_
-
-For the most part, cases showing marked clinical symptoms were studied.
-The pulse in severe cases frequently was weak and rapid but regular. In
-some cases it was less rapid than the clinical state would seem to
-indicate.
-
-_Arterial Blood Pressure_ was low; systolic pressure in severe cases
-ranging downward from 95, and diastolic down to 40 or under. In patients
-in early stages of convalescence the pressure showed a marked advance
-toward normal levels. Arterial blood pressure seemed a reliable general
-index of the condition of the patient.
-
-_Venous Blood Pressure._—The observations included patients who a few
-hours later expired. The Von Recklinghausen method was used. No marked
-abnormality was observed, so other methods of observation were deemed
-superfluous.
-
-
- _Respiration_
-
-In severe cases, frequently it was rapid and of shallow character; but,
-like the pulse, often it was less rapid than the clinical state would
-seem to indicate.
-
-_Cyanosis_ of dark hue and marked degree was prevalent in the earlier
-severe cases, and in some cases appeared entirely out of proportion to
-the state of circulation and respiration and to the post-mortem findings
-as reported by Dr. Klotz.
-
-
- _Blood_
-
-Hemorrhage being not uncommon, the blood was tested for coagulability,
-but in this respect no marked departure from the normal range was noted.
-
-_Coagulation._—Coagulation time was observed by stirring blood in a test
-tube with a wire and noting the time of the appearance of fibrin and by
-means of a Biffi-Brooks coagulimeter. The extreme ranges observed were
-from 2½ to 5½ minutes. The average by defibrination was 3 minutes and 36
-seconds, and by the Biffi-Brooks method 4 minutes and 38 seconds.
-
-_Red Corpuscles._—Osmotic resistance. A number of bloods were examined
-by observing their resistance to osmotic laking by exposure to a series
-of hypotonic sodium chloride solutions. Though some differences were
-observed, from the evidence obtained, it is not permissible to conclude
-that such variations were constant or of a significant magnitude.
-
-_Color_ on exposure to air. It was early observed that venous blood from
-cyanotic patients was very slow to take on arterial hue on exposure to
-air.
-
-_Plasma Bicarbonate._—The plasma bicarbonate was determined in seven
-cases by Miss Waddell by the method of Van Slyke and Cullen. In all
-except one of these the results were within the normal range as given by
-Van Slyke. Three were in the lower normal range, being 54.1, 55.1 and
-60.5 respectively, expressed in terms of cubic centimeters of CO_{2}
-reduced to 0°, 760 mm. Hg. pressure, bound as bicarbonate by 100 c.cm.
-of plasma. Three were in the median range, being 64, 65.5 and 71 c.cm.
-In one case the bicarbonate CO_{2} was reduced to 46.6 c.cm.
-
-There seemed to be no constant relation between the apparent severity of
-the clinical condition of the patient and the bicarbonate reading. In
-the one case in which this was found to be reduced below Van Slyke’s
-lower normal limit the blood was taken only a few hours before death.
-
-_Hemoglobin Per Cent._—As determined by the Sahli hemoglobinometer (by
-Miss Lee) and as estimated by the total oxygen capacity (Van Slyke
-method) (by Dr. Rohde and Mrs. Macklin), the hemoglobin content ranged
-within normal levels.
-
-_Relative Volume of Corpuscles._—A limited number of hematokrit tests on
-severe cases gave results in normal levels.
-
-_Spectroscopic Studies._—Sera obtained from 20 post-mortem bloods were
-examined spectroscopically. In eight an absorption band in the red was
-observed. In some instances such a band was observed in blood obtained
-shortly after death and before coagulation had occurred, while other
-similar bloods, as well as bloods obtained at longer intervals after
-death, exhibited no such band. A similar band was observed in one case
-from blood obtained from a patient about 12 hours before death from
-pneumonia following influenza. Medication was not a causative factor. To
-ammonium sulphide the band in the red reacted as methemoglobin and the
-position (as estimated by Dr. Menten) corresponded with methemoglobin.
-Oxyhemoglobin bands in such bloods occupied normal positions as
-determined by Dr. Menten. On diluting such bloods with water no
-abnormality in character or position bands was observed, save in one
-instance (No. 778 below). This does not, however, disprove the
-possibility of such abnormality in the hemoglobin within the cells, for
-moderate dilution only of serum rendered the band in the red invisible,
-presumably by dilution.
-
- Detailed examination of the absorption bands was made with a direct
- reading wave-length Hilger Spectroscope (which was calibrated by
- line spectra derived from salts added to an alcohol flame) by Dr.
- Menten. This spectroscope had an accuracy of about two Angstroms. In
- all, seven post-mortem bloods were examined, viz. autopsy numbers
- 756, 761, 763, 773, 778, 784, and 787. In five of these, sufficient
- serum was obtained to make readings. All gave the two characteristic
- oxyhemoglobin bands in the blue-green with centers of the bands at λ
- 758μμ λ and 542μμ. The second oxyhemoglobin band varied slightly in
- width in the different samples. In addition to the two oxyhemoglobin
- bands in each of four of the above sera, viz: Nos. 756, 763, 767 and
- 787, an absorption band in the red was found with the center of the
- band as follows: Number 756 at λ 627μμ, number 761 at λ 634μμ,
- number 763 at λ 625μμ, and number 787 at λ 634μμ. These bands varied
- considerably in intensity and could only be identified when the two
- oxyhemoglobin bands were merged and appeared as one broad band. As
- controls for the position of the oxyhemoglobin bands two normal
- bands were examined, which showed two bands with centers also at λ
- 758μμ and λ 543μμ. For comparison of the methemoglobin bands of the
- above post-mortem bloods, a sample of this hemoglobin compound was
- made by adding potassium ferricyanide to normal blood until the
- solution became brownish in color. The center of this methemoglobin
- band was found at λ 634μμ. In blood from autopsies number 773 and
- number 778 sufficient serum could not be obtained to make a reading.
- To each of these bloods distilled water was added. The laked blood
- of 778 gave a methemoglobin band with the center at λ 632μμ on
- examination 24 hours after autopsy. Similar treatment of corpuscles
- five days subsequently gave no indication of the presence of any
- methemoglobin spectroscopically.
-
- From the serum and from the laked corpuscles of number 784 no trace
- of methemoglobin was found when the blood was examined a few hours
- after removal at autopsy.
-
-_Oxygen Capacity._—The total oxygen capacity was determined by the Van
-Slyke method (by Dr. Rohde and Mrs. Macklin). At this stage the more
-pronounced type of influenza had subsided, but in early convalescence
-the capacity was within normal ranges.
-
-Other studies using different technique gave concordant results, but
-there were indications that oxygen was more slowly absorbed than
-normally.
-
-_Oxygen Content of Venous Blood_ measured by the Van Slyke method (by
-Dr. Rohde and Mrs. Macklin) on the same bloods examined for total oxygen
-capacity seemed to indicate a mild deficiency as compared to normal
-bloods.
-
-_Gases, Kinds, Quantity and Rate Yielded to Vacuum._—In general it may
-be said that quantitative differences observed are not considered
-fundamental, but that the studies indicate abnormal slowness in oxygen
-absorption.
-
-_Gases, Quantity and Rate of Absorption on Exposure to Air After
-Extraction by Pump._—The results emphasize slowness of oxygen absorption
-as compared to normal blood.
-
- The material to be examined was exhausted for three minutes in the
- receiver of the Van Slyke apparatus. One c.cm. was then transferred,
- with as little exposure to air as possible, to a small empty bottle,
- which was then closed and placed in communication with a calibrated,
- horizontal tube, containing a segment of alcohol, which served the
- dual purpose of a seal and an air volume change indicator. (See Fig.
- 1.) The apparatus was made in duplicate and mounted on a common
- base, so that simultaneous readings on different samples could be
- made. After establishing the zero position of the alcohol segment,
- the base on which the bottles were mounted was vigorously shaken in
- a uniform manner. Ten seconds after the period of shaking, the
- volume readings were taken. Successive periods of shaking and
- reading were conducted at 30-second intervals, until the test was
- completed. Actual volume changes were then calculated, tabulated and
- plotted.
-
- The greater confidence is placed on the results obtained by
- observing the color of the blood, as described below; but since then
- the method has been checked up and the results indicate that the
- findings were of sufficient accuracy to warrant their inclusion in
- this report.[1]
-
-Footnote 1:
-
- Studies along this line are being made with improved apparatus, the
- results of which, together with the description of the apparatus, will
- be published elsewhere. (See Am. Gr. Physiol., 1920, li, 195.)
-
-[Illustration: FIG. 1.]
-
-_Effect of Addition of Serum on Behavior on Exposure to Air._—The
-persistence of venous hue of blood exposed to air was noted above. It
-was observed that the addition of serum from the same blood
-conspicuously shortened the time required for such blood to acquire an
-arterial hue. The addition of normal serum was more effective in this
-respect than pathological serum. Measurements of the rate of absorption
-of such blood after the addition of serum indicated acceleration of
-oxygen absorption. From this it would seem that the oxygen transmitting
-capacity of the serum was diminished.
-
-_Effect of Addition of Dry Sodium Bicarbonate on Behavior on Exposure to
-Air._—The addition of a small quantity of dry sodium bicarbonate to a
-blood refractory to arterialization on exposure to air enormously
-accelerated the process, as judged by the color. To what extent the
-change in color may have been due to causes other than oxygen absorption
-was not determined.
-
-
- _Comment_
-
-The most significant positive findings were evidence of deficiency of
-serum oxygen transmitting capacity or rate, and the detection in serum
-of an absorption band in the red corresponding to methemoglobin. The
-presence of the abnormal substance giving rise to the absorption band is
-considered of special interest as indicating abnormal chemical
-conditions in the blood, rather than material change in hemoglobin
-oxygen capacity.
-
-
-
-
-THE BACTERIOLOGY OF EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA WITH A DISCUSSION OF B. INFLUENZÆ
- AS THE CAUSE OF THIS AND OTHER INFECTIVE PROCESSES
-
- By W. L. HOLMAN, B. A., M. D.
-
-
- _Introduction_
-
-In a study of the bacteriology of a respiratory disease such as
-influenza, the technical difficulties encountered are very great and
-must be overcome before we can draw useful conclusions from the results
-obtained or attempt to determine the etiological factors. The important
-methods of attacking such a problem include: (1) the study of stained
-smears and cultures from the various available materials, along with the
-demonstration of the bacteria in the lesions found in the disease by a
-study of sections; (2) tests with the various materials to determine the
-presence of the causative agent, which includes experiments on man and
-animals and is more inclusive than the mere study of the bacteria
-isolated; (3) immunological studies of man suffering from the disease,
-or of man and animals treated with the materials from the disease; (4)
-pathological, clinical and epidemiological studies linked with the
-above.
-
-Many of the difficulties and sources of error in these methods are
-manifest to all, but certain points may be indicated as more important
-in the phases of the work on which I am to report.
-
-
- _General Methods of Investigation_
-
-Stained smears from the material available. The choice of the material
-is of first importance. Sputum to be of any real value must be obtained
-from the deeper portions of the respiratory tract, should be as free as
-possible from the secretions of the buccal cavity, and should be washed
-in saline before it is used. These are considered among the first
-requirements in the study of lung infections by the pneumococci and are
-equally important in influenza. Swabs from the nasopharynx should be
-obtained with the same precautions as are demanded in meningococcal
-work. The other available material—such as blood, lung puncture fluid,
-pleural fluid and spinal fluid—must be collected with the greatest care.
-
-The staining methods should, naturally, include those which will bring
-out the various types of bacteria, and must include the Gram method,
-using dilute alcoholic fuchsin (1-20) as the counterstain. The varying
-morphology of the B. influenzæ and its frequent minute size make it
-difficult to detect. It is not the only Gram negative small bacillus
-seen in smears from the throat, but when it occurs in the typical
-schools, or where there are numerous bacilli to be seen, its
-characteristics are quite definite. I have recently isolated an anærobic
-Gram negative bacillus from a series of swabs from the buccal cavity
-which suggests in many ways the morphology of the B. influenzæ, which
-will indicate one of the many difficulties to be met with in the study
-of stained smears. They are, nevertheless, of great use as a control on
-cultures, and most helpful in the study of the material from sources
-other than the respiratory tract.
-
-Cultures of the bacteria from the various materials. Here we have the
-greatest difficulty of all. The medium chosen determines the bacteria
-which will appear to predominate, and there is no single medium that
-will answer all purposes. Streptococci will appear to be in excess when
-serum broth is used, as I have previously shown; pneumococci with
-Avery’s pneumococcus medium; and staphylococci, the Gram negative cocci,
-and the diphtheria group with Loeffler’s serum. Ordinary blood agar is
-perhaps the best general medium for direct and secondary plating. There
-have been many special media devised for growing the B. influenzæ, but
-the one I have used most and found particularly helpful is heated blood
-agar made after the general method of Voges.
-
-The extremely tiny colony of B. influenzæ on ordinary blood agar makes
-it particularly difficult to detect, and one is apt to get the wrong
-impression of its numbers from the macroscopic appearance of the plate.
-In attempts at isolation there must be a liberal use of media in picking
-colonies, as many suspicious ones will turn out to be immature growths
-of B. xerosis, M. pharyngis (or M. catarrhalis), streptococci, or more
-rarely pneumococci and other organisms. Replating from such picks is
-frequently necessary, and further plates, from the original culture on
-heated blood agar, must often be made before the B. influenzæ can be
-isolated. The care required in all stages of the isolation of this
-organism, the unstinted use of media for plating and for picks, the
-number of stained smears to be studied, and the further transfers
-necessary to verify results, all these limit the amount of material
-which can be studied with any degree of accuracy. If further the
-streptococci, the pneumococci, the Gram negative cocci, the capsulated
-Gram negative bacilli and many others are to receive any attention, it
-can readily be appreciated that a few cases carefully studied are of far
-more value than a large number hurriedly examined in an uncertain
-routine.
-
-The pathological study of the same cases on which I have done the
-bacteriology will be found in Dr. Klotz’s paper in these communications,
-and I will merely refer to some of the bacterial findings in the
-sections of the lungs and bronchi. The more inclusive methods which have
-been used in attempts to determine the etiological factor in influenza
-we have been unable to attempt, but I will refer later in this paper to
-the findings of the investigations of others. Immunological studies have
-been limited to a few investigations on the presence of agglutinins,
-complement binding substance, skin reactions and the amount of
-complement present in the sera of certain patients. The epidemiological
-and clinical studies are reported by Drs. Johnston and Lichty in this
-series of reports.
-
-
- _Material Studied_
-
-The material used in the study I am reporting included swabs from the
-large bronchi and fluid from the lungs and pleural cavities of 32
-autopsies, as well as blood cultures from 22 patients and swabs from the
-nasopharynx of 31 individuals. Fifteen sera were tested for fixation of
-complement with an antigen made from several strains of B. influenzæ.
-Fourteen other sera were tested for agglutinins. Complement content was
-determined in the sera of 25 patients. Skin tests after the Von Pirquet
-method were done on 14 convalescents, and carefully stained
-nasopharyngeal smears without cultures were studied from 48 patients.
-
-The chief attention was given to the study of the autopsy material and
-we concentrated on the isolation of B. influenzæ. At the same time we
-did not neglect the other bacteria making up the flora of the bronchi,
-lungs and pleural cavity in these cases. The various types were isolated
-and most of them fully identified.
-
-
- _Technique_
-
-Direct smears were made on sterile slides of all material studied and
-stained by Gram’s method. The counterstain was always alcoholic fuchsin
-diluted 1-20 in distilled water. Direct cultures were made on a human
-blood agar plate containing 5 per cent. blood, which was further smeared
-just before use with defibrinated blood. This latter procedure was later
-discarded, as it did not appear to assist to any marked extent the
-growth of B. influenzæ. Blood broth containing a few drops of
-defibrinated blood and blood agar slants smeared with blood were also
-used. Heated blood agar (2-3 c.cm. of defibrinated human blood added to
-100 c.cm. of ordinary agar at a temperature of from 90 to 100° C., or as
-the agar comes from the sterilizer) was used in the last nine cases to
-replace the blood agar slant in the direct cultures and as the medium of
-choice for transfers of the B. influenzæ.
-
-I prefer the ordinary blood agar plate to the heated blood plate because
-the former gives readings which are very helpful in distinguishing
-colonies of various types. B. influenzæ appears as clear, tiny,
-pinpoint, inert colonies. B. xerosis or the pseudodiphtheria group gives
-more opaque but often rather similar colonies. Gram negative cocci as M.
-pharyngis siccus have dry, raised, soon becoming wrinkled, inert
-colonies, varying greatly in size; M. catarrhalis, more moist, inert
-colonies. The cocci of the streptococcus viridans group appear as very
-small colonies with greening, or are not infrequently inert, while thin,
-flattened colonies with central thickening may sometimes be noted. Those
-of the streptococcus hemolyticus group occur as small, frequently
-nipple-like colonies with clear, wide zones of hemolysis; pneumococci as
-moderately small, moist, dewdrop-like colonies with center collapsing
-early and with greening; streptococcus or pneumococcus mucosus as
-larger, watery, sticky colonies with greening and frequently an early
-clearing near the colonies.
-
-
- TABLE I.
-
- BACTERIOLOGY OF THIRTY-TWO AUTOPSIES FROM INFLUENZA CASES.
-
- ───────┬─────┬───────────┬─────┬──────────────────┬─────────────────────
- AUTOPSY│DATE.│ DAY OF │HOURS│ DIRECT │ B. INFLUENZÆ
- NUMBER.│ │ DISEASE. │P.M. │ SMEAR—GRAM’S │
- │ │ │ │ METHOD. │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┬─────┬───────
- │ │ │ │ │BRONCH.│LUNG.│PLEURAL
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │FLUID.
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 741│ 1918│ 3│ 16│G +staph. Few │ 0 │ + │ 0
- │ Oct.│ │ │ pneumo-like. Few│ │ │
- │ 9│ │ │ chains of elong.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cocci. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 743│ 11│ 5│ 8│Br. G—bac. from │ + │ 0 │ –
- │ │ │ │ coccoid to short│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ threads. Mostly │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ scattered. Some │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocyted. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Fewer G +cooci │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ in short chains.│ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 744│ 11│ 7│ 11│Br. G—bac. │ + │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ moderately stout│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ about in small │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ groups and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ scattered. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+diploc │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ (pneumo) also G—│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ threads. Phago. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ of both in a few│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cells. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 745│ 12│ 10│ 6│Br. G +—large │ + │ 0 │ ––
- │ │ │ │ bac., strept. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ short, G—B, few,│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ very short, no │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ threads. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 746│ 12│ 5│ ½│Br. G—B very │ + │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ short, no │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ threads. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Irregularly │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ scattered. More │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ seen in left │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ bronchus. A few │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cells │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocyted. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 747│ 13│ 6│ 3│Br. G+diploc, │ + │ – │ –
- │ │ │ │ fairly numerous.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—B tiny, as │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ diplos and in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ long threads │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ scattered or in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ small groups. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Pleural fluid │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ and lung no │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ bacteria seen. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 748│ 13│ 4│ 4│Br. nothing like │ – │ + │ 0
- │ │ │ │ B. I. seen. G+ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ small elong. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ diplo. Numerous │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G + diploc. in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ lung. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Comparatively │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ few Q-B, very │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ short. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 749│ 14│ 4│ 15│Br. G+large pneumo│ – │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ like, many │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+large bacilli,│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ single and in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pairs. Few G—B │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ very tiny and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ widely │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ scattered; lung,│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ heavy mixture as│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ in bronchi. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 750│ 14│ 9│ 6│Br. G+B large like│ – │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ B. welchii, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—rather stout │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ coccoid forms, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+C in pairs and│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ short chains. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Tiny G—coccoid │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ forms like B. I.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung G+ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ caps, chains; no│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ B. I. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 751│ 14│ 7│ 6│Br. G +cocci large│ – │ – │ +
- │ │ │ │ elong.? caps, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ also G +C in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ flat pairs. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—coccoid forms.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung, numerous │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ bacteria. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+strept. with │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ flattened cocci.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Some G-short │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ forms? │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 752│ 15│ 13│ 15│Br. G+pneumo-like.│ – │ + │ 0
- │ │ │ │ G+B smaller than│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ B. welchii, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ occasionally │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ tiny G │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ -diplobacillus. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung, G+chains │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ of cocci Gram │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ weak. Few G—tiny│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ bacilli │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ scattered or in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ groups. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 756│ 16│ 8│ 18│Br. numerous G+B. │ – │ 0 │ –
- │ │ │ │ B welchii like. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—B large and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ few tiny. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+round diploc. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Pl. fluid almost│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pure │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like, few│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G-forms probably│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ the same. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 757│ 16│ 6│ 14│Br. G—B tiny, to │ + │ + │ 0
- │ │ │ │ medium. G—like │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ M. catarrhalis. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+cocci, pairs │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ and chains. Few │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ B. W. like. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung, many G—B │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ like B. I. Some │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cells filled, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ also G—cocci. M.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrhalis like│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ and rare B. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ welchii like. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 758│ 16│ 14│ 16│Br. pneumo-like in│ + │ ? │ 0
- │ │ │ │ excess. G—B from│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ tiny to forms │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ stouter than B. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ I. Few strept. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ rare M. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrhalis. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Phago. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 761│ 17│ 7│ 19│Br. pneumo-like. │ + │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ B. I. like │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ common, M. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrhalis │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ like. Both B.I. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ and M. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrhalis │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocyted. B.I.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ single or in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ threads. Some │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ typical groups. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung, pneumo, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ caps, rare, M. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrhalis │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ like. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 762│ 17│ 10│ 12│Br. numerous B.l. │ + │ + │ +
- │ │ │ │ like typical, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ also many │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo. and M. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrh. Lung │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ same. M. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrh. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocyted. B.I.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ smear, many │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocyted, many│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 763│ 17│ 11│ 13│Lung, pneumo-like,│ 0 │ – │ –
- │ │ │ │ slight │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocytosis. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Pl. fl., pneumo │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ and few strept.,│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ slight │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocytosis. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 764│ 17│ 9│ 6│Br. B.I. smear. │ + │ 0 │ 0
- │ │ │ │ Cells crowded. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Pneumo-like │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ fewer, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ occasional │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—stouter │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ thread. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 765│ 17│ 9│ 16│Br. pneumo. B.I. │ + │ + │ 0
- │ │ │ │ few scattered. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+flattened │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ diploc. Phago. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ of B.I. and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo. Lung, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ rare strept. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ very │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ questionable G—B│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ free and in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cells. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 767│ 18│ 10│ 14│Br. rather round │ – │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like with│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ caps. B.I. few. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Scattered, also │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ in cells. Lung, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ few bacteria. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+strep. often │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocyted. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 770│ 19│ 11│ 9│Br. crowded with │ + │ + │ –
- │ │ │ │ B.I. like. Few │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+cocci and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ fewer M. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrh. like. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Pl. fluid │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+flattened │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pairs, pus │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cells, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocyted. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 773│ 21│ 20│ 3│Br. few bacteria │ – │ – │ –
- │ │Recurrence.│ │ G+and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—pneumo-like. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Rare G+—thread. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung, pneumo and│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ rare strept. Pl.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ fluid, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-oat │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ shapes, etc. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 778│ 24│ 23│ 17│Br. B.I. smear. │ + │ + │ –
- │ │ │ │ Fewer large │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo. Lung, G │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ + small diploc. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Few B.I. like. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Pl. fluid, few │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cells, no │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ bacteria. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 781│ 26│ 5│ 4│Br. crowded with │ – │ + │ –
- │ │ │ │ staph. like. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Fewer G—B, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ larger than │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ B.I., few M. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ catarrhalis │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ like. Lung G+ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ small staph. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ like, caps, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cocci in pairs │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ and chains. Few │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ tiny G—B. Pl. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ fluid │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ elong. cocci in │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ chains │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ capsulated. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 782│ 26│ 8│ 3│Br. numerous B.I. │ + │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ like scattered, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ some phagocyted.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Fewer G+ flat │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pairs with │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ capsule. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 783│ 26│ 8│ 1│Br. G+small caps, │ + │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung poor smear,│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ occasional │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 784│ 28│ 8│ 6│Br. capsulated │ + │ + │ 0
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like, few│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ strep. Lung, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ chiefly │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like. few│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—B like B.I., │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ also │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—pneumo-like. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 786│ 29│ 4│ 2│Br. G+cocci in │ + │ – │ 0
- │ │ │ │ round pairs and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ rather flat │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ chains, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ suggested caps. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Tiny G—B very │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ rare. Lung │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ streptococci │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ flattened, often│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ phagocyted. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 787│ 29│ 8│ 2│Br. numerous │ + │ + │ 0
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ bacillary forms.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ A rare │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ suspicious B.I. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ like, some of │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ these in cells. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung, caps, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ elongated │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ diplos, and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ chains of elong.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ cocci. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 791│ Nov.│ 6│ 6│Br. few bacteria. │ + │ + │ –
- │ 1│ │ │ G+pneumo-like │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ round, G—B and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ threads, size │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ varies, like │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ B.I. Lung, G + │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ caps, pneumo. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+Large B. few │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ suspicious │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—coccoid forms.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Pl. fl. caps, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo and caps,│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ elong. chains. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 792│ 2│ 6│ 3│Br. caps, │ + │ + │ –
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like bac.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ forms and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ chains. G-caps, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pneumo-like. Few│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—B. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ questionable. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ Lung. caps, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ pairs and chains│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ of elong. cocci,│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ in cells. Pl. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ fluid, numerous │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ caps, chains of │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ diploc. │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- 793│ 4│ 10│ 3/2│Br. M. catarrh. │ – │ – │ –
- │ │ │ │ and G+cocci, few│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ bacteria, few │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G—B. Ear, │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ G+cocci. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼─────┼───────────┼─────┼──────────────────┼───────┼─────┼───────
- │ │ │ │ Total │ 20 │ 13 │ 2
- │ │ │ │B. influenzæ │ 66½ │ 46 │ 14
- │ │ │ │ found—Percentage│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ ——— │ ——— │ ———
- │ │ │ │Total percentage │ │ 78 │%
- │ │ │ │ for B. influenzæ│ │ │
- ───────┴─────┴───────────┴─────┴──────────────────┴───────┴─────┴───────
-
- ───────┬───────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬────────────────
- AUTOPSY│PNEUMCOCCI.│ STREPT. │HEMOLYTIC│ S.P.A. │ OTHER COCCI.
- NUMBER.│ │MOCOCCI. │ STREPT. │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 741│ │ │ │+ │G+ diploc.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 743│ │Pleural │ │ │Br. G + diploc.
- │ │fluid and│ │ │not like pneumo.
- │ │seen as │ │ │
- │ │diplos in│ │ │
- │ │direct │ │ │
- │ │smear. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 744│Lung + │ │ │ │M. tetrag. in
- │ │ │ │ │Br. M. pharyng.
- │ │ │ │ │in Br.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 745│ │ │Pleural │Pl. │
- │ │ │fluid, │fluid, │
- │ │ │also seen│also seen│
- │ │ │in smear.│in │
- │ │ │ │smears. │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 746│ │ │ │ │Strept. viridans
- │ │ │ │ │from bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 747│ │ │ │Bronchus │Strept. viridans
- │ │ │ │and │from bronchi and
- │ │ │ │pleural │lung.
- │ │ │ │fluid. │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 748│Lung+, not │ │ │ │Strept. viridans
- │isolated │ │ │ │from bronchus.
- │from │ │ │ │
- │bronchus. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 749│Bronchus │ │ │Bronchus │
- │Lung? │ │ │and lung.│
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 750│Bronchus? │ │ │ │
- │Lung? │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 751│ │Pleura. │ │ │M. tetragenous
- │ │Lung. │ │ │from bronchus.
- │ │Bronchus.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 752│Bronchus │ │ │ │Strep. viridans
- │and lung. │ │ │ │from bronchus
- │ │ │ │ │and lungs.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 756│ │ │ │Pleural │Strep. viridans
- │ │ │ │fluid. │from bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 757│Bronchus │ │ │Bronchus │M. tetragenous?
- │and lung. │ │ │and lung.│from lung.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 758│Bronchus │ │ │ │M.
- │and lung. │ │ │ │catarrhalia-like
- │ │ │ │ │from lung.
- │ │ │ │ │Strep. viridans
- │ │ │ │ │from lung and
- │ │ │ │ │bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 761│Bronchus │ │ │Bronchus │
- │and lung. │ │ │and lung.│
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 762│Pleural │ │ │ │M. catarrh. like
- │fluid and │ │ │ │from lung and
- │bronchus. │ │ │ │bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 763│Pleural │ │ │ │
- │fluid. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 764│Bronchus. │ │ │ │Staph, albus
- │ │ │ │ │from bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 765│ │ │Lung. │ │M. catarrh. from
- │ │ │ │ │bronchus and
- │ │ │ │ │lung.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 767│Bronchus. │Lung. │ │Bronchus.│
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 770│Bronchus. │ │ │Bronchus,│
- │ │ │ │lung, │
- │ │ │ │pleural │
- │ │ │ │fluid. │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 773│ │ │ │Bronchus.│Strept. viridans
- │ │ │ │ │bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │Sarcina albus
- │ │ │ │ │lung.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 778│Bronchus │ │ │Lung. │
- │and lung. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 781│ │Lung and │ │Bronchus │Staph. albus and
- │ │pleural │ │and lung │sarcina from
- │ │fluid. │ │abscess. │pleural fluid.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 782│ │Bronchus │ │ │
- │ │and lung.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 783│Lung. │ │ │Bronchus.│M. catarrh. like
- │ │ │ │ │bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 784│Bronchus │Bronchus │ │ │M. catarrh. like
- │and lung. │and lung?│ │ │bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 786│Bronchus. │ │Bronchus │ │Staph, albus
- │ │ │and lung.│ │from bronchus.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 787│ │ │ │Bronchus │
- │ │ │ │and lung.│
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 791│Bronchus │ │ │Bronchus │
- │and pleural│ │ │and lung.│
- │cavity. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 792│Bronchus, │ │ │ │Staph. albus,
- │lung and │ │ │ │lung, strept.
- │pleural │ │ │ │viridans lung,
- │fluid. │ │ │ │M. catarrh. like
- │ │ │ │ │lung and
- │ │ │ │ │bronchi.
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- 793│?Throat. │ │Bronchus,│Throat, │Strept. viridans
- │ │ │lung, arm│ear and │from throat.
- │ │ │vein, │bronchus.│
- │ │ │spleen │ │
- │ │ │ear. │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────────────
- │20 │6 │4 │16 │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┴───────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴────────────────
-
- ───────┬───────────────┬────────────┬──────────────
- AUTOPSY│ OTHER G—B. │ OTHER │ NOTES.
- NUMBER.│ │ BACTERIA. │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 741│ │ │Nine plates
- │ │ │used to
- │ │ │isolate B.I.
- │ │ │Sp.a. overgrew
- │ │ │all cultures.
- │ │ │B.I. seen in
- │ │ │blood smear
- │ │ │agar in 24
- │ │ │hours.
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 743│Br. lux. white │ │Pericard,
- │almost coccoid.│ │fluid and
- │ │ │liver juice,
- │ │ │no growth.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 744│ │ │Pneumococcus
- │ │ │from lung. No
- │ │ │attempt after
- │ │ │first plate to
- │ │ │isolate B.I.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 745│ │ │Swab from
- │ │ │ruptured
- │ │ │rectus.
- │ │ │Sterile. No
- │ │ │material from
- │ │ │lung.
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 746│B. coli from │B. xerosis │The overgrowth
- │bronchi and │from │of B. coli in
- │lung. │bronchus. │lung material
- │ │ │prevented
- │ │ │further
- │ │ │attempts to
- │ │ │isolate B.I.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 747│ │B. subtilis │Five picks
- │ │group from │from blood
- │ │pleural │agar plate
- │ │fluid. │failed to
- │ │ │recover B.I.
- │ │ │from lung.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 748│ │ │B.I. not seen
- │ │ │nor isolated
- │ │ │from the
- │ │ │bronchi.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 749│B. coli from │ │The overgrowth
- │bronchus and │ │of B. coli
- │lung. │ │prevented any
- │ │ │further
- │ │ │attempts to
- │ │ │isolate B.I.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 750│B. coli from │ │B. coli again
- │bronchi and │ │present as in
- │lungs. │ │No. 749.
- │ │ │Direct smear
- │ │ │suggests heavy
- │ │ │contamination.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 751│ │Spore-bearer│
- │ │with tiny │
- │ │cols, pleur.│
- │ │B. xerosis │
- │ │from bron. │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 752│ │ │B.I. like seen
- │ │ │in original
- │ │ │culture on
- │ │ │blood agar but
- │ │ │not isolated
- │ │ │from bronchus.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 756│B. coli from │B. xerosis │Compare No.
- │bronchus and │from │749 and 750.
- │pleural fluid. │bronchus. │Fluid from
- │ │ │lung not
- │ │ │obtained for
- │ │ │culture.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 757│ │B. xerosis │This case 14
- │ │from │hours P. M.
- │ │bronchus. │gave B.I. from
- │ │ │all the
- │ │ │material.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 758│B. coli from │ │The B. coli
- │bronchus. │ │did not
- │ │ │prevent the
- │ │ │isolation of
- │ │ │B.I. like seen
- │ │ │in original
- │ │ │blood agar
- │ │ │cultures of
- │ │ │lung.
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 761│B. coli from │ │Even after 19
- │bronchus. │ │hours P. M.
- │ │ │the B.I. was
- │ │ │isolated.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 762│ │B. xerosis │
- │ │from lung. │
- │ │B. subtilis │
- │ │from │
- │ │bronchus. │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 763│ │ │No growth from
- │ │ │lung on plate.
- │ │ │B.I. like seen
- │ │ │in original
- │ │ │culture from
- │ │ │pleural fluid.
- │ │ │No material
- │ │ │from bronchus.
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 764│ │ │Material only
- │ │ │from bronchi.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 765│B. coli from │ │
- │bronchus and │ │
- │lung. │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 767│ │ │Blood culture
- │ │ │15/10 gave
- │ │ │pure growth of
- │ │ │pneumo.
- │ │ │mucosus.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 770│ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 773│ │B. xerosis │No growth from
- │ │from │lung except
- │ │bronchus. G │sarcina. Only
- │ │+ B lux. │2 colonies
- │ │white │from pleural
- │ │pleura. │fluid on blood
- │ │fluid. │agar plates.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 778│Non-motile, │ │Ten plates and
- │non-fermenting,│ │30 picks were
- │lux, white from│ │done for the
- │bron. │ │isolation of
- │ │ │B.I.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 781│ │ │B.I. like seen
- │ │ │from 24 hour
- │ │ │Ht. blood agar
- │ │ │from bronchi
- │ │ │and lung but
- │ │ │only isolated
- │ │ │from lung on
- │ │ │replating. Bl.
- │ │ │culture 25/10
- │ │ │sterile.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 782│ │ │No B.I. like
- │ │ │on 24-hour Ht.
- │ │ │blood agar
- │ │ │from lung.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 783│ │ │No B.I. like
- │ │ │on 24-hour Ht.
- │ │ │blood agar
- │ │ │from lung.
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 784│ │ │Numerous B.I.
- │ │ │like on
- │ │ │24-hour Ht.
- │ │ │blood agar of
- │ │ │bronchi and
- │ │ │fewer from
- │ │ │lung. Isolated
- │ │ │by replating.
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 786│ │ │Pleural fluid
- │ │ │not collected
- │ │ │sterilly,
- │ │ │Haemol.
- │ │ │strept.
- │ │ │isolated.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 787│B.M.C. from │ │All the
- │bronchi. │ │bacteria
- │ │ │isolated were
- │ │ │seen in
- │ │ │24-hour Ht.
- │ │ │blood agar
- │ │ │cultures from
- │ │ │bronchi and
- │ │ │lung.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 791│ │ │Replated from
- │ │ │Ht. blood agar
- │ │ │to isolate
- │ │ │B.I. from
- │ │ │lung.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 792│ │ │B.I. like seen
- │ │ │on 24-hour Ht.
- │ │ │blood agar
- │ │ │from bronchi
- │ │ │and lung but
- │ │ │not pleural
- │ │ │fluid.
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- 793│B. coli from │ │B.I. like
- │throat. │ │never seen
- │ │ │except from
- │ │ │throat which
- │ │ │may have been
- │ │ │B. coli.
- ───────┼───────────────┼────────────┼──────────────
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- │ │ │
- ───────┴───────────────┴────────────┴──────────────
-
- EXPLANATORY NOTE.
-
- B.I.—B. influenzæ.
-
- S.P.A.—Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus.
-
- M. pharyog—Micrococcus pharyngis siccus.
-
- Br.—Bronchus.
-
- Phago.—phagocytosis.
-
- Ht.-Heated blood agar.
-
- B. W.—B. welchii.
-
-Staphylococci develop opaque, paint-like colonies of varying size, with
-or without hemolysis, and so do other less frequently found bacteria
-give more or less distinctive colonies. The heated blood agar does not
-show these differences.
-
-The colonies most liable to be confused with those of B. influenzæ are,
-therefore, those of B. xerosis, immature colonies of the Gram negative
-cocci and certain colonies of the streptococcus viridans group.
-Transfers should always be made to heated blood agar of all colonies
-suggestive of B. influenzæ, or when the growth of the B. influenzæ has
-only occurred in the more crowded portions of the plate, and it is
-difficult to pick pure cultures, attempted pickings should be made to
-this medium for further platings. It is frequently necessary to make
-further blood agar plates from the original blood agar, blood broth or
-heated blood agar cultures after longer incubation periods, depending on
-the findings in smears from these media. The heated blood agar is the
-best of these to encourage the growth of B. influenzæ. It must, however,
-be used at once, or within a very few days of its preparation, and
-cannot be kept on hand as a stock medium. I have not found it as useful
-for plating because of the difficulty of differentiating colonies. The
-phenomenon of the star-like and more luxuriant growth of the colonies of
-B. influenzæ about colonies of other bacteria has often been noted, and
-will be referred to in a later portion of this report. Here it may be
-said that this is at times a marked feature of certain mixtures and must
-be recognized in studying the plates. The finding of B. influenzæ in
-picks from apparently isolated colonies of other forms is not uncommon,
-and is the same type of difficulty which I have discussed in papers on
-streptococci. It is important to recall, in connection with cultures
-taken from the lungs at autopsy, the experimental work of Norris and
-Pappenheimer, who showed that B. prodigiosus put in the mouth
-immediately after death could be recovered from the lungs in over 50 per
-cent. of the cases studied.
-
-
- _Results of the Author_
-
-In Table I are shown my results from the 32 cases which came to autopsy.
-The B. influenzæ was isolated from one or more sources in 25, making a
-total of 78 per cent. Most of the negative cases probably also had this
-organism, but I did not grow it from the material which I used for
-culturing. The work of others would indicate that it may have been
-present in other regions, such as the sinuses of the head or other
-portions of the lung and respiratory tract. The positive results show B.
-influenzæ present in 20 out of 30 cases from the bronchi; in 13 of 28
-from the lungs; in 2 of 14 from the pleural cavity; in 9 of 26 from both
-bronchi and lung where both were cultured; in 8 of 26 from the bronchi
-with the lung negative; in 3 of 26 from the lung with the bronchi
-negative; once of 10 from the pleural cavity with both the bronchi and
-the lung negative, and once from all three sources.
-
-The negative results occurred in seven cases. In three of these (749,
-750, 756) B. coli overgrew the cultures from the bronchus, in two also
-from the lung, and in one, without lung culture, from bronchus and
-pleural cavity. The mere presence of B. coli, however, did not preclude
-the isolation of B. influenzæ, as is seen in cases 746, 758, 761 and
-765. The finding of B. coli would suggest a post-mortem invasion. The
-hours after death before the autopsy was done were in these seven cases,
-½, 15, 6, 18, 16, 19, 16, respectively. That delay in performing the
-autopsy, as emphasized by Spooner, Scott and Heath, adds to the
-difficulty is self-evident, but successful isolations of B. influenzæ
-have been obtained after even longer periods than in the negative cases
-(761). In the fourth negative case (763) the bronchus was not cultured.
-A pneumococcus was grown from the pleural cavity and no growth was
-obtained from the lung. In the original culture from the pleural cavity
-influenza-like forms were seen but could not be isolated. In the fifth
-case (767) a blood culture three days before death gave a growth of
-pneumococcus mucosus which was also grown from the lung at autopsy.
-Direct smear from the bronchus showed very few influenza-like forms. Our
-sixth negative finding was in a case of 20 days’ illness, the patient
-having had a recurrence (773). Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus,
-streptococcus viridans and B. xerosis were grown from the bronchus. Only
-a sarcina form grew from the lung, and a further probable air
-contamination occurred on the media from the cultures of the pleural
-cavity. The B. xerosis colonies were confusing, picked as possible B.
-influenzæ, and, before this was discovered, the overgrowth prevented
-further attempts to isolate the influenza bacilli. The last unsuccessful
-case was one with a general infection of a hemolytic streptococcus from
-an acute otitis media. The streptococcus was isolated from the bronchus,
-lung, spleen, arm vein and the middle ear at autopsy.
-
-It will be seen that in these seven negative cases technical
-difficulties prevented the isolation of the B. influenzæ, even if it had
-been present. I would not, therefore, conclude that the organisms were
-necessarily absent, but rather that we have failed either to secure
-material from the focus of infection or on account of the other reasons
-mentioned.
-
-It is very evident that a variety of secondary organisms very frequently
-overgrow the field and become numerically predominant. In our first case
-staphylococcus pyogenes aureus overgrew all the other organisms present
-in cultures from the lung material. B. influenzæ was, however, seen in
-the original 24-hour blood agar culture. It required 9 blood agar plates
-before the organism could be isolated. In another case 10 plates were
-used for the isolation.
-
-The findings of the bacteria in the lung sections are particularly
-interesting and instructive. The entire series of cases have not been
-completely studied, so I am unable to tabulate the findings. In cases
-761 and 762 sections of the lung showed influenza-like bacilli to be
-almost pure in the earlier stages of the process, while in areas with
-purulent foci pneumococcus-like and other Gram positive cocci were also
-numerous. In some cases B. influenzæ-like organisms were to be seen in
-overwhelming numbers. In others they were scarce, while in some nothing
-resembling B. influenzæ could be found in the sections. Positive
-cultures were often independent of whether the influenza-like forms were
-to be seen in smears or sections or not, although they were found in the
-great majority of the cases. The findings in the direct smears and the
-bacteriological results make useful material for comparison.
-
-Swabs from the nasopharynx were cultured from 31 individuals; nearly all
-of these were cases suspected of diphtheria or as carrying the
-diphtheria bacillus, and no particular effort was made to isolate the B.
-influenzæ. They were seen in the mixed culture occasionally. In the last
-eight cases the heated blood agar, ordinary blood agar and Loeffler’s
-serum were seeded from the throat swabs. B. influenzæ practically
-overgrew all the other bacteria from seven of these cases on the heated
-blood agar medium and was isolated without difficulty; all eight showed
-M. catarrhalis. The two other media gave little or no evidence of the
-presence of B. influenzæ. As I have said above, our attention was
-concentrated on the autopsy material. These cultures from the throat
-were simply made to demonstrate the usefulness of the heated blood agar.
-
-
- TABLE II
-
- BACTERIA SEEN IN DIRECT SMEARS FROM NASOPHARYNX
-
- ════════════╤═════════╤═══════════════╤══════════════════╤═════════════════
- Type of │Number of│ B. │ │ M.
- Disease. │Patients.│Influenzæ-Like.│Pneumococcus-Like.│Catarrhalis-Like.
- ────────────┼─────────┼───────────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────────
- Early │ 24│ 14│ 17│ 6
- Serious │ 13│ 13│ 13│ 9
- Convalescent│ 11│ 8│ 11│ 6
- ────────────┼─────────┼───────────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────────
- Total │ 48│ 35│ 41│ 21
- Percentage │ │ │ │
- of │ │ │ │
- positives │ │ 73│ 86│ 43
- ────────────┴─────────┴───────────────┴──────────────────┴─────────────────
-
-
- _Direct Smears from Nasopharyngeal Swabs_
-
-It is recognized by most of the modern investigators that little
-reliance can be put on the finding of B. influenzæ-like bacilli in
-direct smears. The organism is markedly pleomorphic, occurring as
-extremely small coccoid forms up to threads of various lengths.
-Notwithstanding these morphological variations the organisms are usually
-seen as tiny bacilli, and these are considered as the typical form. We
-carried out a series of microscopical examinations of carefully made
-smears from the throats of patients with influenza. Particular attention
-was given to the occurrence of organisms resembling in morphology and
-staining B. influenzæ, pneumococci and M. catarrhalis. We have divided
-the cases roughly into three types—early, serious, and convalescent.
-Table II shows our results. The term B. influenzæ-like was used for the
-typical morphological picture so often described. Dr. Frost and Mr.
-Scott carried out this portion of our work and their results are
-interesting.
-
-Blood cultures were done on 22 cases. Pneumococcus mucosus was grown
-from one patient who three days later came to autopsy (Case 767). In
-another case pneumococcus-like organisms were seen in smears from the
-dextrose broth flask after 24 hours’ incubation. These, for some unknown
-reason, did not grow on blood agar plates. After 48 hours smears made on
-blood agar from the original flask gave a growth of B. influenzæ and a
-M. catarrhalis-like organism. I consider this result a very
-unsatisfactory one, being quite unable to explain the failure to grow
-the pneumococci-like forms on transfer. Possibly the acidity developed
-might account for it.
-
-
- TABLE III
-
- AGGLUTINATION TESTS WITH SERA OF CONVALESCENT INFLUENZA PATIENTS
-
- ═══════════════════════════╤═══════════╤═══════════╤═══════════
- DILUTION OF SERUM │ + │ +– │ –
- ───────────────┬───────────┼───────────┼───────────┼───────────
- Convalescents │1-1 │ 3│ 0│ 2
- │1-10 │ 5│ 2│ 7
- │1-40 │ 2│ 3│ 9
- │1-80 │ 0│ 1│ 13
- │1-160 │ 0│ 0│ 14
- ───────────────┼───────────┼───────────┼───────────┼───────────
- Normal Controls│1-10 │ 1│ 2│ 0
- │1-40 │ 0│ 1│ 2
- ───────────────┴───────────┴───────────┴───────────┴───────────
-
- The complete agglutination as would be indicated by +++ or ++ was
- not seen.
-
-Agglutination tests were carried out with the sera of 14 convalescents
-and 3 normal individuals. A polyvalent emulsion of strains of the
-influenza bacillus isolated from our cases was used. The results are
-shown in Table III. Tubes were incubated at 37.5° C. The results did not
-indicate anything in the nature of a specific reaction. Dr. Frost
-carried out this work during the height of the epidemic, but we were
-unable to continue it further. A short review of the work of others will
-be found near the end of this paper. Miss Thompson and Mr. Mock studied
-complement fixation, using the sera of 15 convalescents against an
-antigen of B. influenzæ. Their results were negative. The antigen
-appeared to be slightly more anti-complementary than were emulsions of
-staphylococcus or B. coli. Huntoon also noted this anti-complementary
-character of emulsions of B. influenzæ.
-
-Attempts were made to estimate the amount of complement present in the
-fresh blood serum of influenza patients. The technique was to use a 1-4
-dilution of the patient’s serum, adding measured amounts of this to a 1
-per cent. blood emulsion, with 1 unit of amboceptor and determine the
-smallest amount necessary to bring about complete hemolysis. This test
-was carried out on eight patients ill for only a few days. The average
-amount of the dilute serum was 0.181 c.cm. Fifteen patients,
-convalescent after a moderate illness, gave an average of 0.276 c.cm.
-Two patients seriously ill with temperatures of 104.3° F. and 105° F.
-required 0.4 c.cm. to bring about complete hemolysis. We would not like
-to draw any very definite conclusions where we are dealing with such
-small fractional differences. This lessening of complement has been
-noted in other infectious diseases and may be important in the questions
-of immunity in influenza. Dr. Frost carried out a number of cutaneous
-tests after the method of Von Pirquet, using a polyvalent, weakly
-alkaline emulsion of influenza bacilli in 25 per cent. glycerin. Eleven
-convalescents were tested and none of them showed any local or general
-reaction. The suggestion that these results may indicate an increase in
-resistance is discussed in another place. A number of strains of
-pneumococci which we had isolated from our autopsy cases were
-differentiated by the agglutination method. Type I was found 3 times;
-type II, 10 times; type IV, 9 times. Four showed agglutination with both
-type I and type II sera. Type IV pneumococcus was isolated in one case
-from the right and left bronchus as well as the lung. In another case
-the same type pneumococcus was recovered from the lung and pleural
-fluid. These results are similar to those found by numerous workers.
-
-
- _The Hemophilic Bacteria_
-
-The discovery by Pfeiffer of the hemophilic character of the bacillus
-found by him in cases of influenza opened up a new group of
-micro-organisms known as the hemophilic bacteria. Davis (1915) has laid
-particular stress on the group character of these bacilli, and the more
-they are studied the more clear does it become that there are several
-distinct members. The B. influenzæ is by far the most important as well
-as the most frequently found of the group and is considered as the type
-organism.
-
-All these bacteria require for their growth the presence of some form of
-hemoglobin. The actual amount necessary may be very small, and Davis
-suggested that it may have a catalytic action. A great deal of work has
-been done in attempts to discover just what portions of the hemoglobin
-are necessary to bring about this phenomenon. In our discussion on media
-for the influenza bacillus we will briefly describe some of the various
-hemoglobin preparations that have been used successfully. It must at
-this point be emphasized that blood is very useful in many media to
-stimulate the growth of a great variety of bacteria, and the transfers
-made from such luxuriantly growing cultures may grow very poorly or not
-at all on ordinary media, and this might easily lead to erroneous
-conclusions on the hemophilic character of the organisms studied. There
-are certain bacteria which grow so much better on media containing blood
-that such media are sometimes necessary for their isolation, although
-after a few transfers they will grow on ordinary media. This is true for
-bacillus pertussis, and throughout the literature a good deal of
-confusion has arisen in not recognizing this temporary hemophilic
-character of certain bacteria. The true hemophilic bacteria do not grow
-except in the presence of hemoglobin in some form or other. The problem
-becomes almost academic when we consider the small amounts of hemoglobin
-that are necessary. Davis has shown that a dilution of 1 in 180,000 is
-sufficient, and in the interesting discussion between Cantani and Ghon
-and Preyss it was demonstrated that hematin or other hemoglobin product
-was necessary in the agar before B. influenzæ would grow in the presence
-of other bacteria, and that this hematin could be derived from the blood
-in the meat which was used in making the basic infusion.
-
-_Symbiosis._—The fact that other bacteria can bring to growth the
-influenza bacillus on media otherwise unsuited to its needs brings up
-the interesting problem of symbiosis, which is one of the most important
-characters of the influenza bacillus. Not only do other bacteria make
-possible the growth of B. influenzæ on media on which the influenza
-bacillus will not grow, but they stimulate a better growth on blood agar
-and other more or less favorable media. Grassberger first noted this
-stimulating character of other bacteria and described and illustrated
-the very large colonies of B. influenzæ which develop in the
-neighborhood of colonies of staphylococcus and other bacteria.
-Staphylococci killed by heat were found to have a similar effect.
-Meunier nicely described this phenomenon by using the term satellites
-for the circles of B. influenzæ colonies which develop about the
-colonies of other bacteria. A great number of workers have since noted
-this characteristic relationship between B. influenzæ and other
-bacteria, and occasionally have laid stress on its importance in the
-problems of the infections by the influenza bacillus. Allen particularly
-emphasized the probable importance of this in discussing the problem of
-carriers of B. influenzæ as sources of danger. There seems no doubt that
-this symbiotic relationship depends on so altering the hemoglobin
-products as to render them more readily available for the influenza
-bacillus. This is indicated by the fact that on various media containing
-hemoglobin, altered so that it encourages the growth of B. influenzæ, no
-such symbiotic stimulation can be demonstrated. This phenomenon is quite
-peculiar to this bacillus, distinguishes it from most of the other
-members of the group, and should be always determined before an organism
-is classed as B. influenzæ.
-
-_Other Hemophilic Bacteria._—The question of a pseudo-influenza bacillus
-was first raised by Pfeiffer and has been studied by many workers after
-him. Grassberger, who carefully investigated this problem, worked more
-particularly with two strains showing the extreme of variation between
-the small characteristic morphology of the B. influenzæ and the thread
-forms supposed to be characteristic of the so-called pseudo-influenza
-bacillus. The great majority of workers have agreed with him in
-concluding that this morphological variation is not sufficient nor
-constant enough to justify separating two such groups. Nevertheless many
-reports indicate peculiar tendencies of certain strains toward thread
-formation. There seems to be suggestive evidence that the organism
-described by Cohen in 1909 under the name B. meningitidis
-cerebrospinales septicemicus is different from true B. influenzæ.
-Although the cultural characters were apparently identical, this
-organism was definitely pathogenic for guinea pigs and rabbits. The
-involvement of joints in the cases reported by Longo and others would
-suggest a greater pathogenic power for these strains. Prasek and Zatelli
-reported a similar bacillus from meningitis, and Davis found that his
-meningitis strains were more pathogenic for rabbits than were others.
-Wollstein has studied this question very carefully and found a marked
-difference between the strains from the meninges and those from the
-respiratory tract in their pathogenicity for rabbits. The strains with a
-tendency to thread formation were usually also those grown from the
-meninges, but she concluded from the results of serological tests that
-all strains of B. influenzæ are of one race, irrespective of their
-origin or virulence. The question is still an open one, as Batten and
-others described strains from the meninges which are non-pathogenic, and
-Ritchie found his strains from meningitis pathogenic for guinea pigs but
-not for rabbits. The irregularity and wide divergence in the results of
-blood cultures may have a definite relationship to these differences in
-the pathogenicity of strains.
-
-Other hemophilic bacteria include the bacillus described by Friedberger
-under the name of B. hemoglobinophilus canis. This organism is to be
-found in the preputial secretion of dogs. It does not show the
-phenomenon of symbiosis, and I have found that it grows rather more
-freely and is more resistant to drying than is the influenza bacillus.
-Krage has confirmed Friedberger’s findings growing this bacillus from 60
-per cent. of his dogs, and believed it a pyogenic organism just as B.
-influenzæ may be.
-
-The hemophilic and hemolytic organisms described by Davis, which he
-isolated from pathological urine, were non-symbiotic and non-pathogenic.
-Koch has described a similar organism from puerperal infection. Whether
-the hemophilic organism described by Thalhimer from the uterus in a case
-of puerperal infection, those found by Cohen in urethral discharge in
-one case and the pelvic exudate of another, and the findings of Kretz in
-pyelitis, Wright in pyelonephrosis and Klieneberger in cystitis cases,
-possibly refer to this same bacillus is, of course, uncertain. Pritchett
-and Stillman found a somewhat similar bacillus, which they called
-Bacillus X, from the mouths of 24 persons. It was hemophilic and
-hemolytic, stouter than B. influenzæ and showed long tangled threads in
-blood broth. It was non-pathogenic and is probably the same as Davis’
-organism.
-
-Davis described another hemophilic bacillus from a patient with purulent
-foci which was non-hemolytic and non-symbiotic. It was grown from an
-abscess of the shoulder joint, the blood and the bronchial secretion of
-an infant. Cyanosis was a marked feature of this case. Paranhos
-described a hemophilic bacillus from meningitis, which, however, was
-Gram positive, and Moon reported an anærobic hemophilic bacillus from an
-infection of the ethmoid sinus. The work of Jordan would suggest that
-there may be two groups of B. influenzæ based on the indol production.
-
-_Morphology._—The morphology of B. influenzæ has received more than
-usual attention. In what we consider its characteristic form, it is an
-extremely small bacillus, usually single but sometimes in pairs, and not
-infrequently exhibiting polar staining. In direct smears, where there
-are many bacteria present, they are frequently arranged in the schools
-so frequently described. The development of thread forms is today
-considered quite characteristic for B. influenzæ. The organisms vary
-from moderately long bacillary forms to very long twisted or curled
-threads suggesting leptothrix. In such cultures chains of tiny bacilli
-are also quite often noted. At the other extreme we have exceedingly
-tiny coccoid forms, resembling in size the B. bronchisepticus, which, as
-Ferry has shown, are small enough to pass through many grades of
-filters.
-
-It is the thread forms, as discussed above, that have received most
-attention in relation to the so-called pseudo-influenza bacillus. The
-observations of Wollstein, Lacy and many others showed these forms to be
-common in meningeal infections and that, as a rule, they are more
-pathogenic for animals than other strains. Another interesting and
-important observation is that emphasized by Dick and Murray of the
-possible confusion of these forms with Gram negative leptothrix. That
-this confusion is liable to occur is illustrated by reports such as
-Macdonald finding leptothrix in a meningeal infection, now looked upon
-as an example of influenzal meningitis, and the probable B. influenzæ
-reported by Dick, and, as quoted by Dick and Murray, the finding of a
-Gram negative leptothrix as the cause of broncho-pneumonia by Kato. The
-2 per cent. leptothrix reported by Nuzum and his co-workers from the
-recent epidemic may be still another example. Equally important is the
-recognition of the great frequency of this thread development in the
-majority of B. influenzæ cultures on ordinary blood agar media, or even
-in the water of condensation of fresh blood agar tubes. The delayed
-growth of this bacillus on ordinary blood agar would lead to its being
-frequently overlooked unless smears are made, and the irregular thread
-forms are recognized as being the B. influenzæ. This development of
-thread forms was particularly noted in my work before pickings were made
-to the Voges heated blood agar, but because I had been forewarned by
-discussing these morphological variations with Lacy, I was able to
-recognize them as forms of B. influenzæ. Most of my early isolations
-showed these predominating, and they were also noticed in cultures sent
-from the Public Health Laboratory at Washington. These cultures on
-further transfer, however, showed in 24 hours the typical small form on
-ordinary blood agar as well as on the Voges medium. On the latter the
-development of thread forms was greatly delayed and frequently did not
-appear at all, although after long periods other abnormal, swollen and
-irregular shapes sometimes developed.
-
-
- _Media in Growth of B. Influenzæ_
-
-The discovery of the hemophilic character of B. influenzæ has been
-confirmed by a long list of investigators. The agar smeared with pigeon
-blood as used by Pfeiffer has not, however, been found fully
-satisfactory and many modifications have been made. The fact that
-hemoglobin in some form is necessary for the growth of these bacteria
-has led to a great deal of study in attempts to discover the chemical
-part, or parts, essential for this purpose. Hemoglobin in very small
-amount, as shown by Davis and others, is sufficient to make media
-suitable for growing B. influenzæ. This fact has led to much confusion,
-owing to the difficulty of eliminating all possible sources from which
-some form of hemoglobin might enter the media. Kitasato used a glycerin
-agar and succeeded in growing the influenza bacillus for 10 transfers.
-Pielicke, however, did not consider that Kitasato was actually dealing
-with the influenza bacillus, but that he as well as Babes, Bruschettini
-and Markel had most probably streptococci in their cultures. Besson held
-the same view of Kitasato’s organism. It would further appear from the
-illustrations of Klein that he also grew streptococci and not the B.
-influenzæ. The first culture of the influenza bacillus was probably
-obtained by Bujiwid in February, 1890. He grew on agar smeared with the
-spleen pulp of an influenzal patient a tiny bacillus which he was unable
-to grow on blood free medium, but he did not appreciate its importance
-until Pfeiffer’s article appeared. Teissier in his book on “L’ Influenza
-en Russie” mentioned this culture.
-
-The hemophilic character of these bacteria indicates that they are
-rather strict parasites, and despite the researches of Nastjukoff with
-various egg media, and Cantani with a number of supposedly
-non-hemoglobin additions to the agar, as well as the studies on
-symbiosis, with other bacteria, by Cantani, Neisser, Luerssen and many
-others, it still remains true that some form of hemoglobin is necessary
-for their growth. Fresh blood either incorporated in the medium or
-smeared on the surface is not the best medium for these bacteria.
-Altered hemoglobin is much more favorable, and a variety of methods have
-been devised to bring about those alterations which stimulate the growth
-of B. influenzæ. One of the earliest, as well as one of the very best,
-of these is the method of Voges, who added blood to melted agar at a
-temperature of about 100° C. I have found this medium exceptionally
-suited to growing B. influenzæ, and I consider it excellent for the
-primary culture from the original material, for pickings from plates and
-to obtain a heavy growth of B. influenzæ for any purpose. The medium was
-used by Delius and Kolle (1897), Grassberger (1898), who spoke very
-highly of it, and Paltauf (1899), who said that the use of this medium
-made the demonstration of B. influenzæ possible when only a very few
-were present. A great many other workers have used it with success, and
-during the recent epidemic it has gradually found its place. Levinthal’s
-medium (1918) is practically the same, although he boiled and filtered
-the agar after the addition of the blood. The growth of B. influenzæ on
-the Voges agar can properly be described as luxuriant, and to anyone
-only accustomed to the use of ordinary blood agar it is an agreeable
-surprise to see this supposedly delicate bacillus growing so remarkably
-well.
-
-Various other methods have been used to bring about this beneficial
-change in hemoglobin. Gioelli (1896) used a medium made up of 1.1 per
-cent. hemoglobin and 21.5 per cent. malt extract. This is reddish brown
-in color, becomes clear when neutralized with potassium hydrate and
-remains so on heating. This added to agar is reported as very favorable
-in growing this bacillus. Ghon and Preyss described a medium made up of
-meat, peptone, salt and agar prepared in the ordinary way, but not
-filtered for at least a week, and then only roughly. This medium is
-favorable for symbiotic growths. He further used beef blood heated in a
-soda solution and blood heated in water as hemoglobin preparations to be
-added to agar. Thalhimer found an amorphous hemoglobin medium to be more
-favorable than when a purer hemoglobin was used. W. F. Robertson found a
-hemoglobin agar, prepared by allowing sheep’s blood to clot, decanting
-off most of the serum, freezing and then thawing what remains and adding
-1 c.c. of this to an agar tube at about 60° C., to be very favorable for
-the growth of B. influenzæ. Cantani used a blood treated with pepsin and
-hydrochloric acid, digested some days in the incubator, filtered and
-made weakly alkaline. This mixture was heated for a few minutes,
-refiltered and added to the medium. He speaks of it as extraordinarily
-good for B. influenzæ. Blood treated with trypsin has been used by
-Matthews, Averill, Young and Griffiths, Harris, A. Fleming and others.
-Fleming further found that this alteration in hemoglobin can be brought
-about in a number of other ways. Blood boiled in agar (suggesting the
-Voges agar) and the tubes slanted while hot, blood boiled in water, the
-clotted blood precipitated and the clear fluid added to agar, or more
-rapidly by adding equal quantities of sulphuric acid to the blood and a
-similar amount of potassium hydrate he obtained altered blood suitable
-for media. He reported that by any of these methods he could obtain a
-medium very stimulating to the growth of B. influenzæ. By the addition
-of brilliant green (1 in 500,000) he inhibited the growth of
-staphylococcus, streptococcus and pneumococcus. For storing cultures of
-B. influenzæ Fleming found a minced meat medium with the addition of
-blood to be the best. I have found this medium without the blood to be
-an excellent one for keeping a great variety of cultures. Bernstein and
-Loewe have reported the use of gentian violet (1 in 5,000) for the same
-purpose as the brilliant green used by Fleming. Avery’s oleate blood
-agar medium he reported to be largely selective. It checked the growth
-of pneumococci and streptococci, but gave luxuriant growths of B.
-influenzæ. Pritchett and Stillman have used it with excellent results
-recovering B. influenzæ from a very high percentage of the cases
-studied.
-
-The use of symbiotic bacteria has been extensively studied in
-investigations of the biology of B. influenzæ, and it has been shown, as
-noted elsewhere, that such accessory bacteria will bring to growth B.
-influenzæ on media otherwise quite unsuited to its needs. It has been
-further found that on various preparations of hematin agar, on which B.
-influenzæ refused to grow, such media could be rendered favorable for
-their growth by the addition of living or freshly killed cultures of
-staphylococcus and many other bacteria. And although the method is well
-known, it has not been extensively used for the purposes of isolation.
-Many of the workers, however, have pointed out the importance of looking
-for growth of the influenza bacillus in the neighborhood of the more
-easily grown bacteria which almost always develop in cultures from the
-respiratory tract. Grassberger has particularly studied this problem and
-has made practical application of the method. Accidental contamination
-of plates with air bacteria have made possible, in some instances, the
-isolation of B. influenzæ—as, for example, in the finding of Heyrovsky
-from a case of empyema of the gall bladder—while other workers have
-pointed out the difficulty of demonstrating growth where B. influenzæ is
-pure in the material cultured, and the comparative ease and relative
-luxuriance of growth where other bacteria are present. To just what this
-stimulating effect is due has been much discussed, and it is generally
-agreed that the hemoglobin is markedly changed and rendered more
-available by the action of these germs. It is to be noted that on a
-medium containing blood altered by heating or by the various methods as
-described by Fleming the foreign bacteria no longer show any symbiotic
-action on B. influenzæ. Grassberger considered the effect of the
-bacteria on the blood to be the same as that of heating. Allen laid
-particular stress on this symbiotic character. He used a staphylococcus,
-either living or killed, in making his cultures and noted the difficulty
-of growing B. influenzæ from material in which it occurred pure. W. F.
-Robertson made use of these facts of symbiosis for both isolation and
-stimulation of growth. He employed alternate drills of M. catarrhalis or
-pneumococcus with the B. influenzæ, and Brown and Orcutt used strains of
-hemolytic streptococci for the same purpose. The latter authors
-considered that the beneficial effect of the streptococci was merely due
-to the setting free of the hemoglobin. The fact that similar results are
-to be obtained by the use of non-hemolytic bacteria as well as forms
-giving green color changes to the blood makes this explanation
-untenable. In my own studies I have confirmed the results of several
-previous workers. I have found that B. influenzæ is stimulated in its
-growth by the presence near it of colonies of staphylococcus pyogenes
-aureus and albus, pneumococci, streptococcus viridans and hemolyticus
-and other bacteria. The largest colonies of the bacillus I have obtained
-were those growing near the periphery of a colony of an air nocardia. I
-have also noted that emulsions of a staphylococcus killed by boiling for
-five minutes, when added to ordinary blood agar, had a marked
-stimulating effect, although no evidence of hemolysis was present. This
-effect was practically absent if the emulsion was boiled for 15 minutes,
-or after being killed was left at room temperature for several days.
-There was no evidence of these stimulating effects by any of these
-methods when heated blood agar was used, the colonies on this medium
-growing equally large by themselves. Comparative studies of the effect
-of different bacteria can be simply carried out as follows: Smear evenly
-the surface of an ordinary blood agar plate with an emulsion of B.
-influenzæ. Seed this plate at various points with minimal amounts of the
-various bacteria. After various periods of incubation the size of the B.
-influenzæ colonies about the other bacterial growths can be estimated,
-and impression preparations on cover glasses will give very interesting
-pictures.
-
-The growth of B. influenzæ in primary cultures from sputa and similar
-sources is to be explained by the probable presence of traces of blood
-or altered hemoglobin as well as the symbiotic relationship with other
-bacteria. Fichtner used fresh heated sputum (60 to 65° C.) in place of
-blood, and Richter a medium made with sterilized pus. Parker, in her
-study of a filterable poison produced by the B. influenzæ, found veal
-infusion broth with 10 per cent. defibrinated blood heated to 75° C.
-until the blood coagulated and settled on standing to be the best for
-the purpose. Jordan in his study of indol production by these bacteria
-used a meat infusion broth with 5 per cent. sheep’s blood added at 90°
-C. or over and filtered through cotton or paper. Wittingham and Sims
-noted that in using blood from influenza cases the bacteria frequently
-did not grow, more especially B. influenzæ; and Rivers found human blood
-poorer than cat or rabbit blood for growing this organism, as did
-Minaker and Irvine. It would seem clear from this review of some of the
-suggestive work on the methods of growing B. influenzæ that little
-attention should be given to the results of many workers, where ordinary
-media were used, particularly when the difficulties of isolation were
-not appreciated.
-
-
- _B. Influenzæ as a Pathogenic Bacterium_
-
-If B. influenzæ is the causative agent in clinical influenza, there is
-certainly ample evidence that it is pathogenic to man. The symptoms of
-toxemia, which are so manifest in the pandemic disease as well as in the
-sporadic cases, would indicate that the etiological agent is markedly
-toxicogenic. Animal experiments by Pfeiffer, and a long list of
-investigators following him, would seem to show that the majority of
-cultures of B. influenzæ do not have any power of establishing
-themselves in the animal tissue. Killed cultures showed equally as high
-toxic effects as the living, and so it was generally concluded that many
-of the general effects in influenzal infections were of a toxic nature.
-
-There are many exceptions to the above-mentioned failures to produce
-infections in animals. Cantani obtained very constant positive results
-by subdural injections. He first clearly showed that killed cultures
-were markedly toxic and that virulence could be raised very definitely
-by animal passage. By injecting brain emulsion with a culture he
-obtained a subcutaneous abscess in a rabbit which after eight days still
-contained the living organism. Nastjukoff found that animals with a
-lowered resistance, or definitely ill from, for example, an artificial
-tuberculosis, became infected while others did not. Jacobson showed that
-B. influenzæ injected with streptococci caused a definite mixed
-infection, and that after six passages the influenza bacillus alone
-could produce a fatal infection. Saathoff (1907) confirmed Jacobson’s
-findings and found pneumococci equally effective. Davis (1915) also
-confirmed the principle established by Jacobson of the symbiotic
-relation of other bacteria to infection with B. influenzæ. He used a
-culture of a non-virulent staphylococcus pyogenes aureus, and was able
-to produce death invariably in guinea pigs after intraperitoneal
-injection. From the heart’s blood, as a rule, only the hemophilic
-bacillus was recovered. He also found animal passage increased the
-virulence, and further that M. catarrhalis and an avirulent
-streptococcus had the same effect as the staphylococcus. Slatineanu
-(1901) found that he could infect animals with B. influenzæ if the
-cultures were injected along with weak solutions of lactic acid, and
-that after animal passage by this method the bacillus became more
-virulent and would eventually kill by itself. It must not be forgotten
-in this connection that strains of B. influenzæ from meningitis cases
-are frequently definitely pathogenic for animals. The importance of
-considering these various factors in a discussion of infection by this
-organism is, of course, very evident. Ecker found his strains pathogenic
-for mice after subcutaneous injection, and the bacilli were readily
-obtained from the heart’s blood. Spooner and his co-workers from their
-results of more than a hundred intraperitoneal injections concluded that
-the organism is not pathogenic for mice.
-
-In all animal experiments it is of the greatest importance that the
-bacteria be known which may interfere in the experiments through
-spontaneous infection (often liable to be induced by the injection) from
-the animal’s own flora, as well as the greater susceptibility of
-previously diseased animals (Nastjukoff). It would appear from the
-results of Bruschettini and Cornil and Chantemesse in the early days of
-the influenza bacillus, and those of Lamb and Brannin in their recent
-study, that these authors did not seriously consider the spontaneous
-infection of guinea pigs and rabbits with B. bronchisepticus or the
-bacillus of rabbit septicæmia, both morphologically, very similar to B.
-influenzæ. Rosenow in his experiments with streptococci from cases of
-influenza has also apparently failed to realize the importance of the
-lung lesions produced by the B. bronchisepticus in guinea pigs as
-reported by Theobald Smith, myself and many others.
-
-Parker has found a filterable poison from the influenza bacillus which
-developed rapidly (6 to 8 hours) in a special heated blood broth medium,
-deteriorated rapidly even in the cold, and killed rabbits in quantities
-of 2 c.c. in from 1 to 3 hours. Rabbits could further be immunized
-against this poison, and their sera protected other rabbits against
-fatal doses. This is the first time that a true powerful toxine has been
-obtained. Couret and Herbert obtained toxine from B. influenzæ in
-Avery’s oleate broth. Huntoon and Ross also clearly demonstrated toxine
-production by this organism so that it would appear, with this
-confirmation, that the B. influenzæ can be definitely classed among the
-toxine producers. Toxemia being the most striking clinical
-characteristic of influenza, we have in these findings very strong
-evidence of the etiological importance of this hemophilic bacillus to
-the disease. A very interesting observation was made by Latapie that the
-serum of a goat immunized against influenza bacillus is toxic if it is
-used shortly after the injection of the microbes, but that this toxicity
-is absent three weeks after the last injection. It would appear to me
-that the evidence of a filterable virus from the secretions of the
-respiratory tract does not eliminate the very probable toxine from such
-materials. The production of toxine by this organism probably depends,
-as is the case with very many of our toxine formers, on the most
-favorable combinations of conditions. That it is not readily formed in
-artificial cultures, or that it is very unstable if formed, is evidenced
-by the frequent failures of a great many workers. It has been suggested
-that different symbiotic conditions in the respiratory tract determine
-the amount of toxine produced. Huntoon found a high toxine production in
-mixed cultures with streptococci. This, however, does not appear to be
-necessary, as there is ample evidence of severe toxemia from pure
-infections with B. influenzæ in various parts, such as the accessory
-sinuses of the head, the meninges, the lungs and other parts of the
-respiratory tract.
-
-It is not fundamentally necessary that a toxine producing organism be
-present in overwhelming numbers before it can be accepted as the cause
-of the toxemia. Nor, on the other hand, must we have toxemia every time
-the organism is found. The prevalent idea among bacteriologists would
-appear to be the reverse of what I have just stated. It would, indeed,
-be extremely difficult to make bacteriological diagnoses of a great many
-of our diseases, where the etiological factor is well established, if
-these conditions were required. We do not do so, for example, in
-diphtheria, examinations of stools for typhoid, nor in infections with
-the tetanus bacillus. We recognize carrier cases of meningococcus, B.
-typhosus, hemolytic streptococci and many others, without detracting
-seriously from their importance in definite types of infection. Formerly
-the specificity of the different bacteria for definite disease processes
-was very rigid, but today we interpret more broadly the finding of
-gonococcus in endocarditis, the meningococcus in bacteremia, B. typhosus
-in osteomyelitis, streptococci and pneumococci in all manner of
-infections and many other bacteriological results. True it is that the
-various bacteria show predilections for attacking certain tissues, but
-the varying susceptibilities bring about the greatest variations in the
-manifestations of these infections.
-
-The B. influenzæ is not confined to the causation of severe pandemic or
-epidemic influenza, but includes in its field purulent bronchitis,
-meningitis, sinusitis, conjunctivitis and many other pathological
-processes. It further should be recognized as a relatively frequent
-cause of complications in measles and other diseases.
-
-
- _Infections of the Respiratory Tract_
-
-The disease influenza is primarily an infection of the respiratory
-tract. It varies from one of the most acute and fatal diseases we know
-of through all grades of severity—from chronic infections lasting over
-years to the familiar three or five day fever. This graduation is to be
-found more or less marked in all our bacterial infections, but would
-seem to be not generally recognized or appreciated as occurring in
-infections with the influenza bacillus. That Pfeiffer was dealing with
-one phase of the disease when the influenza bacillus was discovered does
-not invalidate the results of numerous workers which have been added
-since then.
-
-Probably the greatest confusion in attempts to get a clear picture of
-this protean disease has been and is a non-recognition of influenza as a
-frequent complication of other diseases, such as measles (Jochmann,
-Susswein, Tedesko and very many others). The second cause for this
-confusion has been the misinterpretation of the facts demonstrating the
-rather frequent occurrence of carriers. During an epidemic the vast
-majority of patients show the disease as an upper respiratory infection
-of varying degrees of intensity, but which usually subsides after
-periods of from three to five days of fever. Along with this we have
-other graded manifestations of further involvement of the tract with
-laryngitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and all degrees of
-broncho-pneumonia. To prevent the severe lung involvement prompt
-treatment must be carried out, under which rest in bed is by long odds
-the most important. This will be discussed in another paper of this
-series, and was particularly well demonstrated in the results at the
-Naval Hospital as verbally reported to me by D. G. Richey. The
-interesting point is that the infection can be controlled, but this does
-not indicate the etiological factor as different from that acting in the
-more severe cases.
-
-The epidemiological evidence would seem to show very clearly that the
-incubation period is approximately two days, and that a period of six
-weeks is the usual limit for the severe wave of the epidemic in
-different localities. In my opinion, during this period every exposed
-individual in a community has received the influenza bacillus in the
-respiratory tract, and that all the susceptible individuals are attacked
-and show more or less evidence of the infection. As a consequence of
-this general distribution we have great numbers of individuals carrying
-the organism, and the aftermath is to be noted in other and later
-manifestations of the same infection.
-
-Sporadic cases of influenza appear during inter-epidemic periods and
-more or less healthy carriers are frequent. Scheller’s study in
-Königsberg showed, if we can rely on his figures, that the carriers were
-very numerous during an epidemic year (winter 1906-1907), being 24 to 33
-per cent.; that as the epidemic became less widespread (winter
-1907-1908) it fell to 10 to 13 per cent.; as it was disappearing (summer
-1908) he found only 1.5 to 3.3 per cent.; while when the epidemic was
-completely over (winter 1908-1909) there were no carriers of B.
-influenzæ found. These results are taken from studies of sputa and
-throat smears of 138, 218, 155 and 185 cases, respectively, for the
-periods mentioned. The monumental work of Tedesko, who reported the
-results of 1,479 cultures, covering 11 years (1896-1906), would indicate
-that B. influenzæ is continually present in the population. However, in
-carefully analyzing his results, it is very clear that in the great
-majority of his cases it was of definite etiological significance.
-Lobular pneumonia, acute, purulent and chronic bronchitis, and most
-frequently clinical influenza, are the prominent diagnoses in all his
-tables. He was able to grow B. influenzæ repeatedly from individual
-patients for many months.
-
-Lord in similar studies (1902, 1905, 1908) brought out somewhat similar
-facts. He laid particular stress on the cases of chronic bronchitis with
-numerous B. influenzæ in the sputum and a probable confusion of these
-with pulmonary tuberculosis. He was able to follow a number of his
-patients for several years. B. influenzæ was grown in culture from the
-sputum of one of these in 1902; in November, 1903; in February, 1904,
-and in February, 1905. In other cases the organism was shown to be
-present by culture practically continuously for months and even years.
-Lord, with Scott and Nye, in a recently published article (1919)
-reviewed his former results and showed a relatively high incidence of B.
-influenzæ in the respiratory tract of apparently healthy people. Davis
-studied 534 cases, further indicating the prevalence of this organism in
-the community.
-
-The B. influenzæ has been recovered from the respiratory tract during
-the clinically pure influenza, from the sputum and lung in influenzal
-pneumonia, and from the purulent sputum in all grades of bronchitis.
-These should all be looked upon as true infections by the influenza
-bacillus, the varying manifestations merely differing with the
-resistance of the individual. In the epidemic in the fall of 1918
-pneumonia was the outstanding feature. Preceding this in the English
-publications we have reports of outbreaks of purulent bronchitis.
-Macdonald and his co-workers, finding the B. influenzæ frequently
-present, considered the condition as one indication of a virulent
-infection by this organism. Hammond, Rolland and Shore reported similar
-cases, and Abrahams and his co-workers looked upon the cases of purulent
-bronchitis as occupying a position, without any definite line of
-demarcation, between those with definite broncho-pneumonia on the one
-side and those with simple bronchial catarrh on the other. H. E.
-Robertson emphasized the serious nature of influenzal purulent
-bronchitis and the almost epidemic character and rather high mortality
-of the outbreak in the winter and spring of 1917-1918. There were also
-numerous mild outbreaks of influenza before the overwhelming culmination
-of the last three months of 1918, as reported by Orticoni and many
-others and noted by Johnston in this series of papers. Greenwood in an
-epidemiological study emphasized the point, previously made evident by
-Parsons for the pandemic of 1889-1892, that the mass attack is preceded
-by numbers of individual cases. In this country it was noted during the
-winter of 1917-1918 and the following spring that the B. influenzæ was
-rather frequently found in the respiratory infection in our army camps
-(Soper, Cole and MacCallum and others).
-
-It is well recognized that when the actual epidemic struck there were
-comparatively few bacteriologists familiar with the B. influenzæ. The
-real difficulties of isolation, the more favorable media, the facts of
-symbiosis, the importance of carriers, the varying manifestations of the
-infection and many of the other vitally important points, although more
-or less fully reported in the literature, were nevertheless practically
-unknown. It was my own experience, and that of many others. This must be
-seriously considered in analyzing many of the reports on bacteriological
-findings throughout the period of the severe wave and even after.
-
-
- _Results of Others During the Recent Pandemic_
-
-It will be impossible to review the numerous reports on the recent
-epidemic that have appeared. Many of these can be discounted, as far as
-the finding of B. influenzæ is concerned, for the reasons mentioned
-above. The often quoted report of Little, Garofalo and Williams, who did
-not even use a hemoglobin medium, will serve as an example. Little
-attention should be given to others where the large numbers of cases
-precluded the requisite time and media necessary for such a difficult
-problem. Friedlander and his co-workers in their report from Camp
-Sherman made no mention of the number of sputa, throat swabs or
-autopsies which they examined bacteriologically. The incidence of
-influenza showed a total of 10,979 cases, 2,001 of pulmonary œdema or
-pneumonia and 842 deaths. They recorded one culture from the sputum with
-pneumococcus predominating which gave two colonies of B. influenzæ, and
-this bacillus was grown from the lung exudate at one autopsy. Their
-conclusions that “B. influenzæ (Pfeiffer) has not been demonstrated as
-the causative organism” is certainly true from their results, but that
-“the frequency of its detection has not exceeded the frequency of its
-existence under normal conditions” can hardly be considered as
-established, if we accept the many results mentioned above as indicating
-its presence during inter-epidemic times, unless they mean by normal
-conditions practically complete freedom from this organism.
-
-The prevalence of B. influenzæ in various sections of this country may
-be indicated by the following reports chosen from many available ones.
-Keegan, from the First Naval District Hospital, found B. influenzæ 19
-times from 23 in cultures grown from the lungs. In 6 cases these
-cultures were pure. Medalia reported from Camp McArthur the following.
-Out of 2,279 sputa of influenza suspects, 76.8 per cent. showed “B.
-influenzæ” in smears, and 445 sputa from cases of broncho-pneumonia
-showed it in 54 per cent. It was found in culture in only 10.6 per cent.
-of these last cases. He considered sputum smears of practical diagnostic
-help. He further grew B. influenzæ twice from the blood during life,
-once with a pneumococcus and once alone. Necropsy cultures gave B.
-influenzæ in 2 of 3 cultures from the brain, 19 of 34 from the heart, 19
-of 36 from the spleen, 54 of 65 from both lungs, 50 of 62 from the right
-pleura and 47 of 62 from the left pleura. The percentage of positive
-results ranged from 53 in the spleen to 83 in the lungs. Nuzum and his
-associates only found B. influenzæ in 4 of 100 cases from the bronchial
-secretions, but it is interesting to note that he grew it in practically
-pure culture from both lungs of one case at autopsy. Synnott and Clark
-in Camp Dix found streptococci and pneumococci predominating, and,
-although making no particular effort to study the B. influenzæ or
-determine its frequency, they found it in the majority of cases when it
-was looked for. Blanton and Irons reported as follows from Camp Custer.
-From cultures of the nose and throat of 357 examined before the epidemic
-struck, B. influenzæ was found in 5.1 per cent.; in 366 throat cultures
-of influenza cases without physical signs of pneumonia the same organism
-was grown in 44, or 8 per cent.; sputa typed for pneumococci 740 times
-from influenza cases with pneumonia gave isolations of B. influenzæ 38
-times, or 5 per cent.—8 times alone, but here it should be remarked that
-these latter isolations were only attempted after the organism was
-suspected from the morphological picture of the smears; from 280
-autopsies B. influenzæ was recovered 8 times from the lung and 3 times
-from the heart’s blood. This report covered the period from the outbreak
-of the epidemic, October 5 (or as given by Soper, September 30) to
-October 22, at the outside a period of 22 days. During this time 366
-throat cultures, 510 blood cultures, 740 sputa typed for pneumococci,
-280 autopsies with cultures from both lung and heart’s blood, made a
-total of primary cultures of well over 2,000. The technical difficulties
-would make it almost impossible to handle such a mass of material and
-get reliable results for the incidence of B. influenzæ.
-
-Brem, Bolling and Casper in Camp Fremont found B. influenzæ in 259 from
-537 selected cases in swabs from the nasopharynx. It was also noted in a
-fair number of other examinations. Opie and his co-workers found B.
-influenzæ to be very frequent at Camp Pike. Spooner, Scott and Heath
-isolated B. influenzæ at Camp Devens from the sputa of 104 cases, from
-nasopharyngeal swabs in 11 out of 18 attempts and from the pleural fluid
-8 times out of 45, twice pure. From 37 autopsies they found B. influenzæ
-in 23 and in pure culture in at least 1 lobe of the lung in 16. From 82
-blood cultures at autopsy B. influenzæ was recovered twice. Nichols and
-Stimmel studied lung punctures during life and grew the B. influenzæ
-from 7 out of 10 attempts, 5 times in pure culture. Stone and Swift at
-Fort Riley found B. influenzæ in 18.7 per cent. of 928 sputa and in 5.2
-per cent. of 77 sputa from fatal cases. He recovered it from autopsy
-material; 21 times from 51 lungs, once alone; twice from 26 pleural
-fluids; twice from 30 heart bloods; 19 times from the sinuses of 40, and
-9 times from the ear and mastoid of 17 cases.
-
-Lamb and Brannin at Camp Cody examined 80 typical cases early in the
-epidemic. They found B. influenzæ predominated in 46 per cent. being
-present with pneumococci on 41 per cent. of the plates. They also grew
-the influenza bacillus from a fair number of other cases.
-
-Wollstein and Goldbloom in the Babies Hospital of the City of New York
-found the B. influenzæ in 13 of 17 sputa during life and in both lungs
-of all 18 autopsies as well as in the heart’s blood of one. Kotz found
-it in half of his 30 cases. Pritchett and Stillman grew the influenza
-bacillus from 41 of 49 cases of influenza, from 40 of 43 cases of
-influenza with broncho-pneumonia, from all of six other
-broncho-pneumonia cases and from 11 of 20 cases of lobar pneumonia,
-making a total of 98 positive findings from 118 or 82 per cent. They
-further found 25 positives from 54 convalescent and 74 from 177 normal
-sputa. Wolbach found this organism in pure culture in one or more lobes
-of the lungs of 9 from 23 cultured cases. It was demonstrated in 23 of
-28 either by culture or in section.
-
-Similar results are to be found in reports from Great Britain. Martin
-noted a great increase in the numbers present as the sputum became more
-purulent. Hicks and Gray found B. influenzæ by culture in 75 per cent.
-of their cases. They were seen in direct smears in only 70 per cent.
-Gotch and Wittingham considered M. catarrhalis to be the etiological
-factor as it was found in all of their 50 cases. B. influenzæ was grown
-in 8 per cent., although B. influenzæ-like bacilli, were seen in 62 per
-cent. of their smears. Averill, Young and Griffiths studied the sputum
-from 41 cases and found B. influenzæ in 32. It is interesting that
-Macdonald and Lyth determined the incubation period to be 41 hours as a
-minimum in their own experience and that from the posterior nares of one
-of them B. influenzæ was obtained.
-
-Schofield and Cynn found the B. influenzæ in Korea. Kraus in Brazil
-found it in the sputum in 62 per cent. of his cases of influenza. It was
-also found in the organs of 27 who had died, being in pure culture in
-five. It has further been found in France, Italy and practically all
-parts of the world where investigations have been made. The German
-literature is at present only available in the report of the British
-Medical Research Committee which is written in a more or less popular
-manner with a rather strong tendency against the importance of B.
-influenzæ. Dietrich, Simmonds, Bergmann and others, however, found B.
-influenzæ rather frequently. Such quotations as “Uhlenhuth, a diehard of
-bacteriologic orthodoxy, has clearly shown signs of uneasiness” and “one
-empyema and one throat swab yielded the looked for growth” will indicate
-why this review is of little use. It is certainly necessary to “look
-for” the B. influenzæ to get results of any worth.
-
-Secondary, ancillary or symbiotic bacteria are of cardinal importance in
-these infections. It has been considered by some writers as
-characteristic for the influenza bacillus to be followed so frequently
-with such a variety of secondary invaders. Sahli looked upon the complex
-of B. influenzæ, pneumococcus and streptococcus as the true etiological
-cause of influenza. Abrahams and his associates discussed the symbiotic
-effect of the B. influenzæ in raising the virulence of pneumococci
-previously present in the patient and many other investigators lay
-stress on these symbiotic relationships.
-
-Pneumococci appear to be the commonest of these secondary
-micro-organisms judging from the various published reports, but the fact
-must not be overlooked that, particularly in America, the typing of
-pneumococci has drawn a disproportionate attention to this group.
-Hemolytic streptococci have received much attention (Ely and his
-co-workers and several others). M. catarrhalis (Gotch and Wittingham and
-several of the British writers), members of the B. mucosus capsulatus
-group (Nichols and Stimmel, Rucker and Wenner), staphylococcus aureus
-(Patrick), various ill-defined streptococci (Rosenow and several British
-writers), capsulated cocci apparently different from pneumococci, B.
-pestislike forms and many others have been given more or less attention,
-often as clearly recognized secondary infections, but not infrequently
-as of primary significance.
-
-B. influenzæ, however, is the organism most regularly found in this
-pandemic where carefully looked for, and the evidence of its lowering
-the general resistance to bacterial invasion is very strong. The
-experiments of Ghedini and Fedeli showing the effect of the toxine on
-muscular tone and those of Ghedini and Breccia who found a similar
-effect on blood vessels are worthy of note.
-
-The fact that the flora differs so widely in various regions is what one
-might expect and many investigators have emphasized the significance of
-this. Bacteria in the mouth and throat are readily transmitted from
-individual to individual and under the conditions in the training camps
-and our modern life, the development of local flora is not surprising.
-That it is of very great importance is recognized by all and it is often
-a determining factor in the severity of the infection. Nevertheless,
-influenza in this pandemic has been almost equally severe whatever the
-secondary organism may have been.
-
-I have discussed in another place the suggestion of the stimulating
-effect of various bacteria on the growth and toxine production of B.
-influenzæ. Huntoon showed the effect of hemolytic streptococci in
-cultures to be helpful in toxine production. An important point,
-however, is that no one bacterium has been shown to be exclusive in thus
-affecting the growth on media of the influenza bacillus, and in the
-animal experiments in raising the invasive and pathogenic power of this
-organism the same appears to be true. The infection in influenza, in the
-vast majority of cases, rapidly becomes a mixed one. The secondary
-organisms at times completely dominating the field, at least as far as
-numbers go, most frequently invade the blood stream and it would appear
-often play the important role in many of the secondary conditions.
-
-
- _Chronic Infections_
-
-B. influenzæ is a frequent finding in the sputum of patients with
-chronic bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis and other chronic conditions
-in the respiratory tract. Boggs recovered this bacillus from two cases
-of bronchiectasis, Richards and Gurd had a similar case and Tedesko
-reported several. The literature is filled with references to the
-finding of B. influenzæ in cases of chronic bronchitis. Those reported
-by Lord, Madison and Tedesko quoted above will serve as examples. The
-frequent positive cultures in cases of pulmonary tuberculosis so often
-referred to in reviews of the literature and the significance of these
-findings, as pointed out by Scheller, are important as bearing on the
-much debated subject of the effect of influenza on this disease. These
-types of chronic infection by the influenza bacillus should be more
-generally recognized as they undoubtedly will become more numerous
-following this last epidemic if we can judge from the experience of the
-past.
-
-
- _Infections of the Pleura_
-
-The recovery of B. influenzæ from the pleural cavity is not uncommon as
-is shown in the above review. The findings of MacCallum, Cole and others
-during the spring of 1918 are particularly interesting. Beall in 1906
-reported a case of empyema with large quantities of green pus in which
-B. influenzæ was found in pure culture.
-
-
- _Sinuses of the Head_
-
-Infection of the accessory sinuses of the head has long been recognized
-as occurring in influenza. Frankel found B. influenzæ in 4 from 40
-infected antra. Lindenthal, who was particularly interested in the
-question of sporadic influenza, found the bacillus in one or more of the
-head sinuses in six of eight carefully studied cases. He considered that
-the B. influenzæ remained in these areas during inter-epidemic times and
-from hence caused the sporadic outbreaks of influenza. Howard and
-Ingersoll reviewed the literature up to 1898 and grew B. influenzæ from
-one of three acute antral diseases. They did not find it, however, in 12
-chronic cases. Clemens believed the influenza bacillus to be present in
-the sinuses rather frequently in cases where it was overgrown or
-difficult to culture from the lower respiratory secretions. Moszkowski
-grew it in one case from the pus of the antrum. Tedesko recorded several
-positive results and many others are reported in the literature.
-
-The two cases reported by Lacy (1918), the findings during the present
-epidemic by Stone and Swift of B. influenzæ in 13 of 28 sphenoidal and 6
-of 12 ethmoidal sinuses cultured at necropsy, those by Spooner, Scott
-and Heath, of B. influenzæ in four frontal sinuses and in eight
-sphenoidal, and the recovery by Wolbach of B. influenzæ in cultures from
-the sinuses in certain cases where the lung cultures were negative,
-emphasize the importance and frequency of the infection by this organism
-in these cavities. Keegan, who laid particular stress on lung punctures
-and autopsy examinations, pointed out that in throat cultures the
-probability that the influenza focus is often not in the pharynx but in
-some recess of the nasal cavity.
-
-H. E. Robertson in the spring of 1918 reported the infection of the
-sinuses in seven cases of tracheo-bronchitis with patches of
-broncho-pneumonia and the growth of B. influenzæ from sphenoid, ethmoid
-or frontal sinuses of all these cases. He also found this organism in
-the sphenoid of six cases dying with various diseases as well as in two
-accident cases with death under 24 hours. The importance of these
-results was laid stress on by the author, not only on account of the
-probable toxic absorption and the general menace of spread, but, more
-particularly, because such individuals, acting as carriers, could
-furnish foci for the spread of epidemics.
-
-
- _Eye and Ear_
-
-Infections of the eye by the influenza bacillus are quite common. This
-subject is fully discussed by Axenfeld (text-book, “The Bacteriology of
-the Eye”). Giani and Picchi found it in the eye in 66 per cent. of
-influenza cases, in 90 per cent. of epidemic conjunctivitis, and in the
-normal eye of 5.8 per cent. Wynekoop, in 1903, reported having found
-this organism in cases of conjunctivitis in 1899. Guiral, in the recent
-epidemic, found influenza bacillus constantly present in the secretions
-in cases of what seemed to be Week’s conjunctivitis. Ulceration of the
-cornea was rather common. One such case is mentioned in which there was
-no pain in the eyes, but general symptoms of influenza. The middle ear
-is also sometimes infected. Between the report of Kossel in 1893 and
-that of Stone and Swift in 1918, who found the middle ear and mastoid to
-contain B. influenzæ in 8 of 17 cases, there have been many references
-in the literature to this complication by the influenza bacillus. The
-evidence indicates, however, that in the middle ear, as in the pleural
-cavity, the secondary bacteria are far more often the important ones.
-
-
- _Meninges_
-
-Influenzal meningitis seems to stand by itself as a manifestation of the
-pathogenic effects of B. influenzæ. The literature is too voluminous to
-review in this place, but the evidence would seem to point to a more
-invasive and pathogenic type of this organism, if not to a separate
-member of the group.
-
-
- _Invasion of the Blood Stream_
-
-The evidence in clinical influenza would suggest at times a bacteremia
-in addition to the severe toxemia, which is such a constant feature of
-the disease. Simultaneously with the discovery of B. influenzæ, Canon
-reported finding bacilli of similar morphology in blood smears, but was
-unable to grow them, and it would appear at least doubtful that he was
-dealing with the influenza bacillus. Meunier is probably the first who
-grew this organism from the blood. He recovered it from 8 blood cultures
-out of 10 in cases of broncho-pneumonia following measles, and in one
-other case of broncho-pneumonia. A very full discussion of this question
-is to be found in Canon’s book on “The Bacteriology of the Blood in
-Infectious Diseases.” Of particular interest are the results of Ghedini,
-who made a careful study of 28 influenza patients. B. influenzæ was
-grown from the blood in 18 of these at the height of the fever, while in
-the 10 negative cases the disease was milder or the blood was taken only
-after the temperature had fallen. The amount of blood used was 20-30
-c.c., and it was cultured in lecithin broth. In practically all of his
-cases several cultures were taken, and in a number of the positive cases
-negative results were obtained both before and after the acme of the
-fever. He also grew the bacillus from 8 of 14 spleen punctures of these
-patients. Madison (1910) reported the recovery of this bacillus from the
-blood of a patient with a primary broncho-pneumonia who recovered. This
-author also used about 30 c.c. of blood. Thursfield, in 1910, also
-reported two cases of B. influenzæ bacteremia in which the organisms
-were recovered at the height of the temperature. One had influenza, the
-other phlebitis, and both recovered. Tedesko and several others have
-found it in the heart’s blood in many cases, more especially in
-broncho-pneumonia after measles.
-
-During the present epidemic the positive cultures of this bacillus from
-the blood have been rather infrequent. J. S. Fleming had 2; 2 are quoted
-in the report of the Influenza Committee of the Advisory Board to the D.
-G. M. S. (Peters and Cookson); Medalia had 2 during life and 19 of 34 at
-autopsy; Orticoni, Barbie and Leclerc in 5 of 10 blood cultures in one
-series, and 7 of 19 in another; Stone and Swift 2 at autopsy; McKeekin,
-in Australia, influenza-like bacilli in 4; Blanton and Irons three times
-in the heart’s blood, one of these pure; Spooner, Scott and Heath twice
-in the heart’s blood at autopsy, and Wollstein and Goldbloom from the
-heart’s blood in one child. In the majority of these findings the
-bacillus was not found in pure culture. Abrahams and his associates
-found the B. influenzæ along with a pneumococcus and M. catarrhalis from
-the heart’s blood in one case. In our positive blood culture there was
-evidence of the same mixture being present.
-
-Before drawing sweeping conclusions against the invasion of the blood by
-B. influenzæ it must be remembered that the quantity of blood used has
-been generally only about 10 c.c., and often much less, the difficulty
-of observing growth if the culture is pure has been largely overlooked,
-the use of more favorable media than blood agar and the possible
-inhibitory action of influenzal blood, as suggested by Wittingham and
-Sims, Rivers and others, has not been considered, and further that
-sufficient care has not been exercised to obtain blood at the most
-favorable period in the disease. It may be recalled that the problem is
-quite similar to that of demonstrating the organisms in the blood in
-patients with streptococcus viridans bacteremia.
-
-All the available evidence, however, points to the invasion of the blood
-in influenzal infections as being a very fleeting one. Unless this is
-true, it would be surprising in the many hundreds of blood cultures
-which have been taken in the concentrated study of patients during the
-recent pandemic, if more successful cultures had not been obtained.
-General infections with localization of B. influenzæ in different parts
-of the body are here of interest—such as that reported by Slawyk and
-others. Whether the strains causing meningitis, and which apparently
-more frequently invade the blood, are really different members of the
-hemophilic group or only forms with a higher invasive power is still, I
-believe, an open question.
-
-
- _Endocarditis_
-
-In endocarditis the B. influenzæ is probably, after streptococci, the
-organism most frequently isolated from the blood. Rosenthal from heart’s
-blood at autopsy, Schlangenhaufer, Jehle two cases, Horder (1907) six
-cases, and who believed he was the first to isolate B. influenzæ from
-the blood, Tedesko in a number at autopsy, Spat, F. J. Smith, Saathoff,
-Libman four cases, Sacquepee, McPhedran, Mann, Rainaford and Warren
-three cultures from two patients, and a number of others all bear
-witness to its frequency.
-
-Other organs of the body are sometimes found to contain B. influenzæ.
-Adrian, Schultes, Basile and Tedesko have all recovered this organism
-from the diseased appendix. Several years ago a bacillus, considered, to
-be B. influenzæ, was grown from the pus of an appendix abscess in our
-laboratories. Wright found it in pyelonephrosis. Klieneberger found
-influenza-like bacilli in cases of cystitis. Menko reported the bacillus
-from orchitis, and Cohn found numerous influenza-like bacilli in the
-discharge from urethritis. Meunier found it in pure culture in a case of
-osteoperiostitis. Huyghe, Besancon and Griffon recovered it from
-infected joints, as did Pacchioni in a general infection. Weil found it
-in the pus about the hip joint one month after an attack of influenza.
-This short review serves to illustrate that the influenza bacillus,
-although generally limited to infections in the respiratory tract, is,
-nevertheless, capable of infecting other parts.
-
-
- _Immunity—Phagocytosis_
-
-Phagocytosis of the B. influenzæ has been very frequently noted in the
-study of sputum smears. It has been observed, moreover, that this
-phenomenon occurs most frequently when the patient is on the road to
-recovery (Pfeiffer, Martin, and others), and it may indicate an
-important reaction on the part of the body to this organism. Tunnicliff
-in a recent report, however, did not find the opsonic index to be raised
-above the normal in her patients, and Tunnicliff and Davis had
-difficulty with a spontaneous phagocytosis of this bacillus. This
-difficulty was to a large extent absent in her later study.
-
-
- _Agglutination_
-
-Agglutination tests have been used by many investigators in attempts to
-determine a specific reaction in the sera of persons suffering from
-influenza. Such reactions develop, as we know, against secondary
-infecting bacteria, so that unqualified conclusions cannot be drawn that
-agglutinins in the sera of patients against B. influenzæ indicate the
-etiological importance of this organism. Vagedes using a dilution of
-1-50 found 8 positives among 27 patients tested. Lord found the test
-most inconstant. Ghedini obtained useful results by using serum in
-dilutions 1-20 to 1-30, and had 17 positives from 28 influenza cases. He
-found agglutinins present three to four days after the height of the
-infection, and noted that the sera became practically normal after three
-to four weeks. Fichtner, although he obtained agglutination with sera of
-influenza patients in high dilutions (1-100 and 1-750), found his
-controls were often agglutinated, and consequently drew no conclusions.
-Wollstein (1906) did a series of agglutination tests, using various
-strains of B. influenzæ. The sera of patients she found very
-unsatisfactory, but by immunizing rabbits with this organism she
-obtained sera with titres up to 1 in 400. She could find no differences
-among the various strains studied. Somewhat similar results were
-obtained by her in 1915 working with strains from the meninges and the
-respiratory tract. Odaira carried out a rather extensive series of
-tests, using immunized rabbit sera and a special method of making his
-bacterial emulsions. He was able to distinguish B. influenzæ from both
-B. pertussis and the so-called Cohen’s bacillus of meningitis.
-Friedberger’s dog bacillus, however, could not be differentiated from B.
-influenzæ by this means. A. Fleming during the recent epidemic had good
-results with the sera of 21 patients. He incubated at 50° C. for two
-hours. He also used sera of immunized rabbits and got marked
-agglutination against the homologous strain, but varying results with
-other strains. He noted some strains agglutinated readily, while others
-did not. Eyre and Lowe noted an increase in agglutinins in the sera of
-people vaccinated against the influenza bacillus. Couret and Herbert
-could distinguish two types and a possible third among their strains.
-Park and his co-workers found numerous types by means of agglutination.
-Absorption of agglutinins was found helpful by these last two workers.
-There are so many factors capable of altering the sensitiveness of
-bacteria to agglutination, as in the well-known experiments of Neufeld,
-that we must recognize that much work is still to be done before we can
-properly interpret the results of these agglutination tests.
-
-
- _Binding of Complement_
-
-Complement fixation tests were carried out by Odaira but his results
-were much less satisfactory than those he obtained by means of
-agglutination. Rapaport made an extensive study of this test, using the
-sera of patients in various stages of convalescence. Three hundred and
-fifteen convalescents showed 54.5 per cent. positive while 300 controls
-only gave 9.5 per cent. positive results. Most of the positive cases
-were in patients three to five days after their illness, but the
-reaction was found in convalescents after from 1 to 45 days. Sera from
-acutely ill patients at times showed negative or slightly positive
-reactions but these same sera after keeping for some days and retesting
-often gave strongly positive results. This would appear to be a
-promising field for investigation.
-
-
- _Anaphylaxis_
-
-Hypersensitiveness was noted by W. F. Robertson in chronic infections
-with B. influenzæ. Wollacott in a letter to the British Medical Journal
-suggested that the severity of the recent outbreak of influenza may
-possibly be due to the development of a state of anaphylaxis. There
-would seem to be at least some evidence in favor of such a view in the
-fact that the severe outbreak was preceded by epidemics of a milder form
-of influenza and that the influenza bacillus was probably widely spread
-during this time. Greenwood, as quoted above, noted that primary cases
-always precede the mass attack. Of course, the term anaphylaxis has been
-used to explain almost everything. Nevertheless, the theory is
-interesting. The skin tests which we did for hypersensitiveness were, as
-I have noted above, negative but there is a possibility that the failure
-of the reaction may indicate a higher resistance or even an antitoxin,
-now that the bacillus can be classed as a toxicogenic one.
-Anti-influenza sera have been produced by a few investigators (Latapie,
-Wollstein) but have not found any practical application during this
-pandemic. Vaccination is discussed elsewhere in these studies.
-
-
- _Experiments on the Human_
-
-There has never been in the history of medicine so many experiments on
-human beings as have been carried out in the attempts to discover the
-etiological factor in the recent pandemic of influenza. Davis has called
-attention to a successful human inoculation with pure cultures of B.
-influenzæ which he performed in 1906. During the present investigation
-at least 200 men have volunteered as experimental subjects, and the
-results of many different methods of attempting to transmit the disease,
-have been disappointing and inconclusive. I will not attempt to review
-the reports at present available, as a great deal of the work done has
-not yet appeared in print. The important point is that the results do
-not affect the various views held as to the causative agent in pandemic
-influenza nor the massive evidence for transmission of the disease under
-natural epidemic conditions.
-
-It is my opinion, as expressed above, that practically all of the
-population are rapidly infected during such a pandemic as we have had.
-The resistant have escaped, and it would appear to be very difficult to
-break down this resistance. The human experiment carried out by
-Pettenkofer on himself and his assistant with vibrion choleræ is an
-example, but we have numerous others demonstrating the same kind of
-phenomena in most of our diseases of established bacterial origin. In
-diphtheria we have an explanation in the varying antitoxic content of
-the sera, but we really know very little of what are the actual factors
-in preventing or determining infection among exposed individuals in the
-natural history of most diseases. The reports of Leonard Hill and Gregor
-are well worth reading in this connection, as well as the editorial in
-the same number of the British Medical Journal. We are not in a position
-to be very dogmatic on the causes of epidemics. The mere presence of the
-bacteria or any other living virus is not in itself sufficient to
-explain the phenomenon, and one of the chief objects of this paper is to
-indicate from the collected facts, that in the words of Flexner, “the
-case against the influenza bacillus is not proved.”
-
-
- _Conclusions_
-
-1. B. influenzæ is one of a group of hemophilic bacteria and there are
-probably strains of this organism which may be differentiated which will
-lead to further subdivisions of the group.
-
-2. B. influenzæ as we understand it today, is distinguished by its
-morphological and staining characters; its requiring hemoglobin in some
-form for its development; its showing symbiotic reactions with other
-bacteria which stimulate its growth; the production of a toxine and its
-usual low pathogenicity for animals.
-
-3. The media found most favorable for its growth are those containing
-blood with the hemoglobin content altered in certain ways, (1) by
-heating, (2) the addition of various chemicals, (3) by the action of
-other bacteria or their products. The heated blood agar I have found to
-be a most efficient and readily prepared medium.
-
-4. Since B. influenzæ is so difficult to isolate, it is necessary to be
-very cautious in interpreting results unless the greatest effort has
-been made to demonstrate the presence of this organism.
-
-5. B. influenzæ should be considered, from the evidence at hand, as the
-bacterial causative agent in epidemic influenza, and it should be
-recognized that secondary infections following the primary attack by
-this organism are both frequent and important. This view I believe the
-logical one, unless much more convincing evidence than we have today may
-demonstrate another more probable living virus as the cause.
-
-6. B. influenzæ is a frequent etiological factor in purulent and chronic
-bronchitis, broncho-pneumonia and other acute and chronic respiratory
-infections, in meningitis, endocarditis, sinusitis, conjunctivitis and
-other conditions, as well as in complications of many other diseases.
-
-7. There are many carriers of the bacillus among our population, both in
-apparently normal individuals and in those suffering from chronic
-infections of bronchi, sinuses or other parts.
-
-8. The problem of what constitutes resistance or susceptibility to this
-infection are as far from solution as they are in most other respiratory
-diseases, and the attempts to explain the reasons for epidemics have
-been as futile as they are for meningitis and many other respiratory
-epidemics.
-
-9. It would not appear that the immunological reaction against this
-infection has been discovered, but the possibility of its being of an
-antitoxic nature opens an interesting field for investigation.
-
-
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-
-
-
-
- THE PATHOLOGY OF EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA
-
- By OSKAR KLOTZ, M. D., C. M.
-
-
-The discussion to be entered into in this report will be limited to an
-experience dealing with epidemic influenza as it was met with in the
-emergency Military Hospital in Pittsburgh. We shall largely confine our
-attention to the observations which came directly under our supervision,
-and in as much as this investigation was continued during the epidemic
-as it swept over this district, the intensive study was limited to a
-time period of about five weeks. During this period much material was
-collected, which since then, has taken us a considerable time to
-analyze. We have thought it more valuable to restrict our discussion to
-this material in that it illustrates the pathological lesions as they
-occurred during the acute stage of the disease. We have not entered upon
-a discussion of the sequelæ or the chronic lesions which are not
-uncommonly found following in the wake of an acute epidemic nor do we
-deal with the lesions arising in cases of sporadic influenza, such as
-are always with us. As is so well illustrated in the literature, there
-is probably no disease which has so many late complications and sequelæ
-as influenza. The investigations upon the protean lesions have been
-fully reported in numerous papers during the intervals between
-epidemics. A comprehensive bibliography upon influenza will be found at
-the end of the extensive report by Leichtenstern (1905). There is very
-much less accurate information available upon the actual lesions present
-during the acute disease when present in epidemic or pandemic form, than
-upon the many clinical complications in various systems and organs. In
-fact, our knowledge of the pathology of influenza lies more largely in
-the field of associated lesions such as the late events in the bronchi,
-the sinuses of the head, abscesses, meningitis and other conditions,
-rather to be viewed as complications than as portions of the disease.
-There are relatively few thorough pathological analyses of the influenza
-lesions as they are found in the acute epidemic disease.
-
-A fair literature has already appeared upon epidemic influenza from the
-many countries and regions over which the present pandemic (1918) has
-swept. These reports by various authors are offered from different
-viewpoints, some investigators being impressed with certain features
-which they bring into marked prominence in their reports. It thus
-happens that up to the present there is a decided lack of uniformity in
-the opinions expressed upon different phases of the subject. The nature
-of the pathology of the past epidemic has given rise to many expressions
-of opinion as well as dogmatic statements, which are found to differ
-from those of others. It seems to us that this apparent confusion arises
-partly through the somewhat different characteristics of the disease as
-it has made its appearance in different centers. We hear it repeatedly
-stated that the types found in different military camps and urban
-communities were quite unlike those of other regions. It is evident that
-such differences in the clinical course actually did exist and that the
-epidemic though having a common foundation upon which the disease
-process was built differed in what might be looked upon as symbiotic
-complications during the early and acute stages. Differences in the
-nature of the findings in various communities also probably lay in the
-fact that the bacterial flora associated with the causative agent of
-influenza was quite different in different regions. We mention this here
-so that a full appreciation will be obtained for the differences in the
-pathological characters of the disease as they are found in one region
-or another. We appreciate, of course, that if the concomitant bacterial
-flora associated with the underlying cause of influenza, differs in
-different regions, so, too, will the bodily reactions differ within
-certain degrees. We are becoming more familiar with different types of
-bacteria, and the resulting inflammatory reaction which is often unique
-or at least particular, and that not uncommonly the nature of the
-inflammatory process suggests the type of bacterium involved. This
-argument, of course, must not be driven too far, for we well know that
-the same micro-organisms under different conditions can cause types of
-inflammatory reactions wholly divergent.
-
-In as much as our observations are confined to a particular group of
-cases and the study of these was undertaken during the five weeks of the
-acute epidemic, these results are not to be compared with the collected
-statistics on influenza as they shall be made over a period beginning
-with the onset of the epidemic and ending with the last vestiges
-remaining after months or it may be years of time. Our observations are
-to be considered only in the light of the events taking place during the
-height of an epidemic wave. In as much as influenza presents itself
-during an epidemic in different forms, we shall again mainly limit the
-report upon our investigations of those cases having respiratory
-lesions. Our acute observations were made upon the tissues of those who
-had died of this disease. It is impossible, or nearly so, to fully study
-the tissues of those with lesser lesions and who recover. Hence, if we
-divide the influenza cases into those (1) without pulmonary lesions and
-(2) those with pulmonary lesions, we must state that all of our cases
-coming to autopsy fall in the second group. It is true that one of these
-having pulmonary lesions was not brought to his fatal termination by
-them but by a septicæmia arising in the middle ear. He had distinct
-lesions in his lungs. In other words, our autopsy material represents
-epidemic influenza in which the lung was definitely involved in an
-inflammatory state. In all but one of these the pulmonary lesion was the
-cause of death.
-
-No doubt, if opportunity had presented itself to follow a large epidemic
-through months of its progress, during which late complications in
-various portions of the body would make their appearance, our analysis
-would give a different picture and the pulmonary factor for the fatal
-termination would not be in such prominence.
-
-Of the first group, those cases of epidemic influenza not showing
-pulmonary lesions, we will have very little to say, in as much as the
-pathological investigations of them is impossible, or nearly so, during
-the height of the disease.
-
-Such cases apparently do not die at this period. I am willing to admit
-that individuals without pulmonary involvement may succumb, but I
-question whether their death has been due to the result of the
-influenzal lesions, be it in nose, pharynx, larynx or trachea, or be it
-in the intestine, but rather that the fatal termination occurred later
-in the course of this complex disease, when distant vital organs became
-involved or incapacitated in a toxemia or secondary bacterial invasion.
-We must clearly distinguish these cases from the clear-cut ones of
-epidemic influenza, looking upon the new circumstances as complications
-aside from the original disease. Such, for example, is the case we have
-mentioned where a fatal streptococcus bacteriæmia followed in the wake
-of an otitis media. In our experience we have not had a fatal case of
-the acute epidemic disease in which the lung was not involved.
-
-In types of epidemic disease such as we have just had, where the
-epidemic wave has passed over in a period of four or five weeks, there
-is always much to be regretted which has been left undone. We tried as
-far as possible to gain all the information available at the time of
-collecting our materials and of laying aside such of the work which
-could be accomplished at a subsequent date. The materials were collected
-from divergent sources in the cadaver, and the more perishable
-substances were analyzed immediately. During the period of the epidemic
-32 autopsies were performed and as much use as possible was made of each
-for a thorough comprehension of the lesions.
-
-
- _Materials_
-
-During the period of our work 639 patients were admitted to the hospital
-suffering from clinical influenza. The cases varied in type from the
-very mild to the extremely ill. The majority of the cases were of the
-type of “three-day fever.” Clinically 81 cases developed pneumonia, and
-of these, 35 died. It would, of course, be impossible to say how many
-other individuals had a pulmonary involvement which could not be
-recognized clinically. In fact, some of the cases which did come to
-autopsy were only recognized as having a pulmonary involvement when the
-lungs were examined outside of the body. The physicians freely admitted
-that the physical signs were quite unusual and unlike those of the
-ordinary forms of pneumonia. In fact, except for the fact that we were
-living in the midst of an epidemic of respiratory infections, there was
-nothing to make the clinician suspect that many of these cases had a
-pulmonary involvement. Obviously, when the recognized signs of different
-types of pneumonia made their appearance, the clinician did not fail to
-make proper interpretation of the lung involvement. This, as we shall
-discuss later, is an event superadded to a lung condition which
-pathologically must be recognized as pneumonia (inflammation) and which
-differs so decidedly from what we know of as croupous or lobar
-pneumonia, as well as ordinary broncho-pneumonia that it would be
-incorrect to include them under this heading, although the distribution
-of the lesion may have lobar, bronchial or lobular characters.
-
-
- TABLE I
-
- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- DATE 1918 PATIENTS PATIENTS CASES IN DEATHS
- ADMITTED DISCHARGED HOSPITAL
- ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
- October 5 65 0 65 0
- 〃 6 23 0 88 0
- 〃 7 61 0 149 0
- 〃 8 77 0 225 1
- 〃 9 42 1 266 0
- 〃 10 35 1 300 0
- 〃 11 9 0 307 2
- 〃 12 2 16 290 3
- 〃 13 10 0 298 2
- 〃 14 1 18 278 3
- 〃 15 4 13 266 3
- 〃 16 9 23 248 4
- 〃 17 10 19 235 4
- 〃 18 16 34 217 0
- 〃 19 38 29 225 1
- 〃 20 27 0 252 0
- 〃 21 37 43 245 1
- 〃 22 33 7 270 0
- 〃 23 14 20 263 2
- 〃 24 20 17 266 0
- 〃 25 27 21 272 0
- 〃 26 10 29 250 0
- 〃 27 18 3 265 1
- 〃 28 10 31 243 3
- 〃 29 6 16 231 0
- 〃 30 11 27 215 1
- 〃 31 2 15 202 2
- November 1 2 18 185 0
- 〃 2 4 18 170 1
- 〃 3 5 1 174 0
- 〃 4 2 19 156 1
- 〃 5 5 0 161 0
- 〃 6 4 16 149 0
- ——— ——
- Admissions. 639 35
- ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-The individuals admitted to this hospital were obtained from the two
-military camps at the University of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie School
-of Technology. All of them were enrolled in the army service and ranged
-from the ages of 18 to 30. They were vigorous individuals, who had
-passed their physical examinations for the army. The epidemic made its
-appearance in these camps on October 2, rapidly ascending from a report
-of two ill on October 2, four on October 3, eight on October 4, to 65 on
-October 5. On October 11 there were 307 cases in the hospital.
-
-Of these cases 35 died, the day of death being indicated in the
-following table.
-
-
- TABLE II
-
- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════╤═══════════════════════
- DAY OF DISEASE ON WHICH DEATH OCCURRED │ NUMBER OF CASES
- ───────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────
- Third │ 1
- Fourth │ 3
- Fifth │ 4
- Sixth │ 4
- Seventh │ 4
- Eighth │ 5
- Ninth │ 3
- Tenth │ 4
- Eleventh │ 3
- Thirteenth │ 1
- Fourteenth │ 1
- Twentieth │ 1
- Twenty-third │ 1
- ───────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────
-
-The time as indicated in the above table has no relation to the length
-of time that the patients were ill of pneumonia, but refer to the period
-of illness from the beginning of the influenza. The duration of the
-pneumonia is indicated in another table.
-
-Of the 35 fatal cases 32 came to autopsy. Facilities were available to
-do the work very satisfactorily, in that the hospital was well provided
-with a modern post-mortem room and its accessories. The notes on the
-autopsies were taken immediately and fully, and the materials for
-subsequent study were collected in different types of preserving fluid.
-Portions of tissue were collected from all of the organs for
-microscopical study, while fluids from the chest, lungs, bronchi and
-heart were obtained for bacteriological investigations and for some
-chemical analyses.
-
-Added to the above material we also had the opportunity of reviewing and
-studying the lesions of 18 autopsies performed by Dr. J. W. McMeans.
-These cases were very similar to our own series, in that they were cases
-of epidemic influenza amongst soldiers who were being cared for at the
-St. Francis Hospital. The disease processes were quite alike in the two
-series, and the analyses made by Dr. McMeans are comparable in our own
-and serve as a means of checking our results obtained in another
-institution. The similarity of the lesions in the lungs and other organs
-serve to indicate that what is reported in this paper is an index of the
-nature of the lesions of epidemic influenza as it occurred in the
-Pittsburgh district. In a few instances the autopsies performed by Dr.
-McMeans revealed more advanced pulmonary lesions with abscess and
-gangrene than were noted in the cases autopsied at the Military
-Hospital. The process, however, in the two series of autopsies was
-identical.
-
-
- _General External Features_
-
-There were no external characteristics of the bodies which were
-autopsied by us which were constant. Some features were more commonly
-present than others. Of these the cyanosis of the face, head, neck and
-shoulders, and in a few instances of the upper extremities, attracted
-our attention more than any other. This cyanosis was present in over
-one-half of the number of cases, and it was confined almost always to
-the upper part of the body. The face, ears and neck were always more
-affected than other parts. This cyanosis bore no relation to the length
-of time after death when the body was viewed, as we found that when it
-was present during life it maintained its prominent appearance for a
-long time after death.
-
-The cyanosis differed from the bright hue or flush as it is at times
-observed in ordinary pneumonia, the color in these instances being of a
-dark purple, or better a purplish blue. The lips and ears showed the
-most intense color. The cyanosis was not associated with any evidence of
-œdema. The capillaries of the tissues were filled with blood which was
-of a very dark character. Cyanosis could also be seen in the finger tips
-about the nails. This was more marked in the upper extremities than in
-the lower. The skin of the body rarely showed any cyanosis, these
-tissues being quite pale, or at times showing a slightly yellowish
-tinge. In one instance the cyanosis of the head and neck was accompanied
-by a slight purplish rash upon the upper portion of the chest. This rash
-was of a petechial kind, there being slight hemorrhage into the tissues.
-The lesion, however, was not of the blotchy purpuric type which has been
-observed by others during this and past epidemics (Cole). This single
-case is the only one where we had evidence of superficial hemorrhages
-into the skin.
-
-
- TABLE III
-
- │CYANOSIS│ │ NO
- │ │ │CYANOSIS
- ═════╪════════╪═══════════════════════════════════════════════╪════════
- NO.│DEGREE │DISTRIBUTION │
- ─────┼────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────
- 741│+ │Chest and upper extremities │ 747
- 743│+ + │Face, neck and ears │ 748
- 744│+ + + │Head and neck (upper portion of chest and │
- │ │ thighs mottled and purple) │ 749
- 745│+ + │Head and neck and upper extremities │ 751
- 746│+ + │Ears, neck and shoulders │ 752
- 750│+ + │Face, ears and neck │ 764
- 756│+ + │Neck, jaw, shoulders and upper extremities │ 765
- 757│+ │Face, neck, shoulders, arms and chest │ 778
- 758│+ + + │Face, ears, neck and upper chest │ 782
- 761│+ │Face, ears, neck and upper chest │ 784
- 762│+ │Ears, neck and chest │ 786
- 763│+ │Head and neck │ 793
- 767│+ │Face, ears and neck │
- 773│+ + │Neck, ears and cheeks, extending moderately to │
- │ │ upper chest. Hemorrhage into conjunctiva │
- 781│+ + │Eyes, lips, ears and neck │
- 783│+ + │Face, lips, neck and fingers │
- 787│+ + + │Ears, neck and shoulders │
- 791│+ + │Ears, neck and upper chest │
- 792│+ + │Ears and back of neck │
- ─────┼────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────
- 19│ │+ Blotchy or slight │
- │ │ 6 │ 12 or
- or│ │++ Moderate │
- │ │ 10 │ 38.6%
- 61.4%│ │+++ Well marked │
- │ │ 3 │
- ─────┼────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────
- 770│ │Fine petechial rash over upper chest. │
- ─────┴────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────┴────────
-
-Occasionally we met with small hemorrhages lying in the upper layers of
-the subcutaneous tissue. These lesions were small and could not be seen
-from the external surface. Nevertheless, some of them seemed to have
-occurred in direct contact with the deep cutis and surrounded portions
-of the deep skin appendages. From an examination of our cases there was
-no reason at the time of autopsy to lay any particular stress upon the
-occurrence of these hemorrhages. Subsequently, it has come to mind, and
-since learning of the unusual frequency of boils and deep pustules
-making their appearance as post-influenzal sequelæ, that these minute
-lesions may have a bearing upon the localization of infection in the
-skin tissues. We must appreciate, of course, that other factors of a
-constitutional nature probably render the individual more susceptible to
-the invasion of the staphylococcus, and that such factors are
-all-important in allowing this organism to gain a foothold. Whether the
-decreased sugar-tolerance with hyperglycemia, which has been observed in
-the late stages of influenza, bears a relation to the increased
-susceptibility, as appears to be the case in diabetes mellitus, is an
-interesting point for further investigation. Other constitutional states
-are also undoubtedly involved in the increased susceptibility to the
-infection which the patient suffers. Elsewhere (Dr. Holman) it is shown
-that the natural complement content is considerably depressed during the
-height of the influenza. With such factors present and with the
-available infecting micro-organisms, it is possible that the minute deep
-skin hemorrhages bear a relation to the immediate localization of the
-infection.
-
-In two instances slight hemorrhages were observed into the conjunctival
-tissues. In each case they were unilateral and occupied the tissues
-contiguous to the inner canthus. In one case there was well-marked
-icterus with yellow coloration of the scleræ and skin. In this case the
-icterus was associated with degenerative changes in the liver, there
-being no recognizable obstruction to the bile passages. The icterus had
-come on quite acutely and without any special clinical manifestations.
-In the epidemic of 1890 jaundice was present in a considerable number of
-cases (Medical Record, 1890, xxxvii, 473). Cole made similar
-observations in the epidemic of influenza amongst the Canadian soldiers.
-Œdema of the skin was not met with in any of our cases. This point is
-worthy of comment, inasmuch as some authors have been impressed with the
-serious damage taking place in the kidney and the resulting incapacity
-of these organs. Although, as we shall point out later, the kidney
-tissues in these cases showed a decided toxic degeneration, there was no
-evidence that a glomerular damage of serious degree ever occurred. The
-urinary excretion, as is pointed out in a report by Dr. Zeedick, varies
-considerably with the intensity of the disease. It is unusual to find
-derangement of kidney function to a degree to reflect seriously upon the
-general bodily state. At least this has been our experience in the
-present epidemic. Even where subsequently we were able to demonstrate a
-considerable tubular degeneration in the cortex of the kidney the change
-in the kidney function was not of sufficient magnitude to lead to a
-water-retention to be recognized in an anasarca. I wish to distinguish
-clearly at this point the difference in finding an œdema in certain
-involved tissue structures in various parts of the body and arising
-through an inflammatory reaction due to the presence of peculiar focal
-irritation, as compared with the accumulation of fluid in many and
-irregular situations as it occurs through retention and faulty excretion
-by the kidneys. Various organs as we have found—as, for instance, the
-lung, heart and liver—showed a condition of œdema which was not to be
-reconciled with an inadequate circulation because of a cardiac or renal
-incompetency. These œdemas, which we will discuss later, are local and
-are the result of damaging influences inducted in and upon the tissues
-where they are found.
-
-
- _Muscle_
-
-In all of our cases we have been struck with the excellent physique of
-the individuals succumbing to this epidemic. All were youths in the best
-of health, of good muscular build and strong bony frame-work.
-Post-mortem rigidity set in fairly rapidly after death. Where this
-rigidity had “set” for six or more hours it required much force to
-change the position of the muscles. The voluntary muscles of the thorax
-and abdomen were always carefully observed, and in a number of instances
-the muscles of the thigh were also examined. It was not possible
-routinely to dissect the muscles of the extremities, so that we are
-unable to give an accurate account of the occurrence of degenerations in
-these structures. We have, however, observed the reactions taking place
-in the pectorals, psoas and muscles of the abdominal parietes. Changes
-were observed with greatest frequency in the recti of the abdomen.
-Degeneration occurred in these muscles in 14 instances, while the same
-tissues suffered rupture, in part or completely with hemorrhage, in six
-instances. It was not uncommon to find marked degeneration in the lower
-segment of the rectus muscle on one side, while degeneration and
-hemorrhage had occurred in its fellow on the opposite side. In four
-cases rupture of the entire belly of the muscle had taken place, so that
-a considerable space had occurred between the broken ends and a large
-clot of blood filled the intervening space. This degeneration, which was
-seen only in the voluntary muscles, was quite interesting and in its
-milder degrees was rather difficult to detect. All gradations of loss of
-muscle color were seen. In some instances the muscle simply seemed to
-have lost its meaty lustre, while again in the more severe instances the
-muscle color had changed from the bright red to an insipid yellow or
-clay color. The most marked degeneration occurred in the midportions,
-while the ends of the muscle masses at the points of attachment were
-less involved. Complete rupture of the rectus always occurred in the
-lowermost segment, a short distance above the insertion into the pubic
-bone. At times the distribution of the degeneration within the muscle
-was quite patchy, and irregular islands of yellow about 2 cm. in
-diameter were splashed through the muscle masses, which in themselves
-were paler than normal. Where the muscle degeneration was advanced the
-tissue was soft and at times even buttery. It resembled the character of
-the degeneration observed in typhoid fever, although I have no
-recollection amongst many enteric cases of having seen the degeneration
-of the muscle occur so acutely. Recklinghausen claimed that these
-hemorrhages were most unusual in influenza. This is contrary to our
-findings.
-
-Degenerations of a similar kind as those of the abdominal recti were
-found in both pectorals. In the chest region, however, the degeneration
-was less frequent and less severe. We observed it only twice, and in
-neither instance had the degeneration led to a rupture and hemorrhage of
-the muscle bundles. Kuskow observed a single case of degeneration and
-hemorrhage of the pectoral muscles. In the psoas muscle we observed
-degeneration on two occasions, in one of which the lesion was associated
-with a partial separation of the muscle fibers and hemorrhages into its
-substance. In one case clinically, but not coming to autopsy, a lesion,
-which from its character we presume to have been a degeneration,
-occurred in the sterno-mastoid, being accompanied by hemorrhage and the
-development of a firm clot the size of a hazel nut. In the subsequent
-history of this case the lesion passed through an aseptic process of
-organization with contracture so that the patient has recently been
-developing a “wryneck.” Kohts in 1890 reported the finding of muscle
-degeneration and abscesses in the arm. The condition arose as a late
-complication of influenza.
-
-From our experience at the autopsy table in observing the relative
-frequency with which muscle degeneration occurs in the severe cases of
-epidemic influenza, we feel convinced that numerous cases which recover
-pass undiagnosed of this condition. Furthermore we have evidence, as
-illustrated in a case observed by Dr. McMeans, wherein a lesion which
-occurred in the gluteal muscles was followed by a localizing infection
-at this site that these muscle degenerations and hemorrhages may have
-serious consequences. There are a number of instances in which
-post-influenzal complications of the nature of deep-seated abscesses of
-the extremities, thorax, and abdomen may have their explanation for the
-localization in a primary muscle damage accompanied by hemorrhage and
-followed by an infection of variable type. Cole also comments upon the
-development of abscess in the deep muscles where degeneration had taken
-place. In illustrating some of our findings to Dr. J. Anderson he
-immediately recognized such a condition in the pectoral muscles of a
-patient in which he was unable to arrive at a conclusion of the
-pathological events which had taken place. It is one of the noteworthy
-features in this disease that the voluntary muscles of certain regions
-are apt to suffer severe damage, while the heart and the various
-unstriped muscular tissues are little if at all affected by a similar
-process. It would be interesting to know whether the lack of response
-and the delayed functional recovery on the part of the muscles of the
-extremities in so many patients who have suffered influenza is the
-result of the damaging influence of a peculiar intoxication present in
-this disease. One of the features in influenza is the prostration of the
-patient, and with it there is definite muscular weakness. We have been
-prone to lay the responsibility of this state entirely at the door of
-the nervous tissues. Here, however, we are able to offer evidence that
-quite aside from the lesions arising in the nervous tissue, there is
-definite muscle damage which, as we shall again discuss when describing
-the microscopic features, incapacitates even to the point of complete
-destruction the muscle elements in various fields of the body. Before,
-however, being able to state that the muscular weakness of the
-extremities is the result of such damage by toxins it is necessary to
-obtain more definite information regarding the frequency with which
-these degenerations occur in the limbs. In our own material we are
-unable to discuss the matter with adequate figures. We are, however,
-impressed with the changes observed in the muscles which were available
-to us. Naturally, too, a certain number of muscle degenerations have
-escaped our detection because of our unfamiliarity with the mildest
-grades. In fact, we have already discovered in our microscopic studies
-that certain cases, which in the macroscopic had escaped us, showed
-well-marked lesions under the microscope.
-
-
- TABLE IV
-
- MUSCLE DEGENERATION
-
- ABDOMINAL RECTI │ PECTORAL │ PSOAS
- ═══════════════╤═══════════════════════╪═══════════════╪═══════════════
- TOXIC │HEMORRHAGE INTO RECTUS │ TOXIC │ TOXIC
- DEGENERATION │ │ DEGENERATION │ DEGENERATION
- ───────────────┼───────────────────────┼───────────────┼───────────────
- 745 on 10th day│745 both on 10th day │756 on 8th day│756 on 8th day
- 749 on 4th │752 both on 13th │770 on 11th │792 on 6th
- 752 on 13th │756 both on 8th │ │
- 756 on 8th │764 both on 9th │ │
- 757 on 6th │765 both on 9th │ │
- 762 on 10th │778 both on 23d │ │
- 763 on 11th │————————————————— │ │
- 764 on 9th │ RUPTURE OF │ │
- 765 on 9th │ RECTUS │ │
- 767 on 10th │ │ │
- 770 on 11th │745 right on 10th day │ │
- 778 on 23d │756 both on 8th day │ │
- 783 on 8th │778 right on 23d day │ │
- 791 on 6th │ │ │
- ───────────────┴───────────────────────┴───────────────┴───────────────
-
-We have convinced ourselves that the marked hemorrhage taking place in
-the muscle tissue follows upon a primary degeneration of this tissue and
-its spontaneous rupture. The amount of hemorrhage is in proportion to
-the degeneration and fracture of the muscle elements. The hemorrhage
-does not precede the muscular change, nor does it have any antecedent
-relation to the actual tearing of the muscle fibers.
-
-A much better appreciation of the muscle degeneration was obtained in
-the _microscopic_ studies of these tissues. The various gradations of
-tissue change could be followed, which was not possible in the naked-eye
-examinations. Some points respecting this degeneration were quite
-noteworthy. Firstly, the process of degeneration in its early stages and
-advancing through the acute destructive periods was not accompanied by
-any inflammatory reaction. Evidence of inflammatory exudate was obtained
-only when the degeneration had proceeded to a degree permitting of
-rupture with hemorrhage, or in the late stages when the areas of marked
-muscle dissolution were undergoing repair. We have no evidence to
-indicate that bacteria were present during the beginning of the
-degenerative process. Bacteria could not be demonstrated in section. The
-appearance of the tissue suggested a purely toxic process which was
-selective in its action, picking out voluntary striped muscle tissue and
-attacking certain muscle groups in preference to others. It was also
-interesting to observe in the early stages of the degeneration that
-individual fibers lying amidst healthy and unchanged muscle elements
-would show degeneration in many of its stages. This appearance was often
-unique, particularly when in the early stages of the process the
-involved fiber would still retain its normal position and shape though
-markedly altered in its staining and chemical qualities.
-
-The degeneration as observed in these cases showed many of the
-characters like that of waxy degeneration seen in typhoid fever. Similar
-appearances to these have also been described in connection with the
-toxic degenerations which occur in the vicinity of infections by the gas
-bacillus. In fact, all the stages observed in the one can be seen in the
-other. They differ, however, only in the degree to which final
-destruction takes place and in the speed with which the degeneration is
-accomplished. The character of the degeneration is well studied in
-sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin, eosin-methylene blue, and
-best of all in the phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin. By the latter
-method one is able to follow clearly the grade of degeneration as it
-effects the muscle striations. On the other hand, the peculiar waxy
-appearance of the early degenerating fibers is best seen in sections
-stained with eosin or fuchsin, where the striated muscle fibers are
-found to be changed to a more intensely staining red body of homogeneous
-character and devoid of all evidence of their original internal
-architecture. These bland waxy fibers were often of the size and shape
-like the normal. On the other hand, the fibers are also not uncommonly
-swollen, stretching the sarcolemma to almost the bursting point.
-Following this primary bland degeneration the fiber takes on irregular
-shapes, becoming constricted and collapsed at irregular intervals, so
-that islands of the waxy contents lie within the sarcolemma, being
-separated from each other by constricted areas in which the original
-myoplasm has undergone decomposition and sometimes complete absorption.
-This irregular destruction of the muscle contents often has a granular
-stage in which the original muscle substance has become disintegrated.
-The sarcolemma follows the condition within it, stretching when the
-fiber is swollen and shrinking, or even becoming collapsed when the
-inner substance is becoming liquified and absorbed. The sarcolemma does
-not suffer the degenerative changes of the inner fiber, nor can one
-observe nuclear changes in this sheath which are significant.
-
-When first studying this process of degeneration it appeared to us that
-the earliest change was a loss of the transverse striations and the
-subsequent disappearance of the longitudinal fibrillæ. We have
-subsequently found that this is incorrect and that the changes observed
-in the markings of the fibers were not constant. At times the muscle
-substance would progress through stages of degeneration up to the point
-of disintegration and dissolution while the transverse striæ were still
-discernible in the altered fiber. The one constant change that we have
-observed in the degenerating fibers was the early loss of staining
-qualities as obtained by the phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin. In such
-preparations the earliest effect of the intoxication upon the muscle
-fiber was a change in reaction to this stain. Sometimes within a given
-fiber small irregular and poorly staining blotches could be observed,
-while the remaining portion of the fiber was normal in its appearance.
-Later these poorly staining areas became larger, occupying the entire
-width of the fiber and being distributed at irregular intervals in its
-length. Finally the characteristic staining quality was entirely lost,
-although in the poorly colored cell transverse striations were still
-discernible and a true waxy stage had not yet taken place.
-
-At times the waxy degeneration advanced into the stage of disintegration
-by an irregular destruction within the fiber. When this occurred the
-fragments of waxy substance took on curious coiled and grotesque shapes,
-while a granular destruction was taking place in their periphery.
-Neither inflammation, œdema nor a vascular reaction could be determined
-in these tissues of mild or severe change. The reaction as is indicated
-in the table occurred quite acutely and was not accompanied by fatty
-products commonly seen in the slower forms of degeneration.
-
-Gradually the debris of the degenerated fibers is absorbed and the
-sarcolemma shrinks and collapses upon itself. During this stage a
-reaction occurs in the sarcolemma with nuclear proliferation. At times
-the last vestiges of the muscle fiber are seen to be surrounded by a
-crown of nuclei and cells reminding one of the appearance of the
-degenerating nerve cells in the Gasserian ganglion in hydrophobia. The
-involved area becomes active in appearance, showing proliferation of
-fibroblasts and the appearance of occasional lymphocytes and plasma
-cells. Scar tissue continues to develop in proportion to the amount of
-damage done. In areas where hemorrhage had taken place the amount of
-scar tissue is exaggerated, owing to a process of organization which is
-taking place quite apart from the muscle degeneration. Thus not a few
-scars scattered through the voluntary striped muscles are the final
-outcome of this toxic degeneration occurring in epidemic influenza. Some
-of these lesions may account for the indefinite pains and symptoms of
-which the patient complains for so many months after his acute illness.
-I refer particularly to lesions occurring in the psoas and muscles of
-the back as possible explanations for the partial invaliding of some
-individuals.
-
-In a certain number of cases of acute influenza the patients complain of
-severe abdominal pain, in the absence of any localizing symptoms or
-evidence of intestinal derangement. Such was the case with a number of
-the above cases coming to autopsy, and the sole evidence we could offer
-was muscle degeneration with or without massive hemorrhage. The
-abdominal pains complained of were more of the nature of dull aches with
-occasional exacerbations and shooting or lancinating “stitches.” Rarely
-was the patient able to define the position of the pain, not being able
-to state whether it was within the abdomen or in the parietes. Most
-frequently they claimed it was internal. We have on no occasion
-demonstrated an intra-abdominal lesion which could account for such
-pains. None of our cases was of the type of “intestinal influenza.” We
-are, therefore, led to the conclusion that the muscle degenerations of
-the various degrees, from the slight with few muscle elements involved
-to the severe with rupture and hemorrhage, account for a proportion of
-the clinical symptoms of (muscle) pains and aches as well as weakness.
-We cannot claim that coughing was a necessary factor in inducing rupture
-of the abdominal recti. In some of the cases with rupture severe
-coughing had not been observed during the illness.
-
-
- _Upper Respiratory Tract_
-
-The pathological changes found in the nose, pharynx and larynx were of
-relatively slight importance and most variable in their severity and
-incidence. The majority of individuals had few clinical manifestations
-of disease in these parts. Some, however, complained of dryness of the
-pharynx with slight feeling of fullness. An examination of these parts
-revealed some congestion, varying from a red injected mucosa to a bluish
-cyanosis. In the nose the reaction was rarely as acute as is seen in
-infectious coryza, but even where relatively little change was to be
-seen in the tissues hemorrhage from the erectile tissue was not uncommon
-during the acute stages. No particular lesion was to be found associated
-with nose bleed. There was an unusual absence of excessive secretion
-from nose and pharynx in the majority of cases. One was also struck with
-the infrequency with which the larynx was involved. A certain number of
-individuals complained of hoarseness, and in them injection of the vocal
-cords with some swelling was found. In many others, however, even where
-an intense infectious process was present in the lower respiratory tract
-the larynx was almost without change. It was from the level below the
-larynx that the acute reaction in the respiratory system was found.
-
-In all of our cases the trachea showed definite inflammatory reaction.
-Of the 32 cases there were 26 having an acute tracheitis, 5 with an
-acute mucopurulent inflammation and 1 with a reaction in the subacute
-stage. In the majority of the cases with acute tracheitis there was a
-thin layer of exudate lying upon the mucosal surface. At times the
-trachea was filled with a frothy serous fluid, the greater part of which
-had its origin in the lung. Nevertheless, as we shall point out later,
-we did obtain microscopical evidence indicating that during the early
-acute stage of the tracheitis a considerable serous exudate escapes from
-its mucosa. This serous inflammatory reaction is an important one for
-all of the mucosal structures upon which the virus of influenza obtains
-a footing. This we have found true for the trachea, bronchi and alveoli
-of the lungs. In some cases the exudate was grey and lay in close
-contact with the injected tissues. At first sight this grey exudate
-suggested necrosis, but it was readily wiped from the underlying
-structure. Some leucocytes and cell debris with many bacteria made up
-the content of this grey exudate.
-
-The macroscopic appearance of the trachea was that of an intensely
-injected structure which had largely lost its normal lustre. The naked
-eye could distinguish that anatomical change had occurred in the surface
-tissue of the trachea and that there was unusual evidence of intensely
-injected vessels lying in the submucosa. In only one instance was there
-an appearance of a true necrotic membrane lying upon the surface of this
-intensely inflamed layer. This apparent membrane was found to consist of
-a wide patch of desquamated epithelial cells which was lying as a
-delicate necrotic plate upon the surface. This thin layer was devoid of
-a meshwork of fibrin threads as usually accompanies a true false
-membrane of other sources.
-
-The early intense inflammatory reaction of the surface membrane of the
-trachea was characteristic, and in our experience was never exceeded in
-intensity by other infections. A desquamation of the lining membrane was
-also a common finding. Naturally this intense reaction so commonly found
-in the trachea extended without interruption into the main bronchi and
-their divisions. The finding of this continuous surface inflammation is
-good evidence of the mode of spread of the infectious process along
-these membranes, beginning in the upper portions and by direct
-continuity involving more and more of the respiratory tubes toward the
-lung.
-
-The varying grades in the intensity of the inflammatory reaction upon
-the inner surface of the trachea was well illustrated in the microscopic
-sections. Even with the different degrees of the reaction there was a
-fairly constant character to the inflammation. In this way the response
-was found to differ from that commonly observed in ordinary infections
-of the respiratory tract. The first striking feature is the marked
-response of the vascular channels, both blood and lymphatic. The vessels
-lying in the submucosa were found intensely engorged so that their walls
-were stretched to the point of bursting. In fact, not a few vessels were
-seen whose walls, probably under the stress of intoxication and
-dilatation, had given way leading to a flooding of the neighboring
-tissue with their contents. Where such vessels lay close underneath the
-surface the hemorrhage escaped into the lumen of the trachea.
-Accompanying this early vascular response there was found a marked
-serous exudate leading to a stretching of the submucosal tissues by
-distention of the interstitial spaces. This reaction resembled an acute
-inflammatory œdema and occupied the area between the mucosa and the
-inner border of the cartilage rings. Beyond this region no response was
-found. Thus in the earliest stages, and where the mucosa was still
-intact, the main reaction was of the nature of an intense serous
-inflammation with congestion of the blood vessels and frequent
-interstitial hemorrhages.
-
-Shortly following the development of the serous exudate in the
-submucosal tissues, the epithelial lining is found to suffer from the
-reaction. The serous exudate does not remain confined to the
-interstitial tissues, but is poured out through the mucosa into the
-trachea. It would appear that the amount of this clear exudate may
-become greater than can be dealt with by the mucosa, with the result
-that an accumulation of this serous fluid takes place between this
-epithelial layer and its basement membrane. We have repeatedly seen
-considerable stretches of the mucosa lifted from the basement membrane
-and shed in large plaques into the lumen. These mucosal cells at the
-time of their desquamation retain fairly well their morphological
-characters, and do not show evidence of necrosis prior to their removal.
-Disintegration of these cells naturally occurs while lying in the
-secretion of the trachea, and a variable cellular mass in stages of
-disintegration may often be found both in smears and sections. When the
-epithelial cells are lifted in wide plates, a type of bleb develops
-which is easily broken and then disintegrates.
-
-The desquamation of the lining membrane is a fairly constant occurrence
-in the cases coming to autopsy. In the majority of those which we have
-examined the greater portion of the trachea was completely denuded, save
-for small islands lying in the recesses near the mouths of the mucous
-ducts. In one case this lesion was accompanied by a process of
-ulceration, due in all probability to the invasion by other
-micro-organisms. The denuded tracheal surface usually shows a further
-inflammatory reaction in which a cellular exudate then makes its
-appearance. This reaction is mainly one in which lymphocytes and plasma
-cells infiltrate the spaces previously occupied by the serous fluid. The
-reaction is limited to the submucosa and does not extend into the
-tissues beyond the cartilages. We have found only occasional
-polymorphonuclear leucocytes lying close below the surface. During this
-period, however, varying grades of degeneration may occupy the upper
-layers. The basement membrane particularly seems to suffer by losing its
-characteristic outline and staining qualities. This membrane becomes
-swollen, softened and indefinite. At times a homogeneous precipitate
-occurs along its free surface giving rise to an appearance resembling a
-false membrane. This deposit is, however, distinctively different from
-the diphtheritic membrane of other infections. It is interesting,
-however, that where such deposits and degeneration occur in the basement
-membrane more or less degeneration and necrosis also occur in the
-connective tissues immediately neighboring to it. These tissues show a
-peculiar granular destruction and alter their staining qualities.
-Moreover, and what is more important, under these conditions the dilated
-blood vessels are found to suffer from the injuries taking place in
-their neighborhood. We have repeatedly found partially or completely
-thrombosed capillaries, arterioles and venules in these surface layers.
-These thromboses took place while the vessel was in its distended state
-and thus produced a mold of the dilated vessel. This observation is of
-importance in indicating the severity of the effect of the virus and
-toxin upon the tissues of the trachea, and it is also of importance to
-appreciate that this damaging influence is very different from that
-which we encounter in pneumococcus infections, and we shall point out in
-our discussion on lung a reaction very similar to that which takes place
-very superficially in the trachea may also occur in the alveolar walls
-of the lung.
-
-Having referred to the intensity of the responses of the blood vascular
-system, we must also indicate the part played by the lymphatics.
-Simultaneously with the reactions taking place about the blood vessels
-of the trachea we observed similar responses in the lymphatic channels.
-At first these dilated structures contained only fluid. Later the
-migration of the lymphocytes took place along these routes, and rarely
-micro-organisms could be demonstrated either free or within an
-occasional leucocyte. The sharp response of the lymphatics during the
-serous inflammation is noteworthy, inasmuch as we have found that the
-lymph glands lying about the respiratory tubes and lungs were early in
-their response to the irritating virus.
-
-Bacteria were demonstrated in the secretions lying upon the surface of
-the trachea. In those specimens in which the mucous membrane was still
-intact we attempted to demonstrate the clustering of the micro-organisms
-about the ciliated cells as was described by Mallory in whooping cough.
-Although the organisms, and particularly small Gram negative bacilli,
-could be demonstrated lying about these cells no characteristic
-arrangement was found. Furthermore where the mucosa was still attached
-to its basement membrane we were never able to demonstrate organisms
-below the surface of the epithelial layer. In several cases where the
-mucosa was lifted in bleb-like structures a number of organisms were
-detected below the epithelial layer and in contact with the basement
-membrane of the submucosa. We have rarely demonstrated bacteria in the
-interstitial spaces of the submucosa, even where large numbers of
-organisms were lying upon the inner denuded surface.
-
-The distinction which was made by the gross examination of the trachea
-between the acute tracheitis with serous exudate, subacute tracheitis
-and mucopurulent tracheitis was not so readily distinguished in the
-microscopic sections. In the gross the character of the exudate lying
-upon the surface was the main guide suggesting the nature and intensity
-of the inflammatory reaction. In the microscopic sections this exudate
-was largely wanting, or was not sufficiently characteristic to confirm
-the gross findings. On the other hand, differences in the nature of the
-injury were to be found mainly in the reaction of the submucosa. As we
-have indicated above, the early inflammatory reaction of the trachea is
-mainly evident in an intense congestion accompanied by an inflammatory
-œdema of the submucosal tissues, hemorrhage sometimes accompanying this
-response. In the later stages of the reaction a cellular deposit takes
-the place of the inflammatory œdema and usually consists of lymphocytes
-and plasma cells. It is only in those cases where the intensity of the
-irritant continues to act over a longer period of time that a
-superficial necrosis with leucocytic infiltration makes its appearance.
-The epithelial layer of the trachea is desquamated early in the acute
-reaction, and hence a denudation of the surface is to be found in all
-stages of the acute lesion. The mucous glands have not been found to
-show any particular involvement in the inflammatory process, and in the
-majority of instances they were found to have escaped entirely the
-damaging effect of the virus. Their response in an over-secretion of
-mucus may be the outcome of a stimulation by toxins or soluble
-irritants; but on the other hand, may also probably be a reflex response
-to the injury of the mucosal surface, which being bared of its covering
-is highly sensitive. The increased discharge of mucus from the deep
-glands may well be a protective response to such injury.
-
-
- _Bronchi_
-
-The lesions in the bronchi were in every way comparable to those in the
-trachea. The main bronchial tubes differ in no material way from the
-structure of the trachea, and the extension of the inflammatory process
-from above downwards leads to a reaction in their walls similar to what
-has been above described. As we follow the subdivisions of the bronchi
-we gradually lose some of the characteristics contained in the larger
-tubes. The mucous glands gradually become fewer and eventually
-disappear. The cartilage rings become smaller and no longer completely
-encircle the bronchus, and with the further diminution in the size of
-these structures disappear entirely. A relatively greater amount of
-muscle tissues takes the place of the cartilage rings. This change in
-the anatomy of these structures has a certain influence in modifying the
-character and distribution of the inflammation.
-
-
- TABLE V
-
- BRONCHITIS AND TRACHEITIS
-
- ═════════════════════════════════════
- Acute bronchitis and tracheitis 26
- Subacute bronchitis and tracheitis 1
- Acute mucopurulent tracheitis 5
- Acute purulent bronchitis 2
- Acute mucopurulent bronchitis 7
- Ulcers of trachea 1
- Acute bronchiectasis 1
- ─────────────────────────────────────
-
-Thus whereas we have indicated that the inflammation of the trachea and
-of the large bronchi is of a peculiar kind and remains confined to the
-tissue lying inwardly from the cartilage rings, we found that where
-these structures give place to a loose muscle tissue with a more
-extensive lymphatic drainage the zone of inflammation is not so limited,
-but proceeds outwardly into the neighboring tissues. We often use the
-terms bronchus and bronchioles very freely without clearly
-distinguishing any real difference. In a study of the inflammatory
-reactions of the respiratory tubes in epidemic influenza (as well as in
-other infections) it is best to accept the anatomical definition that
-the bronchioles not only represent the minute tubules passing to the
-alveoli, but also those small air passages which devoid of cartilage,
-mucous glands and heavy connective tissue stroma are in close relation
-to the parenchymatous tissues of the lung. These soft muscular tubes
-possess blood and lymphatic vessels which freely communicate with the
-blood vessels of the lung alveoli. It is in association with these
-distant tubes that concomitant inflammatory reactions are found in the
-alveoli and in the bronchial tubes.
-
-Desquamation of the epithelial lining is to be found in every size of
-bronchial tube where the infection has caused an acute inflammatory
-reaction. Throughout the pulmonary tissues where the lung is found in
-some stage of influenzal pneumonia the bronchial tubes, both large and
-small, are either entirely denuded of the mucosa or show only remnants
-attached to irregular areas. In the smaller passages dense clusters of
-desquamated cells are sometimes found within the lumen and indicate the
-accumulation of a desquamated epithelium obtained from portions of the
-tubular system in deeper portions of the lung. In the early stages, this
-desquamation is accompanied by a serous exudate and a certain amount of
-hemorrhage. Later we find masses of leucocytes which fill up the tube,
-and though appearing to arise from these structures have in fact largely
-come from the lung alveoli. Like the larger bronchial tubes the distant
-ramifications show relatively little cellular reaction in their walls in
-the early period. It is only when the neighboring lung tissues are
-extensively implicated in a purulent inflammation that we find a similar
-exudate occupying the tissues of the bronchioles. Polymorphonuclear
-leucocytes are equally distributed through the region of the basement
-membrane, submucosa, muscular coat and outer connective tissue layer.
-Some grades of degeneration may occupy the inner surface wherein the
-basement membrane first shows a homogeneous swelling and later a
-granular degeneration. In a few instances where the small bronchioles
-have communicated with regions with abscess formation an ulcerating
-surface occupied the inner boundary.
-
-The evidence in the smaller bronchial tubes, both those with cartilage
-and those without, that an inflammatory reaction of some degree may
-occupy the muscular coat is of importance. We have found reactions of
-inflammation in the muscular coat varying from a mild œdema and cellular
-exudate to an intense polymorphonuclear leucocyte involvement. In the
-latter the muscle fibers showed evidence of degenerative change and
-suggested an acute weakening of this layer. We lay particular importance
-upon this finding as indicating a causative factor in the development of
-acute bronchiectasis as was met with in one of our cases. In this
-particular instance the bronchi passing to the lower lobes of each lung
-were unusually dilated and could be followed, in the gross, to their
-distant extremities. The dilatation was more or less uniform and no
-large pouches or cavities had developed. A mucopurulent exudate was
-found occupying these dilated tubes. Others have likewise observed the
-development of acute bronchiectasis under these conditions. Goodpasture
-and Burnett found that as early as the second to the fourth day one of
-the striking appearances was the gaping dilated condition of the
-infundibula, and the tendency to dilatation of the air passages was
-manifested in a bronchiectasis in 4 out of 30 cases. Boggs as well as
-Lord have reported upon chronic bronchiectasis associated with the B.
-influenzæ and there appeared to be evidence that a certain percentage of
-cases recovering from influenza permanently develop irregular
-dilatations of the bronchial tubes.
-
-The recognition of inflamed bronchi or bronchioles was never difficult.
-In the gross the presence of the abnormal exudate and the intense
-injection of the mucosal surfaces always attracted attention to the
-inflammatory state. Furthermore where the mucosa had been desquamated
-the surface of these tubes was found to be quite granular if closely
-observed. With moderate magnification by means of a hand lens the
-granular appearance was shown to be due to the engorged vessels. Much
-easier, of course, was the recognition of the inflammatory reaction by
-the microscope. The importance, however, of the bronchitis and
-bronchiolitis lay in the amount of involvement which had occurred in the
-neighboring tissues. As we, however, indicated elsewhere, we do not
-doubt that many of the cases of three-day fever have a state of
-tracheitis and bronchitis equal to that which we have observed in many
-of our cases. Whether the inflammatory reaction progressed beyond the
-firmer bronchial tubes to the softer and more vascular structures would
-be difficult to say where our evidence rests upon the clinical findings
-alone. It is, however, probable that a certain number of the severe and
-sharp attacks of influenza not only cause a tracheitis and bronchitis of
-the larger tubes, but also extend more deeply into the smaller
-ramifications tending to simulate the reactions which we have above
-described. When we ask ourselves, however, how distantly must the
-infection invade the smaller bronchial tubes before involving the
-parenchymatous tissues of the lung we are at a loss to enunciate a
-general rule. It is more than probable that there are modifying
-influences which determine whether the bronchitis with a certain amount
-of its bronchiolitis will progress to a true pneumonia or will remain
-localized to these tubular systems. I can well appreciate that in the
-event that a bronchitis has an inflammatory reaction accompanied by much
-serous exudate there is great danger of flooding the neighboring alveoli
-with this inflammatory fluid and of carrying the large numbers of the
-micro-organisms within the tubes to the air sacs of the lung. Under
-these conditions the virus has an unusual ability to develop the disease
-from one localized in the air passages to that of a true pneumonia. It
-is probable that the peculiar early acute reaction which is present in
-the air passages in epidemic influenza is responsible for the extensive
-involvement of the lung in the severe and dangerous form of
-inflammation.
-
-
- TABLE VI.
-
- EXTENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF PNEUMONIA.
-
- ═══════╤════╤════════════════════════════╤════════════╤══════════════════════
- AUTOPSY│AGE.│ RIGHT LUNG. │ TYPE OF │ LEFT LUNG.
- NUMBER.│ │ │ LESION. │
- ───────┼────┼──────┬─────────────────────┼────────────┼────────┬─────────────
- │ │WEIGHT│INVOLVEMENT OF LOBES.│ │ WEIGHT │ INVOLVEMENT
- │ │ OF │ │ │OF LUNG.│ OF LOBES.
- │ │LUNG. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┬───────┬──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┬──────
- │ │ │UPPER.│MIDDLE.│LOWER.│ │ │UPPER.│LOWER.
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 741│ 18│720 G.│ + │ + │ ++ │Lobar S. & │ 850 G.│ + │ ++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 743│ 20│825 G.│ + │ + │ + │Lobular S. &│ 1375 G.│ +++ │ +++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 744│ 30│900 G.│ + │ – │ ++ │Lobar and │ 900 G.│ ++ │ ++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Lobular S.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ & H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 745│ 18│575 G.│ + │ – │ ++ │Lobular S. &│ 480 G.│ – │ ++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 746│ 21│900 G.│ + │ ++ │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 650 G.│ + │ +++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 747│ 27│ 1510│ +++ │ ++ │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 1000 G.│ +++ │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 748│ 22│900 G.│ + │ + │ +++ │Lobar and │ 1250 G.│ + │ +++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Lobular S.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ & H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 749│ 23│ 1480│ ++ │ ++ │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 1250 G.│ ++ │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. Slight │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 750│ 24│ 1200│ +++ │ + │ +++ │Lobar and │ 825 G.│ + │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ Lobular. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Early │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 751│ 22│ 1250│ – │ – │ +++ │Lobar │ 610 G.│ ± │ ±
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 752│ 27│ 1125│ +++ │ + │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 775 G.│ ± │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 756│ 22│ 1000│ ++ │ ++ │ ++ │Lobar S. & │ 820 G.│ +++ │ ++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. Slight │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 757│ 21│815 G.│ ++ │ – │ ++ │Lobular S. &│ 1075 G.│ +++ │ +++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 758│ 22│ 1150│ +++ │ + │ + │Lobar │ 1400 G.│ +++ │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ Purulent │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 761│ 21│ 1250│ +++ │ ++ │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 550 G.│ + │ +
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Lobular │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 762│ 21│680 G.│ + │ + │ + │Lobular S. &│ 750 G.│ + │ +++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 763│ 22│920 G.│ + │ – │ + │B. P. and │ 540 G.│ – │ +
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Lobar S. &│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 764│ 23│725 G.│ – │ + │ + │Lobular S. &│ 550 G.│ + │ +
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 765│ 25│ 1100│ ++ │ – │ ++ │Lobar S. & │ 1400 G.│ – │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 767│ 25│ 1075│ + │ +++ │ +++ │Lobar and │ 850 G.│ – │ ++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ Lobular S.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ & H. and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Lobular │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 770│ 21│900 G.│ ++ │ ++ │ ++ │Lobar S. & │ 750 G.│ ++ │ ++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Lobular │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 773│ 22│ 2050│ +++ │ ++ │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 780 G.│ – │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 778│ 22│ 1100│ ++ │ + │ ++ │Interstitial│ 975 G.│ ++ │ ++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ Pneumonia.│ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 781│ 21│ 1000│ +++ │ ++ │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 540 G.│ + │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 782│ 18│650 G.│ + │ – │ ++ │Lobular S. &│ 875 G.│ ++ │ +++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. Slight │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 783│ 21│ 1250│ +++ │ +++ │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 580 G.│ + │ ++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 784│ 21│ 1590│ +++ │ +++ │ +++ │Lobar │ 1400 G.│ +++ │ +++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 786│ 20│ 1100│ ++ │ +++ │ +++ │Lobar S. & │ 700 G.│ – │ ++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ H. Slight │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Lobular │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 787│ 21│750 G.│ ++ │ – │ ++ │Lobular S. &│ 1125 G.│ +++ │ +++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 791│ 21│775 G.│ + │ ++ │ ++ │Lobular S. &│ 1050 G.│ ++ │ +++
- │ │ │ │ │ │ H. and │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Purulent. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 792│ 21│ 1050│ + │ + │ +++ │Lobar and │ 950 G.│ + │ ++
- │ │ G.│ │ │ │ Lobular S.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ & H. │ │ │
- ───────┼────┼──────┼──────┼───────┼──────┼────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────
- 793│ 18│500 G.│ – │ – │ + │Slight │ 435 G.│ - │ +
- │ │ │ │ │ │ Lobular S.│ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │ │ & H. │ │ │
- ───────┴────┴──────┴──────┴───────┴──────┴────────────┴────────┴──────┴──────
-
- ═══════╤════════════╤════════════╤════════════╤══════════
- AUTOPSY│ TYPE OF │ PLEURA. │ ABSCESS OF │ DAY OF
- NUMBER.│ LESION. │ │ LUNG. │ DISEASE.
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┬─────┼────────────┼──────────
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- │ │RIGHT.│LEFT.│ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 741│Lobar S. & │S.F. │S.F. │ │ 3d.
- │ H. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 743│Lobar S. & │F. │S.F. │ │ 5th
- │ H. Early │ │ │ │
- │ P. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 744│Lobar S. & │S.F. │S.F. │ │ 7th
- │ H. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 745│B.P. with │S.F. │– │ + │ 10th
- │ Necrosis. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 746│Lobar S. & │– │– │ │ 5th
- │ H. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 747│Lobar S. & │S.F. │– │ │ 6th
- │ H. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 748│Lobar S. & │– │– │ │ 4th
- │ H. and │ │ │ │
- │ B.P. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 749│Lobar S. & │F. │– │ │ 4th
- │ H. Slight │ │ │ │
- │ P. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 750│Lobar and │F. │F. │ │ 9th
- │ Lobular. │ │ │ │
- │ Early P. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 751│B.P. slight.│S.F. │– │ │ 7th
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 752│B.P. and │F. │S.F. │ │ 13th
- │ Lobar P. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 756│Lobar and │F. │S.F. │ │ 8th
- │ Lobular S.│ │ │ │
- │ & H. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 757│Lobar S. & │F. │F. │ │ 6th
- │ H. and │ │ │ │
- │ Purulent. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 758│Lobar │F. │F. │ │ 14th
- │ Purulent. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 761│Lobular S. &│– │– │ │ 7th
- │ H. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 762│Lobar S. & │S.F. │S.F. │ │ 10th
- │ H. and │ │ │ │
- │ Lobular P.│ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 763│B.P. │F.P. │– │ │ 11th
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 764│B.P. │– │– │ │ 9th
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 765│Lobar S. & │– │– │ │ 9th
- │ H. and │ │ │ │
- │ Early P. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 767│Lobar S. & │– │F. │ │ 10th
- │ H. Lobular│ │ │ │
- │ P. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 770│Lobar S. & │S.F. │F. │ + │ 11th
- │ H. Lobular│ │ │ │
- │ P. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 773│Lobar S. & │F. │F. │ │ 20th
- │ H. Lobular│ │ │ │recurrence
- │ P. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 778│Interstitial│S.F. │S.F. │ │ 23d
- │ Pneumonia.│ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 781│Lobar S. & │S.F. │S.F. │ + │ 5th
- │ H. │ │ │ │
- │ Purulent. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 782│Lobar S. & │F. │F. │ │ 8th
- │ H. and │ │ │ │
- │ Early P. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 783│Lobar S. & │S.F. │S.F. │ │ 8th
- │ H. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 784│Lobar S. & │S.F. │S.F. │ │ 8th
- │ H. and │ │ │ │
- │ Purulent. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 786│Lobar S. & │S.F. │– │ │ 4th
- │ H. and │ │ │ │
- │ Early P. │ │ │ │
- │ │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 787│Lobar S. & │S.F. │S.F. │ │ 8th
- │ H. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 791│Lobar S. & │F. │S.F. │ │ 6th
- │ H. and │ │ │ │
- │ Slight P. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 792│Lobar and │S.F. │S.F. │ │ 6th
- │ Lobular S.│ │ │ │
- │ & H. │ │ │ │
- ───────┼────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────────┼──────────
- 793│Slight │– │F. │ Strep. │ 10th
- │ Lobular │ │ │Bacteriemia.│
- │ Purulent. │ │ │ │
- ───────┴────────────┴──────┴─────┴────────────┴──────────
-
- S—Serous. H—Hemorrhagic. P—Purulent. B.P.—Broncho-pneumonia.
- S.F.—Serofibrinous. F.—Fibrinous. F.P.—Fibrinopurulent.
-
-It was very evident that the smaller bronchi and bronchioles were much
-more readily involved in a severe inflammatory reaction than the larger
-tubes. A purulent inflammation was not uncommonly found in the
-bronchioles of the lung when a pneumonic state with leucocytic
-infiltration was present. Even where such purulent infiltration of the
-walls of the bronchioles was readily demonstrable the trachea and main
-bronchi were devoid of this intense reaction. These purulent
-inflammations were not uniformly distributed in the bronchioles of the
-lung, but only occurred in those regions where the parenchymatous
-tissues were in themselves involved in a purulent reaction. It was
-difficult to find the evidence whether the purulent bronchitis preceded
-or followed the presence of a purulent pneumonia. The intimacy of the
-lung tissues with those of the small bronchioles makes it impossible for
-one or other of these structures to escape when one of them is
-implicated in a purulent reaction. It is equally important to appreciate
-that to a considerable extent the lung tissue surrounding the small
-bronchioles becomes involved by a direct radial extension through the
-walls of the thin respiratory tubes. Such extension laterally is
-assisted by the free lymphatic communication lying about the bronchioles
-and stretching into the lung parenchyma. Purulent processes of the small
-air tubes always showed a similar reaction in the interstitial tissues
-of the neighboring air sacs.
-
-Our material did not permit of following the bronchial reactions to
-their conclusion. In some instances we have found that where abscesses
-developed within the lung the contiguous bronchi and bronchioles either
-became eroded or suffered intense suppurative inflammatory lesions on
-their inner surface. The manner in which repair of the more common
-inflammatory processes of the bronchi is accomplished could not be
-demonstrated in the cases dying during the acute stage. In one case an
-organizing bronchitis was associated with an organizing lobular
-pneumonia. In this instance the connective tissues were proliferating
-freely from the inner wall of the bronchi, there being no evidence of a
-basement membrane at the point where the connective tissue was growing.
-The development of the connective tissue appeared to be spontaneous and
-was not taking place within an unresolved fibrinous exudate. In as much
-as the fibrosing process was largely scattered through all of the lobes,
-the numerical involvement of the respiratory tubes was quite great. In
-this instance the amount of obstruction which was imposed upon the
-respiratory tissues by the fibrosing pneumonia and bronchitis was
-sufficient to cause considerable distress and dyspnœa during the last
-few days of the patient’s life. The amount of dyspnœa was out of
-proportion to the clinical manifestations of pulmonary involvement, and
-from a clinical point of view it was difficult to arrive at a conclusion
-of the nature of the lung lesion.
-
-Undoubtedly during the subsidence of the inflammatory process within the
-bronchi the gradual restitution of the tissues with little or no
-fibrosis is accompanied by a reproduction of the lining membrane arising
-from the epithelial remnants in the small mucous crypts. In a few cases
-lately coming to autopsy where the patients had suffered an influenza
-five or six weeks previously, the mucosa of the trachea and bronchi had
-assumed its normal appearance and was fully clothed by a normal
-epithelial covering.
-
-
- _Lung—Early Stage_
-
-We have just discussed the importance of the inflammation of the trachea
-and bronchi in the cases of influenza. It is our belief that every case
-of influenza has some tracheitis, and a great many have both tracheitis
-and bronchitis. This is true in the absence of localizing signs and
-symptoms, as was evident even in these cases in which the simple
-influenza passed into its more severe type with its pulmonary lesions.
-In many of these instances clinical evidences of an inflammatory
-reaction in the respiratory tubes were wanting, while the reactions
-observed at autopsy were often astounding.
-
-Just as we feel that simple influenza and inflammation of the
-respiratory tubes go hand in hand, or better that these respiratory
-localizations are the all-important ones in every case of simple
-influenza, so, too, we are of the belief that the pulmonary lesions bear
-the same relation to all cases of severe and fatal epidemic influenza.
-We hold that no case comes to his death through acute epidemic influenza
-without having a lesion in the lung. The pulmonary condition, therefore,
-is of first importance and its analysis is imperative for a proper
-understanding of this disease. There has been divided opinion as to the
-part played by the pulmonary lesion in epidemic influenza, some holding
-that it is to be looked upon as a part of the disease and others that it
-must be viewed as a complicating lesion. Complications of various kinds
-are very common, and there are a number of conditions arising in the
-lung (abscess, gangrene, necrosis) which must be viewed as
-complications. There is, however, a type of pneumonia, and here I use
-the term in its broad sense, which is not in truth a complication but
-merely a wider extent of involvement of the respiratory tract by the
-same virus which is always present to cause lesions in the respiratory
-tubes. The reaction within the lungs is distinctive and differs from the
-pneumonias which are met with under other conditions and with various
-bacterial agencies. Nor are our findings in this matter unique for this
-epidemic. They have been described and discussed in the past. True it is
-that, like in the epidemic which has just passed us, the incidence of
-clinical and pathological pneumonia varied quite widely in different
-communities, so, too, the reports of past epidemics do not give a
-uniform description of a pulmonary lesion. Where, however, the analysis
-has been made during the four weeks’ period of the acute epidemic and
-where the descriptions have been recorded by painstaking observers, the
-similarity with our present findings is very striking. I would refer in
-particular to one report made in 1893 in Petrograd by Kuskow. His report
-deals with 40 carefully studied cases in which records both macroscopic
-and microscopic were accurately made.
-
-One of the great difficulties in placing an accurate interpretation upon
-the pulmonary findings lies in the fact that true pneumonia as seen in
-epidemic influenza in man has not been reproduced in animals.
-Furthermore, as the majority of the fatal human cases of epidemic
-influenza with their associated pneumonias present a mixed infection of
-the lung tissues, it is difficult, if not impossible, to indicate the
-lesions which have resulted through the activity of one of these as
-against those induced by the other bacteria present. In our own
-carefully studied cases wherein bacteriological cultures were taken from
-every lung there was not a single instance in which the influenza
-bacillus was present in pure culture. This is more fully commented upon
-in the studies by Dr. Holman, but the point we wish to make here is the
-difficulty in arriving at a conclusion in our material as to the actual
-effects induced by any one type of organism. As it is fully discussed by
-Dr. Holman we are convinced of the importance of the influenza bacillus
-in this epidemic. We also appreciate that pneumonia lesions in animals
-have been induced by a variety of materials gained from influenza
-patients, but yet in view of the abnormal manner of producing such
-lesions these are hardly comparable to those in man. We may well expect
-severe œdema, inflammation and hemorrhage, if in guinea pigs, rabbits
-and monkeys we introduce by intra-tracheal insufflation large quantities
-of fluid suspensions of bacteria. And thus we find positive results
-obtained by the use of a filtrable virus, streptococci, influenza
-bacilli and other organisms. The lung is a sensitive tissue which quite
-readily responds to a variety of irritants. In many respects some of
-these lesions simulate those in influenza, but still we are far from the
-conclusion that the disease, influenza, with all its manifestations has
-been actually reproduced.
-
-The pathology of the pulmonary lesions in acute epidemic influenza is so
-distinctive that except for the late purulent stage which may resemble
-types of reinfected and unresolved pneumonia the condition cannot be
-confused with the stages of frank lobar pneumonia. We appreciate that
-this is a very positive statement, and that opposition will be taken by
-those who resting their opinion upon individual factors may claim that a
-clear distinction from other forms of pneumonia is not available. We,
-however, base our opinion not upon a single feature, but upon the
-combined pathological complex observed in many individual cases. These
-features are mainly those seen in the type of the lesion, the character
-of the distribution, extent of involvement and the multiple stages so
-commonly present at one time in different portions of the lung. The type
-lesion that has become so well known in pneumococcus lobar pneumonia has
-its distinctive stages which for teaching purposes are divided into the
-stage of (1) congestion, (2) red hepatization, (3) gray hepatization and
-(4) resolution. In dealing with lobar pneumonia from the standpoint of
-illustrating these stages the majority of teachers annually confess
-their inability to present for the student’s study the stage of
-congestion. The student is impressed that the congestive stage of lobar
-pneumonia is very transient and rapidly passes into the stage of red
-hepatization. Patients do not die with pneumococcus pneumonia in the
-stage of congestion. And this is also largely true of the stage of red
-hepatization, which is but rarely seen at the autopsy table. This
-community (Pittsburgh) gives its large quota to the mortality statistics
-of pneumococcus pneumonia, but it is most unusual to meet with a
-specimen of red hepatization except for the borders of the advancing
-gray area. And, furthermore, red hepatization even when found in the
-unusual cases shows remarkably little of this character when seen under
-the microscope. True it is that a certain number of red blood cells will
-be found in the alveoli and a certain degree of congestion will occupy
-the alveolar walls, but its extent is far less than what we may have
-hoped to demonstrate to others. So that broadly speaking the intensely
-congested lung with or without red hepatization is unusual in our frank
-lobar pneumonia. This was quite the reverse in our cases of acute
-epidemic influenza-pneumonia. Furthermore lobar pneumonia in the great
-majority of instances illustrates a distribution distinctive for the
-name. Massive lobar, or pneumococcus pneumonia is found to occupy one or
-more lobes or parts of lobes. The involved lobe is fairly uniform in the
-stage of the inflammatory process. If it is in the early gray stage,
-this will be seen with equal intensity in the different areas of the
-lobe. Patches of pneumonia in different stages within the same lobe are
-not to be found, while this finding is not uncommon in the pneumonias of
-acute epidemic influenza. And lastly, the frequency with which an
-inflammatory œdema occupied the lungs in the cases of influenza was in
-quite striking contrast with the dry fibrinous lesion of common
-pneumonia. This wet state of the lung was but a stage in the
-inflammatory process varying in its extent in the different periods, but
-nevertheless inducing a character in the early pulmonary lesions which
-was quite foreign to our usual finding. This wet state also assisted in
-modifying the subsequent picture so that when the lung assumed its gray
-appearance it was rather of a slimy character than of the firm dry
-nature. In this late gray stage the slimy lung somewhat resembled the
-appearance of unresolved pneumonia where this condition had been brought
-about by a new infection upon the original cause of the pneumonia.
-
-It is incorrect in influenza pneumonia to speak of the lesions as lobar
-pneumonia or broncho-pneumonia if by these terms we have in mind the
-pathological characters observed in the pneumococcic pneumonia with its
-lobar or bronchial distribution. Influenza-pneumonia appeared with both
-lobar and lobular characteristics. Nearly every case had both types of
-lesions present, but the nature of the inflammatory process is so
-decidedly different from that of the ordinary endemic pneumonia that a
-confusion in the interpretation is likely to arise and in fact has
-already raised a considerable polemic. Influenza-pneumonia is commonly
-lobar, lobular or bronchial in distribution. It is, however, not of the
-characters that are associated with the lesions designated under these
-terms. When, therefore, we here use the word “lobar” we mean lobar _in
-distribution_ but not lobar in type. As will be seen from our table, it
-was usual to have multiple lobes involved. But the lesions, not only in
-the different lobes varied in their character and distribution, but even
-within the same lobe a variety of types was present.
-
-
- TABLE VII
-
- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════╤═══════════════════════
- Day of Pneumonia on Which Death Occurred │ No. of Cases
- ───────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────
- Second │ 2
- Third │ 4
- Fourth │ 7
- Fifth │ 6
- Sixth │ 7
- Seventh │ 3
- Eighth │ 1
- Tenth │ 1
- Twentieth │ 1
- ───────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────
-
-To a certain degree we were able to analyze the types of the lesions as
-they occurred in the different stages and progress of the pulmonary
-inflammation. Briefly, these were as follows: the earliest stage of
-congestion following rapidly upon the infection from the bronchi was
-followed by (1) inflammatory œdema, (2) hemorrhage, (3) cellular exudate
-(a. mononuclear cells, b. leucocytes, c. interstitial infiltration) and
-(4) resolution or organization, abscess, infarct and gangrene. The
-majority of our cases died during the stages of congestion, hemorrhage
-or early purulent infiltration. In the early stages the amount of fibrin
-was small or entirely absent, later, with the appearance of leucocytes,
-some fibrin was present.
-
-For the estimation of the time elapsing between the onset of the
-pneumonia and death we are dependent upon the clinician. This is often
-quite difficult to do, in as much as with a primary respiratory disease,
-such as epidemic influenza represents, it is very difficult to determine
-the time when there is a transition from the inflammatory process of the
-upper respiratory tubes to that of the pulmonary tissue. In many of the
-cases where from the onset there was intense prostration and every
-evidence of marked intoxication the clinical manifestations of localized
-processes taking place in the respiratory system were very much in the
-background and often of insidious progress. In four of our cases it
-appeared as if the pulmonary manifestations had made their appearance
-with the first sudden and severe onset of the influenza. On the other
-hand, also, the clinical signs and symptoms of lung involvement were
-different from those of frank lobar pneumonia. We would, from our
-experience at the autopsy table, say that where in the cases of epidemic
-pneumonia there are present the signs of pulmonary consolidation like
-those of true lobar pneumonia, that there has been an antecedent period
-of a pulmonary lesion which passed unrecognized by the clinician. To
-more clearly state the case, whereas in lobar pneumonia the stage of
-congestion preceding the stage of red hepatization gives rise to no
-signs whereby the clinician can indicate the time of its onset or
-determine the time when it has passed into the succeeding stage, and
-moreover, the stage of congestion is of short duration to be measured in
-a period of a few hours, this stage in epidemic influenza though equally
-indefinite in its clinical manifestations is much prolonged, lasting not
-only a period of hours but even a period of several days. It is this
-pulmonary state which is difficult or even impossible to recognize in
-the living. All gradations of it occur and the clinician can only
-broadly suggest from all the evidence at hand, the period when
-inflammation with definite exudate began in the lung. In as much as the
-total length of illness of a number of cases was only three, four and
-five days, whereas there was nothing at the onset to suggest pulmonary
-involvement, we can estimate approximately, at least, the duration of
-the lung condition. This makes it possible to give a relative estimate
-of the character of the lesions present at different periods of time.
-The outstanding finding, as we will discuss again, was that a distinct
-and peculiar pulmonary reaction was primarily imposed upon the lung,
-which made its appearance at periods different from those of frank lobar
-pneumonia.
-
-We were repeatedly surprised at finding death to have occurred during
-the stage of acute congestion with some hemorrhage and inflammatory
-œdema of lung and in the absence of any sign of grey hepatization or
-purulent infiltration. In many of these cases the involved areas of lung
-though heavy and œdematous, were still partly air-containing and the
-amount of lung involvement was insufficient, on the basis of mechanical
-interference, in accounting for the severity of the clinical symptoms
-and the fatal outcome. This must have impressed everyone dealing with
-the autopsies during the acute epidemic. It immediately suggests that in
-some cases at least the pulmonary lesion, in as far as incapacitating
-the external respiratory system, was not the sole or even the important
-cause of death, but that a condition of intoxication, borne out by the
-evidence of damage in muscles, blood and kidney is a large factor of
-danger in this disease.
-
-We shall briefly describe the important pulmonary findings as we have
-met with them in the successive stages of influenza-pneumonia. This, we
-hope, will make clear the interpretation of the pathology of the lung
-lesion of the epidemic as it came under our observation.
-
-The earliest pulmonary lesion which we encountered was one of
-congestion, inflammatory œdema and hemorrhage. These three conditions
-were usually present at the same time and were found in the height of
-intensity in all of the cases dying within the first four days of
-illness. During this early period these manifestations of inflammation
-were not accompanied by definite red or grey hepatization as might
-ordinarily be expected. The lesions varied greatly in their intensity,
-the œdema always being very prominent, while the hemorrhage varied from
-a diffuse infiltration of the involved lobe or added to this, was
-localized in massive collections four or five cm. in diameter and
-commonly occupying the central portions of the lobes. We have seen
-several hemorrhages lying in close proximity to each other with their
-borders coalescing and leading to a larger central involvement. In the
-regions where the hemorrhage and inflammatory œdema were diffuse, air
-was still present within the lung tissue, sometimes to an extent
-permitting the lung tissue to float on water but more often in quantity
-sufficient only to suspend the tissue at various depths. On pressure the
-fine air bubbles were recognized amidst the blood-stained fluid. Acute
-compensatory emphysema often occupied the anterior borders of the lobes
-or formed interstitial blebs beneath the pleura. The quantity of fluid,
-inflammatory œdema and hemorrhage, contained within these bulky lobes
-was often very surprising. A lobe when compressed would leak fluid with
-the ease that it could be obtained from a sponge. Out of the lower lobe
-on one occasion we pressed 700 c.c. of limpid blood-stained exudate. The
-acute emphysema which may make its appearance suddenly, is
-
-
- TABLE VIII
-
- DISTRIBUTION OF PNEUMONIC LESIONS AND GRADES OF SEVERITY
-
- ═════════════════════════════════════
- DEGREE OF INVOLVEMENT + ++ +++ Total
- Left upper lobe 10 6 7 23
- Left lower lobe 4 10 17 31
- Right upper lobe 12 8 9 29
- Right middle lobe 10 9 4 23
- Right lower lobe 5 9 18 3
- ─────────────────────────────────────
-
- All lobes were simultaneously
- involved in some grade of pneumonia
- in 18 cases—56 per cent.
-
-at times quite remarkable. It may appear very early in disease. We have
-not met with a single case where the emphysema of the lung led to a
-rupture of the air sacs and an interstitial infiltration of air through
-lung, mediastinum, neck and subcutaneous tissues. Some very remarkable
-cases are reported by different authors where this emphysema was of
-astounding grade leading to a crepitating infiltration throughout the
-mediastinum, neck and the subcutaneous tissues over the thorax and
-abdomen as low as the pubis. The milder grade of emphysema consisted
-mainly of an abnormal expansion of the air sacs which were not
-infiltrated by exudate and which probably had some effect in preventing
-the diffusion of the inflammatory fluid from entering certain regions.
-These emphysematous areas could be readily recognized by the naked eye
-along the anterior borders of the lung as well as between the involved
-pneumonic patches within the lung.
-
-These lungs, involved in this early serous and hemorrhagic exudate
-varied considerably in their appearance according to the regional and
-quantitative involvement. As is seen from Table viii, the lower lobes
-were more commonly occupied by massive exudate than the upper, and the
-involvement of multiple lobes was the usual. Still more remarkable is
-the fact that all lobes were simultaneously involved in some grade of
-reaction (pneumonia) in 56 per cent. of cases. In complicated
-influenza-pneumonia Goodpasture and Burnett found the inflammatory
-reaction in both lungs and involving to a greater or less degree the
-lobes on each side. Most commonly this involvement consisted of a lobar
-distribution in one or two lobes with a lobular or patchy disposition of
-exudate in one or more of the remaining lobes. Where the distribution
-was lobar the involved lobe was distended to its fullest and the pleura
-tightly stretched over the lung tissue which, heavy with fluid, was not
-solid but flabby. The lung could be moulded under the finger and could
-be compressed into various shapes. At first sight this flabby, heavy
-lung tissue suggested the appearance of the waterlogged lung which one
-encounters in renal disease or failing circulation. A closer analysis,
-and particularly when the lung was sliced, showed an entirely different
-character.
-
-Where the inflammatory œdema was accompanied by much focal hemorrhage
-the distribution was nodular and suggested the appearance of the
-hemorrhagic lung of plague pneumonia. It was this appearance which led
-to the suggestion that the pandemic was not one of influenza but
-possibly of an infection related to the eastern plague. The nodular
-masses of hemorrhage at times occupied areas varying from the size of a
-walnut to that of a golf ball and were localized amidst a relatively
-mildly involved lung tissue making a sharp contrast between the involved
-and relatively normal tissue. With the removal of the lung from the body
-and the partial collapse of the aerated tissues these nodules became
-still more prominent. The greater the amount of hemorrhage within these
-areas the more solid became the occupied tissue. Such sporadic
-distribution of hemorrhagic lesions occurred in the two most intense and
-rapidly fatal cases. Both of these individuals died within 48 hours of
-the time of onset of the lung conditions. In these two cases we do not
-believe that the pulmonary lesions had been prolonged over a time even
-as long as 36 hours but with the difficulty of estimating the onset of
-the lung involvement we are giving a liberal estimate of this time.
-
-Besides meeting with the stages of congestion, œdema and hemorrhage
-during the earliest days of the pulmonary lesions we have found that
-they are to be encountered virtually through all the stages of the fatal
-cases either as remnants of the original reactions which had not been
-entirely obliterated by the succeeding purulent process or as was so
-commonly found, new reactions occurred in other regions of the lung so
-that, in the same individual, inflammatory reactions of different stages
-of development could be defined. I do not recollect a single autopsy of
-a case dying during the acute period which did not show evidence of some
-areas in the stages of this early acute reaction. Naturally where
-resolution is well advanced within the lung all trace of inflammatory
-exudate of various kinds is removed and where such individuals with
-their resolved pneumonia are brought to death through succeeding
-complications the above finding will not be borne out. We limit,
-however, our statement to the findings in the acute deaths.
-
-We have previously intimated that the œdema present in the early stages
-of the reaction is to be looked upon as an inflammatory œdema or better
-as a true serous exudate, and must not be confused with the transudation
-of fluids in non-inflammatory conditions. We have on several occasions
-collected the fluid expressed from the soggy lungs and have made some
-determinations of their chemical qualities. The difficulty immediately
-arises in separating the materials arising from cellular degeneration
-from the natural constituents of the serous exudate. We were unable to
-obtain specimens in which laked blood was not present, so that even
-though the cellular constituents and fibrin were removed, decomposition
-products could not be separated. The analyses, however, gave a
-differentiation from the transudate seen in renal and cardiac
-conditions.
-
-During the period of the accumulation of this inflammatory fluid the
-clinician could often recognize a profuse watery exudate within the lung
-or even observed an abundant serous discharge arising in bronchi and
-trachea. At times the quantity of expectoration was great. Frothy serous
-fluid accumulated in the air passages and would periodically be
-expectorated. At other times the hemorrhage was of quite serious extent
-and the patient would suddenly bring up several mouthfuls or more of
-bright blood. This pulmonary hemorrhage was without manifestations
-different from the acute illness with cyanosis of other individuals. The
-two most acute cases, which we have referred to above, were of this
-kind, both of them having marked hæmoptysis with the loss of upwards of
-a pint of blood at a time.
-
-The early pulmonary lesion which we have described, we have called acute
-serous pneumonia and acute hemorrhagic pneumonia (or we might speak of
-it as an acute sero-hemorrhagic pneumonia) and is one which is
-distinctive for epidemic influenza. The cut surface of a lobe involved
-in this reaction is wet, glassy, meaty and oozes much blood-stained
-fluid. It contains no visible fibrin and presents no characters of a
-“cellular consolidation.” As a serous inflammation of the lung it is
-unique. The further remarkable character to the pulmonary lesion is that
-in advancing through the other stages, it never passes through a stage
-of “red hepatization.” Here again we have a distinctive difference from
-the pneumococcus-pneumonia. From what we have previously said about the
-nature of this early acute inflammation of the lung in this disease it
-is apparent that red hepatization has no place in its process. The stage
-of red hepatization is attained only when the inflammatory reaction is
-accompanied by certain constituents in the exudate, which upon
-coagulation (separation out of the fibrin) renders the lobe dry and
-solid, while there is a sufficient abundance of red blood cells and
-congestion to maintain a dark red color. The hepatized lung on section
-is dry, more or less granular, containing fibrin, red cells and
-leucocytes within the alveoli. Extensive œdema is unusual except in the
-cases of hypostatic pneumonia, which in well marked cases bears some
-resemblance to the gross appearance of the early influenza pneumonia. We
-have not encountered a single case of the red meaty lung of influenza
-which showed evidence of true red hepatization in the gross.
-
-The _microscopical_ examination of the lung tissue confirmed the
-observations which were made in the gross. In the early stages of
-congestion the reaction was much more extensive than what could be
-spoken of as a broncho-pneumonia. The capillary dilatation in the
-alveolar walls occupied diffuse areas varying from multiple lobules and
-areas several cm. in size to the common diffuse congestion of an entire
-lobe. Capillaries were distended to their full capacity and often this
-engorgement was associated with the leakage of blood or a serous fluid.
-Not uncommonly a clear serous fluid was exuded into the interstitial
-tissues of the alveolar wall and collected within the air sacs. The high
-albuminous content of this fluid was seen in the homogeneous coagulation
-which occurred when the tissues were placed in fixatives. The
-microscopical sections of such parts demonstrated the coagulum occupying
-the alveoli as a clear homogeneous substance containing relatively few
-cells and looking not unlike the colloid deposit of the thyroid. The
-alveolar walls, themselves, were infiltrated with fluid so that the
-distended tissues and vessels made these structures thick and bulky. In
-our own observations we were impressed by the differences of the early
-inflammatory reaction from those ordinarily seen in pneumonia. Amongst
-these differences was the quantity of fluid extruded into the lung with
-a relative absence of fibrin. In some instances fibrin was completely
-wanting, although small quantities could be demonstrated in isolated
-areas. This observation upon the quantity of fibrin can be made only
-during the early stage of the disease in as much as after secondary
-infection of various kinds has become implanted the presence of fibrin
-has become a variable quantity often exceeding that seen in the early
-stages. This is one of the points upon which the older authors have laid
-stress in differentiating influenza pneumonia from others. In this we
-fully concur. Whether this lack of fibrin in the inflammatory exudate is
-a characteristic to be associated with the infection by the B. influenzæ
-alone is hard to say, but in as much as it was such a prominent finding
-we are led to lay some stress upon it. It is, of course, to be realized,
-as with all other micro-organisms that under certain conditions fibrin
-will form an important part of the exudate even when the B. influenzæ is
-present. This is true in the inflammatory reactions of the meninges
-present in infections due to this bacillus. Under the conditions of
-epidemic influenza where the lung lesion is the prominent and unique
-reaction this micro-organism fails by itself to bring out this quality
-in the exudate.
-
-Not uncommonly this stage of inflammatory œdema was accompanied by
-various grades of hemorrhage, varying from the presence of small
-aggregations of red cells to a complete flooding of the lung tissue
-making it look not unlike a red infarct of lung, save that the alveolar
-walls still showed an active circulation and living cells. It was
-remarkable that even though there was such an intense reaction taking
-place in the lung tissue there was little or no evidence of a cellular
-exudate during this stage of the process. Where much blood was extruded
-into the alveoli occasional fibrin threads were found in the coagulum.
-In these early cases the bronchicles and small bronchi were found to
-contain an exudate similar to that in the alveoli. Not uncommonly the
-vessels from which the red blood was escaping, could be demonstrated in
-sections. The appearance of the vascular wall suggested that a definite
-opening had occurred in the side of the capillary from which the blood
-escaped. We were not able to demonstrate a fatty or other type of
-degeneration in the cells of the capillary walls. It is probable that
-the process of injury was much too acute to permit of the demonstration
-of the products of degeneration within the surviving cells.
-
-The hemorrhagic lesions which had existed for a longer period of time
-gradually showed a varying infiltration by wandering cells. The earliest
-cells not belonging to those of the hemorrhage or œdema appearing within
-the alveoli were mononuclear elements partly arising from the alveolar
-walls and partly coming from the circulation. Numerous mononuclear cells
-of epithelial type desquamating from the inner surface of the alveoli
-accumulated in the œdematous fluid and the hemorrhage within a short
-time after their occurrence. These cells either appeared in clusters or
-as single elements. Accompanying this were also large mononuclear cells
-loaded with different quantities of pigment which had apparently escaped
-from the lymphatic channels within the alveolar walls. These latter
-cells belong to the wandering endothelial type which are active in
-phagocytosis for foreign material and which assist so largely in
-inducing the deposit of carbon in the lungs and lymph glands. A third
-mononuclear cell appearing early in the reaction was the lymphocyte. The
-numbers and extent of distribution of this cell were not constant. We
-have seen it in some of the reactions where very few leucocytes were to
-be seen, and where it constituted the main infiltrating cell of the
-alveolar wall or the air sacs. We have previously mentioned its presence
-in the inflammatory reactions of the bronchi. Here we find it in the
-early response within the lung tissue and appearing amidst a reaction
-which is intensely acute. It is not long after the finding of these
-various cell elements that the polymorphonuclear leucocyte wanders in
-large droves to numerically overshadow the mononuclear cells.
-Nevertheless, the three types above mentioned can be recognized in the
-exudate through the succeeding stages of reactions in the lung. The
-large macrophage shows its phagocytic properties in taking up numerous
-red blood cells, lymphocytes and occasional leucocytes.
-
-It is not difficult to demonstrate that the inflammatory reaction within
-the bronchi and bronchioles precedes the responses within the alveoli.
-Quite often one may find an acute bronchiolitis with desquamation of the
-lining epithelium and the early serous exudate lying amidst the lung
-parenchyma unaffected by any irritant and reaction. There is every
-evidence that the bacteria reach the lung tissue by extending along the
-walls of the respiratory tubes and eventually reaching the air sacs
-either in the distant extremities of the bronchioles or when they have
-arrived at the thin-walled structures extend through them into the
-neighboring air sacs.
-
-It is during this early period that we are able to observe the
-characteristics of the initial inflammatory exudate as we have described
-it above. The serous exudate and the infiltration by mononuclear cells
-appear early while the absence of fibrin also attracts attention. In
-place of fibrin there appeared in a certain number of cases a peculiar
-material of a hyaline nature which becomes plastered against the borders
-of the air sacs forming a fairly thick laminated structure and within
-which thread-formation is not to be seen. Occasionally a few cells lie
-within this hyaline substance. Some have referred to this as a type of
-fibrin. We have found, however, that it does not give the staining
-reactions for fibrin and does not appear to be of the same composition.
-These masses are tightly welded to the alveolar walls and the borders
-are often indistinguishable. In part this material appeared to be made
-up of necrotic cells of the septum which previously had suffered œdema
-and circulatory interference. We have found in a number of cases hyaline
-thromboses of the fine capillaries with more or less necrosis of the
-alveolar septum. At times the septum was entirely destroyed so that a
-thick hyaline mass alone separated neighboring air sacs. This hyaline
-necrosis resembles in part the superficial necrosis which was observed
-along the borders of the denuded bronchi. There is, however, more than
-necrosis of cells constituting this deposit for the bulk of material
-eventually deposited is much greater than could arise from tissue cells
-alone. These hyaline masses have never been found to lie upon the
-alveolar wall with an intact lining, but it is always accompanied by a
-loss of the lining cells and more or less destruction of the wall
-itself. As to the nature of the hyaline deposit which is laid down in
-lamellae we do not know. Fibrin threads occasionally appear to arise
-from these hyaline deposits and extend amidst the exudate in the air
-sac. One cannot assume, however, that the fibrin and the hyaline
-material have any relation to each other as their chemical
-characteristics (and mode of deposition) appear to be quite different.
-It has been suggested by some that this hyaline material represents an
-imperfectly formed fibrin which has formed a jelly-like clot, not having
-the property of developing the usual threads.
-
-It is of importance to appreciate that the deposition of these hyaline
-structures indicates a severe injury of the alveolar walls not commonly
-observed in ordinary pneumonias.
-
-In different areas of the same lung these constituents of the early
-exudate may be observed in all proportions of admixture. Each one of the
-elements of the exudate may largely overshadow the others and
-prominently modify the appearance of the lesions. Broadly speaking,
-however, the inflammatory œdema and hemorrhage occupying the greatest
-part of the exudate in the lungs and the absence of marked leucocytic
-response as well as the absence of the characteristic fibrinous meshwork
-in the alveoli give to the early influenza-pneumonia a character
-different from those which we ordinarily see.
-
-It is during this early phase of the reaction that the influenza bacilli
-can be shown within the lung structures. The distribution of bacteria is
-not uniform. Clusters of these minute bacilli are found in the alveoli
-at irregular intervals, many of the air sacs containing much exudate
-being quite free from organisms. When present the bacteria appeared in
-tightly aggregated schools lying free amongst cells of the exudate, but
-also certain numbers being incorporated within the large mononuclear
-cells. In some regions organisms of the type of the influenza bacilli
-were alone seen, while elsewhere again, and particularly where the
-exudate was assuming purulent characters other bacteria of the nature of
-streptococci, staphylococci and micrococcus catarrhalis, were also
-found.
-
-
- _Lung—Secondary Stage_
-
-Following upon the primary reaction in the lung as above described, a
-secondary reaction makes its appearance at variable periods. This
-reaction is one in which the inflammatory exudate resembles more closely
-but is not identical with the responses which are observed in ordinary
-lobar, lobular and pneumococcus-pneumonia. Whereas in the earlier
-period, the reaction is largely one of a serous and hemorrhagic exudate
-accompanied by peculiar hyaline deposits along the inner borders of the
-alveoli, later there is seen a change in the quality of the exudate with
-the accumulation of more cellular elements and some fibrin. The naked
-eye appearance of the involved tissue changes considerably. The lung
-tissue loses in weight but becomes more solid. The lung contains less
-fluid and the cut surfaces are drier and the color of the reaction
-changes from the dark congested appearance to one showing all varieties
-of red and gray. This change from the flabby and soggy pneumonia to the
-more definite type of consolidation occurs in the regions which have
-been previously involved and is not to be found in the lung areas which
-have escaped the early reaction. The gray consolidation appears to be
-either a stage of the influenza-pneumonia or is a new reaction
-superadded to those pulmonary lesions induced by the primary infection.
-
-It is sometimes difficult to recognize the beginning of this pneumonic
-stage inasmuch as the gray color does not make its appearance even with
-the presence of fairly large quantities of cellular exudate. The amount
-of hemorrhage that originally lay in the affected areas for a long time
-overshadows the presence of the color of the cellular exudate. This is
-also true of the characters that may be impressed by the presence of
-fibrin. Small quantities of fibrin scattered through the congested and
-œdematous lung are not readily recognized and the beginning of this
-secondary reaction is also easily overlooked if one relies upon evidence
-of consolidation. More or less solid exudate may occupy a flabby lung
-without permitting one to appreciate its presence in the gross specimen.
-When, however, the deposit is of sufficient quantity to change the color
-of the involved lobe and to alter its consistency, one has little
-difficulty in recognizing the changes now taking place. The earliest
-development of this change in the inflammatory reaction was on the
-fourth day. In the majority of instances the gray color and the
-consolidation made its appearance about the sixth day. We have, however,
-on several occasions observed hemorrhagic lesions as late as the seventh
-and eighth day, at which time it was impossible to recognize a gray hue
-to the exudate or the character of granular consolidation to the
-involved lung.
-
-The reaction naturally suggests the stage of gray hepatization as we so
-well appreciate it in ordinary pneumococcus-pneumonia and from the
-standpoint of its color and the greater solidification of the lung
-tissue we might speak of it as such. Here, however, it must be clearly
-distinguished from the gray hepatization of ordinary pneumonia. This
-secondary lesion of influenza-pneumonia has but little in common other
-than its color and the development of a consolidation with true lobar
-pneumonia. It is never as clear cut as we see it in the latter and the
-degree of the “gray hepatization” is not uniformly distributed through
-the involved lobe. One portion of the lobe will show a diffuse gray hue
-while in other parts more decided lobular or patchy areas are picked out
-in the advanced reaction. There is not the uniformity of lobar
-involvement nor is the distribution as regular as one obtains it in
-broncho-pneumonia. Furthermore, the character of the consolidation
-differs very decidedly in showing such a variety of hues in reds and
-grays and the cut surface is not the picture of the dry granular
-consolidation of our endemic disease. The gray areas are in all states
-of wetness and ooze a slimy fluid on the cut surface. In the later
-stages this exudate is most profuse resembling a sticky pus. In its
-appearance we were reminded of the character seen in unresolved
-pneumonia as well as in the pneumonias produced by the pneumococcus
-mucosus, and the B. mucosus capsulatus. We would, therefore, avoid the
-use of the term gray hepatization and in place of it, as the evidence
-with the microscope confirms, use the term _purulent pneumonia_.
-
-There are three other characters which differentiate this gray stage
-from those of ordinary pneumonias—(1) the irregular distribution, (2)
-the friability of the involved tissue and (3) the interstitial reaction.
-We have never observed such an irregularity in the distribution of a
-gray stage of pneumonia as we have seen it develop in acute
-influenza-pneumonia. All types of involvement of the lobes are found in
-different cases and even sometimes in the same case. The least frequent
-type has been the broncho-pneumonia in its true form. Broncho-pneumonia
-as we see it in children and the cases following measles is usually
-fairly uniformly seeded through several lobes and the size of the
-individual patches is about that of a split pea. The small bronchus can
-be recognized about the center of the involvement. In those instances
-one has studded through the lung tissue numerous small swollen areas
-which are granular, dry and gray. Differing from this the patchy
-distribution of the gray stage of influenza-pneumonia had no regularity
-either in the size of the areas nor the distribution. A lobe may show
-one or more patches. The patches may be distributed toward one portion
-of the lobe more than another. Furthermore the areas do not always
-encircle the small bronchi but involve the terminal portion so that an
-entire lobule is more commonly affected. The lobular type rather than
-the peribronchial type is most commonly seen and it is often remarkable
-how sharply the gray lobule is demarcated from the surrounding congested
-lung tissue. On several occasions we observed a single lobule in the
-gray stage while the remaining portion of the lobe was in the serous and
-hemorrhagic condition. However, multiple lobules are commonly seen
-closely associated in the advancing inflammatory process. Such lobules
-show peculiar geographical patches or leaflet-like configuration.
-Varying with the number of lobules involved the extent of the gray
-change in the lobes assumed more or less a lobar distribution. There was
-no uniform position to this pneumonic state sometimes appearing in the
-peripheral tissues of the lung, at other times lying centrally with less
-involved or less advanced inflammatory reactions surrounding it.
-Nevertheless, the gray stage made its appearance more rapidly in the
-lower lobe than the upper and it was not uncommon to find this condition
-appearing quite early in the upper posterior portion of the lower lobes.
-This latter position is the one which is recognized during life by the
-clinician as one of the earliest localizations of the demonstrable
-pneumonia. It is reported by many that the first physical signs of
-consolidation are to be obtained close to the lower angles of the
-scapulae.
-
-There is no doubt that the character of the pneumonic process in the
-epidemic influenza was not the same in all localities. There have been
-not a few who have reported a large proportion of their pulmonary
-lesions as a definite broncho-pneumonia with an interstitial purulent
-involvement. The prominent reaction was a small circumscribed yellow
-focus about the bronchioles from which a bead of pus could be expressed.
-These pea-sized foci were scattered through several or all lobes. It is
-this type of reaction which appears to develop by a direct extension
-through the bronchial walls and to remain quite localized in the alveoli
-about these tubes. This reaction seems to be purulent from its very
-beginning and does not pass through the stages as we have described them
-above. There is more or less fibrin present in the exudate, but usually
-not in the quantity observed in lobar pneumonia. These lesions closely
-resemble those observed in the post-measles pneumonia, and it is claimed
-are the result of the same agent; the hemolytic streptococcus. In only
-one case did we observe a lesion of this kind. The small areas of
-broncho-pneumonia were confined to the left lower lobe and in the lower
-portion of the upper lobe. Each area was about the size of a split pea,
-was quite yellow and in fairly sharp contrast to the background of an
-acute sero-hemorrhagic pneumonia. The subsequent history of these
-interstitial purulent broncho-pneumonias is like that in measles, where
-the tendency toward an organizing pneumonia has been shown. The
-importance of the hemolytic streptococcus in inducing purulent
-interstitial lesions of the lung (and also of other organs) cannot be
-over-impressed. It is not so much the type of the reaction during its
-acute stage which attracts our attention, but the manner of the healing
-process. It is more than probable that the organizing pneumonias of
-influenza, not only of this distinct bronchial type, but also the
-lobular, confluent and lobar variety have had an associated
-streptococcus infection. The more intimate discussion of this type of
-pneumonia has been given by MacCallum.
-
-Our autopsy experience has led us to believe that the definite clinical
-signs of pneumonia are associated with the development of this gray
-consolidation of the lung. The lung tissue develops characters which
-permit the physical signs to be recognized. The tissue is more solid and
-more readily transmits the bronchial sounds. This is not true of the
-earlier stages where the inflammatory process is contained within a lung
-tissue which still is partially crepitant and when the so-called
-consolidation is due to an inflammatory œdema and not to the more solid
-fibrinous and cellular exudate. With the protean distribution of the
-gray lesion one does not wonder at the clinical difficulties in mapping
-out or even finding the consolidated tissues.
-
-As soon as the lobes show this gray character and with the progressive
-development of an acute interstitial purulent pneumonia, the lung tissue
-becomes friable. All gradations of flabbiness may still be obtained and
-in the early stages while the cellular exudate is accumulating to change
-the color of the lung, little variation from the tough character of the
-pulmonary tissues can be recognized. When, however, a true gray
-character is assumed by a portion of the lobe, the tissue becomes so
-soft that it is handled with difficulty without rupture. The thumb can
-be pressed into the gray mass and pus will well up around the invading
-phalanx. The consistency in the late stages reminds one of the pulpy
-tissues in acute splenitis. In cutting such lobes it is almost
-impossible to obtain slices of the tissues, their own weight often
-breaking such a segment. When allowed to rest on the table for a few
-moments, the cut surface becomes coated with a dirty yellow slime
-representing pus and products of disintegration arising from the lung.
-The stroma and alveolar tissues are themselves involved in the
-inflammatory process and many of them have suffered complete or partial
-destruction so that they offer but little resistance to pressure and
-serve as a poor supporting stroma to the pulmonary tissues. The reaction
-which has taken place within the lung producing both the gray color and
-the destruction of the tissues is, indeed, an active suppurative one.
-One would not be surprised to obtain not only a purulent lesion wherein
-the cellular exudate occupies the air sacs and their walls but also a
-further stage leading to a destruction of the tissues to the extent that
-abscess cavities are produced. These we have met with in several
-instances, some of them being small while others were several
-centimeters in diameter. An abscess of larger extent and having a
-destructive process which involved the surrounding tissues so that one
-would speak of it as a process of gangrene, was observed by Dr. McMeans
-in one of his cases. A lobar distribution of the purulent lesion takes
-place where multiple involved lobules have fused in their periphery or
-where a suppurative flooding of the tissues in this violent late
-reaction has taken place.
-
-The question at once comes to mind whether this gray stage is but the
-late event of what we have previously spoken of as influenza-pneumonia
-or whether this condition is superadded to what may begin as an
-influenza-pneumonia but end in a pulmonary inflammation with a mixed
-infection. Dr. Holman was not able to demonstrate a sufficient
-difference in the bacteriology of the lobes in the gray stages from
-those in the early acute stage to be able to say that the flora changes
-at a certain time during the progress of the disease in the individuals.
-It is possible, and there is some evidence in support of this, that the
-earlier stages of the pneumonic process represent the reaction to the
-influenza bacillus and that during this period the response is fairly
-uniform and similar owing to the fact that this infection has but a
-short incubation period and a high pathogenicity. In such an event the
-particular micro-organism may bring about a peculiar response of its own
-before the other organisms with which it is associated have the
-opportunity of producing damage. Subsequently, however, these secondary
-organisms impose their peculiar reactions upon an altered lung, thus
-inducing an inflammatory lesion which differs from the preceding
-reaction and also differs from the reaction usually induced by those
-organisms upon relatively healthy tissues. It is difficult to account
-for the very irregular distribution of the gray lesions by an
-explanation concerning the influenza bacillus alone, or by the
-characters peculiar to the secondary infection. There is an entire want
-of character to these gray lesions which makes them differ from other
-types of pneumonia known to us.
-
-It is well to lay particular stress upon this peculiarity in the
-distribution and extent of the lesions within the lobes; and it is also
-important to appreciate the difference in the appearance of these gray
-areas from those of true lobar or broncho-pneumonia.
-
-Finally there is another point in which this stage of the pneumonic
-process differs from that of pneumococcus lobar pneumonia. In frank
-lobar pneumonia the reactions taking place in the involved portion of
-the lung are fairly uniform in all its parts. The stage of red
-hepatization occupies about that amount of lung which subsequently shows
-itself in the state of gray hepatization. In other words, all of those
-areas which appear gray are preceded by this peculiar red consolidation,
-and all of the area occupied by the red hepatization will pass through
-the phases of gray hepatization before entering upon the final stage of
-resolution.
-
-In influenza-pneumonia, on the other hand, the events taking place in a
-given lobe are not uniform and various stages and grades of the
-inflammatory reaction may be recognized at the same time, some appearing
-red, some congested, some flooded with blood in hemorrhage and others
-showing the purulent infiltration by the appearance of gray patches upon
-the background of red. Not only do the various reactions within the same
-lobe fail to show similar grades of intensity and similar stages or time
-of involvement, but we find that all of the red and hemorrhagic areas
-are not destined to pass through the gray stages. At times it is true an
-entire lung will enter into the purulent phase and if this becomes
-extreme abscess and gangrene are almost certain to develop. But often
-the purulent infiltration occupies only a few or scattered lobules and
-resolution may take place in a lung where the greater part of the lobes
-is occupied by the inflammatory œdema and hemorrhage and has never
-become truly consolidated by cellular and fibrinous exudate. This
-feature that the involved lung tissues need not pass through the
-sequence of events which is usually observed in frank lobar pneumonia is
-so distinctive that it differentiates the character of the inflammatory
-reaction very clearly. It may be that this is an indication of the
-unequal distribution of the micro-organism and that the first infection
-presumably by the _bacillus influenzæ_ has been much more diffuse and of
-wider extent than the secondary invading bacteria which being
-distributed through the bronchial tree are more or less localized to
-those lobules most severely involved. It is impossible to claim for
-influenza-pneumonia as clear and sharp-cut stages as we obtain them in
-the pneumococcus lobar pneumonia.
-
-During the period of the intense purulent reaction in certain portions
-of the lung, the intrinsic structures within the area also partake in
-the damage and response. The suppurative infiltration not only occupies
-the alveolar walls but also extends through the tissues of the
-bronchioles, the arteries and the veins. The polymorphonuclear
-leucocytes seem to migrate into all of the parenchyma indicating some
-damage by bacterial invasion. On more than one occasion have we observed
-partial or incomplete thrombosis of arterioles and capillaries whose
-walls showed an acute suppurative reaction. Some of these thromboses are
-of importance, being associated with the interference with a blood
-supply not compensated by adequate anastomosis. Necrosis and small areas
-of gangrene and abscess are to be found in the region of the circulatory
-disturbances. It is also during this period of the disease when the
-bronchi and their ramifications contain pus or muco-pus, that the
-exudate from the alveoli readily finds its way into the air passages and
-becoming mixed with the mucus from these tracts forms a tenacious
-discharge.
-
-The presence of large amounts of exudate within the bronchi brought
-these structures into unusual prominence. This was particularly true in
-the purulent stage of the reaction when beads of sticky pus would well
-up from the cut bronchioles. We were tempted on a number of occasions to
-speak of this in terms of bronchiectasis but with the intense
-inflammatory reaction occupying the bronchial wall and modifying its
-contour on this account we avoided this diagnosis. In one instance,
-however, the lesion was unmistakable. This was a case of purulent
-pneumonia (764) dying on the ninth day of the disease. The distribution
-of his pulmonary lesions was distinctly lobular, apparently following
-the course of the bronchial distribution. The bronchi were followed
-longitudinally and irregular pouchings of the lumen were very apparent.
-The bronchi had suffered marked inflammatory reaction which had also
-infiltrated the muscular tissues of the tubes. Goodpasture and Burnett
-report finding two cases of acute bronchiectasis associated with abscess
-and ulceration of the bronchi. In our case the bronchiectasis was found
-bilateral but was more marked in the lower lobes than the upper.
-
-The lymphatic channels within the lung tissue are found active in
-establishing an internal drainage to the neighboring thoracic glands.
-The lymph vessels were often found filled with leucocytes and variable
-amounts of serum. During this late stage only a few of the endothelial
-leucocytes were observed wandering to or from the lung with a load of
-pigment or cell debris. These wandering endothelial cells, however,
-appeared to become loosened from their normal situations and in the
-vicinity of lymphatic nodes or communicating channels where these cells
-are prone to localize with their carbon pigment, again assumed their
-spherical form and took on migratory properties entering into the nearby
-tissues and scattering themselves in the looser structures. It is an
-interesting point to note that these pigment carrying cells, ordinarily
-assuming a latent existence when their cytoplasm has been crowded with
-foreign particles will assume all the activities of migrating cells when
-the œdema of the tissues alters the physical properties not conducive to
-a stationary existence. These cells will then be found to enter the lung
-alveoli, often appearing as cells which have only recently picked up
-their carbon load. When, however, the conditions of the experiment, that
-is, the production of an inflammatory œdema in the lung, are produced in
-the tissues of an individual with much anthracosis, he will, during the
-period of his pneumonia and for some time during convalescence, bring up
-a greater number of these cells in his sputum than are ever obtained
-during the times when the lung is not involved. We are convinced that
-inflammatory conditions of the lung tend to reduce the total number of
-latent pigment bearing cells present in the involved tissues, and in
-this way somewhat reduce the grade of anthracosis.
-
-A considerable discussion has arisen concerning the proper nomenclature
-for the pneumonia or pneumonias found in epidemic influenza. From some
-quarters have come the reports of a true lobar pneumonia, from others a
-lobular or broncho-pneumonia and others again claim that the reaction is
-an interstitial pneumonia of varying distribution. It appeared to us
-that the gross distribution of the lesions is not alone the criterion
-for a proper appreciation of the inflammatory states which may arise
-within the lung. I believe it has been amply demonstrated that the
-pneumonic reactions appearing in different regions of the United States
-as well as in different countries are not of a constant kind when viewed
-alone in the light of the gross picture nor are they constant from the
-standpoint of their bacteriology. We are of the opinion that the earlier
-phases of the pulmonary reaction are fairly constant in different places
-and that this constancy is dependent upon the common virus which
-initiates the respiratory lesion and which then permits a variety of
-micro-organisms invading as secondary agents. The secondary agents vary
-with the community and depending upon their nature the character of the
-reaction differs from that in other places. It has been well
-demonstrated that in some regions the hemolytic streptococcus is the
-important organism following the primary injury by the initial virus. In
-other places the pneumococcus or the staphylococcus or the M.
-catarrhalis is found to be of primary importance. Up to the present it
-has not been shown that the influenza bacillus is not the important
-organism causing the initial reaction and being responsible for the
-opportunity of secondary invaders leading to such diverse reactions in
-the lung. In our series we have met with lobar, lobular, interstitial
-and broncho-pneumonic types. We have not observed a case of the miliary
-bronchial reaction as described and illustrated by Goodpasture and
-Burnett and fully investigated by MacCallum. Moreover we have not met
-with the type of purulent bronchitis as a characteristic lesion
-preceding pulmonary involvement. The occurrence of pus within the
-bronchi occurred not early in the pulmonary lesion but later after the
-bronchi and bronchioles had passed through their stages of acute, serous
-and hemorrhagic pneumonia and were entering upon their secondary stage
-with pus production. The pulmonary lesion had long preceded the
-appearance of pus in the bronchi. We do not hold, however, that such
-relations between the pulmonary lesion and the purulent bronchitis do
-not exist for there is evidence that in particular regions this sequence
-of events was closely observed.
-
-We cannot, however, correlate our findings with the classification of
-pneumonias as given by MacCallum. His claim for specific types of
-pneumonia as a sequel to influenza is based upon his statement that “no
-satisfactory evidence has been brought forward to show that the epidemic
-influenza is a bacterial infection. It is evidently a general or
-systematic infection not especially affecting the respiratory tract and
-analogous in many respects, as Bloomfield has pointed out, to the acute
-exanthematic diseases.” Thus we are confronted by two schools concerning
-the nature of influenza. The one claiming that epidemic influenza is
-essentially a disease of the respiratory system and the other completely
-denying this.
-
-I am unable to understand the claims which are put forward to
-substantiate the second view.
-
-The classification of the pneumonias as suggested by MacCallum would be
-valuable if it could be applied in a practical manner. We find, however,
-that his description for the pneumococcus-pneumonia hardly coincides
-with common observations on endemic pneumonia and if the description is
-to apply only to the pneumonias associated with influenza wherein
-pneumococcus alone is isolated we find that our own observations do not
-coincide with this. The picture offered by MacCallum under this heading
-was reproduced when the bacteriological findings illustrated the
-presence of organisms other than the pneumococcus or combinations of
-these. The most characteristic of his description is the one for the
-streptococcus-pneumonia which when present alone gives quite a unique
-picture. The picture, however, is to a certain degree modified by the
-reactions which precede the streptococcus in the lung. Furthermore to
-offer as a characteristic picture for the influenza infection of the
-bronchi the presence of a thick yellow pus is hardly complete inasmuch
-as this exudate appeared only as a stage in the inflammatory process.
-The intense serous and hemorrhagic response observed early in this type
-of infection is more unique than the presence of pus which appears
-somewhat later and which may occur with infections other than the B.
-influenzæ. It has long been the hope in pathology to be able to
-establish by the character of the tissue reaction, the nature of the
-infecting agent. Up to the present this has been possible only with a
-very few types of bacteria.
-
-
- _Lung—Stage of Resolution_
-
-The removal of the infection and the inflammatory exudate from the lung
-tissue is accomplished slowly. Clinically the pulmonary process clears
-up by lysis, and it is quite unusual to have a crisis with the rapid
-disappearance of the serious manifestations. It is difficult to obtain a
-clear conception of what takes place in any individual case recovering
-from an influenza-pneumonia, but if we have an understanding of what may
-occur in the inflamed lung tissue in any one of the stages or varieties
-of kind, we may visualize the changing character of the lung condition
-tending toward the final restoration.
-
-We have previously pointed out that the early stage of
-influenza-pneumonia is one of congestion, œdema, hemorrhage and more or
-less leucocytic infiltration, and that this reaction differs materially
-from that observed in pneumococcus lobar pneumonia. There being no stage
-of true red hepatization, it has also become apparent that this peculiar
-primary reaction need not pass into the stage of gray consolidation.
-Scattered areas in the lung pass from the condition of acute serous and
-hemorrhagic pneumonia to a type of purulent pneumonia while much of the
-remaining tissue continues in the state as seen in the early reaction. A
-certain amount of cellular exudate makes its appearance but not
-sufficient to lead to a true consolidation. This variety of reaction is
-present from the fifth day of the pneumonia onwards and may continue
-with all of its varieties through until the tenth or twelfth day or even
-longer when recovery from the infection is beginning. Thus the stage of
-resolution makes its appearance before the inflammatory reaction in the
-involved lobes has assumed a common character and where we are able to
-recognize different grades of severity and different stages of
-inflammation within the same lobe. Resolution taking place in such a
-lobe has responses occurring in the different parts determined by the
-nature of the antecedent reaction. We have found that those portions
-which have not advanced beyond the stage of œdema and hemorrhage may
-clear up with the disappearance of this early exudate and its infection.
-In a neighboring portion the purulent inflammation passes through phases
-differing somewhat from the preceding but also tending toward the
-restoration of the parenchyma and the disappearance of the inflammation.
-It would be incorrect to consider the resolution of the early type of
-inflammatory reaction as an abortive process inasmuch as it is not yet
-clear whether this serous and hemorrhagic process is not the
-characteristic inflammation of a peculiar micro-organism or organisms
-and that when acting alone these bacteria do not in themselves stimulate
-a further inflammatory response. Hence if it is true that there is a
-peculiar inflammatory reaction of a non-suppurative and non-fibrinous
-kind the manner of resolution will differ somewhat from that where these
-other constituents of the exudate are present. It becomes clear,
-therefore, that in influenza-pneumonia all of the lung involved in the
-early peculiar inflammatory reaction need not pass through those stages
-and reactions as we recognize them in pneumococcus lobar pneumonia.
-
-The resolution taking place in the areas of serous and hemorrhagic
-pneumonia is accomplished largely by a reabsorption of the fluid,
-autolytic disintegration of the red blood cells and a certain amount of
-phagocytosis of red blood cells and their debris. This resolution is
-quite rapidly accomplished, and the clearing up of such an area may take
-place in a remarkably short period of time. The leucocytes and
-endothelial cells which are present with every such reaction become
-active in phagocytosis of bacteria, and we have repeatedly observed them
-crowded with small Gram negative bacilli, whose morphology is similar to
-that of the B. influenzæ. These areas contain but few bacteria of other
-kinds. The exudate in the alveolar walls is also simple in character and
-is readily removed. Slight suffusion of blood, serous fluid, and
-migrating cells may occupy portions of the alveolar walls during the
-acute reaction, but these, too, are easily removed and the tissue
-rapidly resumes its normal character. The vascular and lymphatic
-congestion again disappear and the tissues which once were soggy return
-to a normal state without leaving behind evidence of the pulmonary
-incapacity. The lining epithelium of trachea, bronchi and alveoli is
-restored by proliferation from the neighboring less injured parts.
-
-If this early stage in influenza-pneumonia is to be compared with the
-early reactions of endemic pneumonia, it is interesting to note with
-what ease the resolution may be accomplished in the former, whereas in
-the latter a further sequence of stages must apparently be passed
-through before the lung is cleared of its inflammatory products. As we
-have intimated before, the early exudate in these two types of pneumonia
-differs very essentially, the one being accompanied by much fibrin and
-leucocytes which are present only in small quantities in the pulmonary
-lesion of influenza.
-
-Resolution of the other portions of the involved lobes in influenza is
-not so easily accomplished. Where a progressive lesion with its
-development of pus occupying both the air sacs and the tissue of the
-lung, the outcome of attempts at repair are uncertain. Complete
-resolution with complete disappearance of the purulent exudate may take
-place as we see it in many other regions occupied by a similar reaction;
-and where the purulent response is not accompanied by material damage to
-the tissue the restoration of the lung is so complete that upon its
-recovery no evidence is left behind of the former injury, but in as much
-as the presence of a purulent reaction in the lung is often of more
-severe grade than this, a certain amount of tissue destruction having
-been accomplished, the repair does not completely restore the tissue to
-its former normal state. The purulent lesion, however, is not uncommonly
-accompanied by minute capillary thromboses, tissue derangement, organic
-destruction, with even tissue alteration amounting to abscess or
-gangrene, and it is too much to hope that the lung may be completely
-restored. Minute abscesses varying from microscopic size to large
-cavities, several centimeters in diameter, were not unusual in the
-tissues severely involved in the purulent reaction. Thus in these areas,
-resolution can be accomplished only by a process of slow organization of
-the damaged parts with the final production of fibrosis. These fibroses
-are of variable extent depending upon the initial damage. We have been
-very much struck with the speed with which this process of organization
-may take place and the extent of the lung tissue which may become
-involved in this late lesion. In one of our cases we have evidence of
-marked fibrosis present on the twenty-third day of his illness. Patches
-of organization varying from one to four centimeters in diameter
-occupied the different lobes of the lung. The new fibrous tissue was
-well developed and the purulent reaction had largely disappeared. The
-fibrosis obliterated the normal architecture of alveoli and bronchioles,
-leaving only irregular islands of epithelium which assumed grotesque
-glandular shapes and looked not unlike a new growth. One of the
-interesting features of these late fibroses which come to occupy various
-extents of the lung and bronchial tissues is that the individual after
-recovering from his acute influenzal lesions again passes, in about his
-third week, into a stage of dyspnœa with manifestations out of
-proportion to the physical signs or constitutional derangements which
-can be determined. The dyspnœa is often the outstanding sign and the
-patient may die in a state of asphyxia.
-
-We have observed evidence of organization in its earlier reactions
-taking place in the patches of gray consolidation. This organization of
-the lung tissue takes place as an interstitial fibrosis and as an
-alveolar organization. Masses of granulation tissue grow out into and
-come to occupy the lumen of the air sacs, while in other instances the
-new growth of tissue takes place mainly in the alveolar walls converting
-them from thin partitions to thickened and tough structures. In the
-cases in which a purulent pneumonia was present for some time, and where
-some of these tended towards repair, this type of restoration with the
-new development of connective tissue was found. The amount of fibrosis
-varied very much, and in many instances there was no evidence that
-obstruction to the bronchioles occurred to a material degree. Hence,
-although we believe that more or less organization occurs in all of
-those cases which have passed through a purulent pneumonia, and that a
-permanent mark is left upon the lung tissue, it is not probable that the
-amount of involvement and final damage by fibrosis is sufficient to
-seriously influence the pulmonary respiration. There is, however, a
-certain percentage of cases in which this organization and fibrosis does
-involve sufficient of the lung parenchyma and bronchioles to interfere
-with the pulmonary ventilation.
-
-Where the purulent pneumonia has markedly involved the parenchyma, and
-particularly where vascular channels both large and small have suffered,
-some of them by thrombosis, others by a sclerotic thickening, the
-circulatory disturbance may be sufficiently interfered with to infarct
-the area. The infarction usually occupies the purulent area itself, and
-with the complete occlusion of the circulation the resulting necrosis
-gives rise to an appearance different from that usually seen in
-pulmonary infarcts. The area may lie in the peripheral portion of the
-lobe or may occupy deeper parts. The infarct is of a cream-white color,
-quite homogeneous, and resembles the appearance of a local area of
-caseous pneumonia. This appearance is brought about through the local
-purulent consolidation undergoing necrosis. Some of these areas rapidly
-develop a cavity through liquefaction of the exudate.
-
-The localization of the inflammatory products not only upon the surface
-of the air sacs but also in the stroma of the alveoli; the interlobular
-trabeculæ, and about the vascular channels indicates the intense effect
-of the virus of this disease. The exudate is largely an indication of
-the point of action of the irritant upon the tissues, and in influenza
-with its variety of bacteria in the lung this is not limited to the
-surface membrane of the air sacs. During this second stage of the
-reaction the purulent exudate was found occupying all structures of the
-involved area. Damage upon the component tissues was to be seen in the
-endothelium of the capillaries, the muscle tissue of the bronchioles and
-arterioles, the connective tissues and the epithelium. It was seldom
-that bacteria were demonstrated in the interstitial parts, and it would
-appear that the damage was the result of their toxins.
-
-Hence, broadly speaking, the end result of the pneumonic process in
-influenza is far more complex and indefinite than that in lobar
-pneumonia. Resolution may take place early with the clearing up of the
-first products of the exudate; or it may be delayed in association with
-the secondary purulent process which not uncommonly occupies multiple
-lobes. Where the resolution begins in purulent regions the final outcome
-is most variable, depending upon the amount of damage which has been
-imposed upon the lung tissue during the suppurative inflammation, ending
-either in complete restoration or slight fibrosis of the lung, or
-passing on to focal scarring of various degrees, sufficient to alter the
-pulmonary capacity. In other instances the resolution is delayed by the
-development of abscess, infarct and gangrene. Here the final outcome is
-determined by the amount of tissue involved in the destructive process,
-and the persistency with which the infecting micro-organisms attack the
-local tissues and the constitutional resistance of the individual. Those
-individuals in whom resolution begins before there is much purulent
-pneumonia stand the best chance of having the lung return to its normal
-characteristics.
-
-
- _Pleura_
-
-Inflammation of the pleura was a complication which varied in its extent
-and appearance. It appeared to us that a definite interval lapsed
-between the development of the lesions in the lung and the appearance of
-an inflammatory reaction upon the pleural surfaces. Although we have
-recorded evidence of a pleural reaction in 27 cases, this does not
-indicate that we have met with that number of pleurisies of clinical
-severity. In this group we include all gradations of pleural reaction
-from the merest evidence of irritation and slight dulling of the surface
-to the cases in which definite and marked inflammatory exudate
-accumulated within the cavity. In many cases we observed a slight
-increase in the amount of the fluid present in one or other pleural
-cavity, while there was little or no macroscopic evidence of a cellular
-or fibrinous exudate. An examination of the fluid showed the presence of
-lymphocytes and endothelial cells in small numbers, and sections of the
-pleural surface at points where a slight dulling of the serous membrane
-was seen at autopsy showed the presence of a very thin layer of a
-hyaline fibrin. By taking these reactions as indicative of pleurisy we
-have recorded 6 cases of acute fibrinous pleurisy, 20 of acute
-serofibrinous pleurisy, and 1 of acute fibrino-purulent pleurisy.
-
-An increase in the quantity of fluid in the pleural sacs was the most
-common indication of pleural irritation. The quantity varied from 50 to
-500 c.c. of a clear or slightly turbid fluid. Not uncommonly this fluid
-was blood stained and evidence of superficial extravasation of blood
-could be recognized directly beneath the pleural membrane. These serous
-reactions accompanied the early acute stage, while hemorrhage was the
-accompaniment of the early period of the influenzal pneumonia when
-similar hemorrhages were found in the lung substance. The pleural
-reactions were almost entirely confined to the visceral pleura, and only
-in the very severe responses did we obtain a marked inflammatory
-reaction with hemorrhage upon the chest wall. Goodpasture and Burnett
-state that “there is commonly a moderate serous effusion in one or both
-pleural cavities amounting to 50 or 250 cubic centimeters. The fluid is
-clear and has the color of blood-stained serum. The pleural surfaces are
-smooth, shiny and wet, though occasionally a thin, granular fibrinous
-exudate may be seen by reflected light over limited areas. Often
-numerous small, red, discrete, or confluent pleural hemorrhages are
-present over consolidated portions, especially posteriorly on the
-surface of the lower lobes.” Where organisms other than the influenza
-bacillus had invaded the pleural sac and had been present for a
-sufficient time to obtain a reaction, the serous type of exudate
-observed in the early lesions changed to the turbid type of fluid
-accompanied by more or less fibrin deposit. There was one case where the
-intense reaction with fibrin and leucocytes gave rise to a new character
-to the pleural exudate, a fibrino-purulent pleurisy or empyema.
-
-As we have subsequently learned the pleurisies developing late in the
-course of the influenza and those which persist after the pulmonary
-inflammation has passed are prone to be of a purulent kind. There have
-been a fair number of cases of empyema brought to our attention by the
-surgical department in the bacteriological laboratory of the hospital,
-subsequent to the wave of epidemic influenza. If one were to base his
-finding alone upon observations obtained in the operating room, he would
-be impressed by the fact that the pleurisy accompanying the epidemic of
-influenza is of a purulent type. On the other hand, if one were alone to
-consider the findings at the autopsy table during the five weeks of the
-epidemic, one would be of the opinion that the pleurisy is of very minor
-consequence and of a serous type. It is this changing picture which is
-particularly to be kept in mind. And our experience indicates that
-during the height of the influenzal lesions of the lung when the
-pulmonary lesions develop so rapidly that we obtain a pleural reaction
-closely resembling the inflammatory conditions in the lung and also
-containing bacteria not unlike the pulmonary flora. Dr. Holman has
-obtained the influenza bacillus and other varieties from the pleura
-during these early periods of the pulmonary inflammation. It is more
-than probable that just as in the infection of the lung tissue where
-there is a change in the type of the bacteria present, so, too, the
-flora of the pleura alters in the succeeding stages of the pulmonary
-reaction. In the late event of empyema we have not observed the
-influenza bacillus. The majority of the empyemas possess hemolytic
-streptococci and occasionally pneumococci.
-
-
- _Heart_
-
-During the acute epidemic and while the disease was at its height it was
-remarkable how few cases showed involvement of the heart. It was the
-common observation that even during intense illness the heart action
-remained fairly stable and did not indicate an effect by intoxication as
-might be expected from the severity of the illness. In as much as the
-majority of deaths occurred within relatively few days of the onset of
-the severe infection, the type of lesion that would be looked for in the
-heart would be either bacterial inflammatory products within the
-pericardium, myocardium or endocardium or toxic lesions of musculature
-alone.
-
-In our series we have encountered no cases of pericarditis. This lesion
-in the experience of others has also been unusual, and it would appear
-that bacterial invasion of this sac is accomplished mainly in the
-presence of secondary infections localizing in the neighboring pleura.
-It was not uncommon to find a slight increase in the serous fluid in the
-sac, but this on no occasion amounted to a hydropericardium. The fluid
-was always clear and with no evidence of fibrin or cellular exudate.
-Petechial hemorrhages scattered over the epicardium were noted in seven
-cases. In the majority of instances these minute hemorrhages were
-scattered in small numbers over the ventricular walls. In one instance
-these petechial hemorrhages were also present through the myocardium,
-suggesting the influence of an intoxication not upon the tissues of the
-heart as much as upon the finer structures of the vascular channels.
-This is furthermore borne out in the presence of petechial hemorrhages
-confined not to one organ, but to various tissues and structures in the
-body.
-
-More or less cloudy swelling or granular degeneration of the muscle
-elements of the heart was not uncommon. It was sufficiently pronounced
-in 12 cases to be readily detected by the naked eye. A lesser amount was
-also observed in other cases on microscopical examination. In only one
-instances was the myocardial degeneration of such extent to lead to a
-definite and recognizable weakening of the musculature. In this instance
-the autopsy showed a flabby myocardium which was relatively soft and
-easily broken and in which all the chambers of the heart were decidedly
-dilated. This was the only case in which we were convinced of a
-sufficient influence of the toxic effects upon the musculature to permit
-a stretching of the walls, with failure of function.
-
-In a number of other instances, however, in which there was more or less
-granular degeneration and cloudy swelling we found that the right
-ventricle ceased in diastole without, however, the capacity of the
-chamber being enlarged. We would make this differentiation in speaking
-of dilatation of the heart. We have met with 11 cases in which the right
-heart died in diastole, but in which there was no evidence that the
-right ventricle had been unduly expanded. In four cases there was
-evidence of an old compensatory hypertrophy of the left ventricle in
-which the cavity of this chamber was also slightly larger than normal.
-The lesions in these four cases, however, bore no direct relation to the
-results from the influenza infection. The appearance of the musculature
-with moderate grade of cloudy swelling suggested some œdema of the
-tissues. In the myocardium, œdema is difficult to recognize, and we
-would not place great stress upon its presence in mild degree.
-
-The microscopic examination of the myocardium showing cloudy swelling
-gave the usual picture as is seen with a variety of infections. The
-muscle fibers showed a fine granular deposit in their cytoplasm and the
-staining quality of the tissue was somewhat altered. The transverse
-striæ were less distinct than normal, while not uncommonly the
-longitudinal fibrils became more evident. Fatty degeneration was not
-encountered.
-
-In the single case showing a definite and acute dilatation of the
-ventricles the cause of the myocardial lesion could not be placed at the
-door of the influenzal infection. This was the case suffering from a
-secondary streptococcal bacteriæmia arising in the middle ear. It is
-more than probable that the streptococcus was the immediate cause of the
-acute muscle change and weakening. In a number of cases we have studied
-the tissues of the bundle of His, but we were unable to note any
-definite change.
-
-It is interesting that the intoxication associated with acute influenza
-is selective in localizing in certain muscle tissues. We have previously
-indicated the intensity of muscle degenerations occurring in the
-abdominal recti. Even in these cases where these striped voluntary
-muscles were markedly affected the myocardium showed nothing more than a
-mild or moderate grade of cloudy swelling. We can only account for this
-in a difference in the constitution of these muscular structures, some
-being of such composition permitting of the localizing and damage by the
-unknown intoxicant. It does not appear that the reason for localization
-in certain tissues is in any way related to the character of the blood
-supply, nor is it related to the activity of the part.
-
-In three cases we have found an inflammatory lesion of the endocardial
-tissues. In all of them this consisted of a slight acute verrucose
-mitral endocarditis. The lesions were very small, consisting only of a
-fine granular deposit looking like grains of sand localized along the
-border of the mitral leaflets. In no instance was the leaflet injured or
-incapacitated. Unfortunately the lesion not being suspected was
-encountered after the heart had been removed and opened and when it was
-too late to make bacteriological analyses. This point is greatly to be
-regretted, in as much as it is of great importance to know whether some
-distant lesions are induced through the influenza bacillus or its
-symbiotic flora.
-
-The majority of authors report but little upon the heart lesions in
-influenza. Many deny that a heart involvement is to be found, a few
-report an occasional endocarditis. Wallis and Kuskow found more or less
-myocardial change similar to what is usually described as cloudy
-swelling. This reaction they point out differs in no way from the
-degenerations arising from other types of intoxications. Keegan in a
-series of about 23 autopsies found only a single case with acute
-dilatation.
-
-Abrahams, Hallows and French had an opportunity of observing over 400
-autopsies upon the influenza patients, and they comment upon the
-infrequency of cardiac dilatation. A slight dilatation of the right
-ventricle was seen in a few cases, and in no instance did they find
-pericarditis or endocarditis. They comment upon the heart condition as
-follows: “The most remarkable feature about the heart is the general
-absence of dilatation. In quite a large proportion of cases there has
-been no trace of dilatation; in a fair number of others there has been
-some dilatation of the right side, but this has seldom been extreme,
-perhaps enough to cause the apex of the heart to be formed about equally
-by right and left ventricles. Most often the heart has appeared of
-normal dimensions and the apex has been formed entirely by the left
-ventricle. This absence of dilatation accounts for the clinical absence
-of orthopnœa.” In direct contradiction to the above findings, the
-Advisory Board to the D. G. M. S., France, report the findings in 30
-autopsies of clinical influenza. Twenty-nine of these 30 cases showed
-dilatation of the heart, chiefly of the right side, but very commonly of
-the left side as well. Twenty-one showed myocarditis and two
-endocarditis. In this report it is stated that these patients showed
-evidence of obsolete tuberculosis. It is possible that the condition of
-the patients and the presence of an unusual complicating infection led
-to the high incidence of cardiac involvement. The figures in this last
-series are much too high when compared with the frequency of heart
-involvement as found by the majority of other investigators.
-
-A number of heart lesions not resulting from influenza were observed.
-For none of them was there an antecedent history, but in some cases the
-condition may have had an influence in causing accessory cardiac
-embarrassment. One case had a chronic interstitial myocarditis of the
-rheumatic type, three had mild grades of chronic sclerotic mitral
-endocarditis, one a bicuspid pulmonary valve and three showed old
-pericardial adhesions, one of them having a complete obliteration of the
-sac. The foramen ovale was patent in six of the hearts.
-
-
- _Arteries_
-
-The arteries in these young adults were remarkably healthy, and in none
-of them did we observe the characters of arteriosclerosis or leutic
-lesions. On the other hand, evidence of superficial fatty streaks lying
-in the intima of the aorta and some of its large branches were not
-uncommon and are believed to have had a relation to the acute infection
-of which they died. In only four cases in the series of 32 autopsies was
-evidence of these fatty streaks wanting. In about one-half of the
-remaining number these fatty streaks were only slight or moderate in
-extent, while in the rest of them these lesions were particularly
-prominent and striking. They formed linear markings on the posterior
-wall of the aorta, aggregating with particular prominence about the
-intercostal arteries. The anterior wall was quite free from them. The
-greater extent of these lesions lay in the descending thoracic and was
-less marked in the arch and the abdominal aorta. At times these fatty
-streaks were found to extend into the large vessels of the neck and into
-the intercostal arteries, and they were also found in the coronaries of
-the heart. It was uncommon to observe their presence in the arteries of
-the abdominal viscera.
-
-This type of lesion has been discussed from the standpoint of its
-etiology and its possible bearing upon true arteriosclerosis. Some
-believe that the frequency of its finding in autopsy material suggests
-the non-importance of its presence. This we can hardly agree with. It is
-true that the presence of these lesions does not materially incapacitate
-the aorta in acting as the main channel for the distribution of blood.
-The lesions are quite superficial in the intima and cause but little
-elevation on the surface. The amount of roughening which the intima
-presents to the blood is not great. Nevertheless, the presence of these
-fatty streaks is an index of the disturbed metabolism of the cholesterin
-products of the body. Under certain conditions they make their
-appearance when there is a true hypercholesterinemia such as is readily
-produced in the animal experiments by feeding cholesterin. Under these
-circumstances the various tissues of the body, including the adrenal,
-the corpus luteum, the spleen, liver and arteries, all participate in
-localizing cholesterin in the form of cholesterin-ester in peculiar
-cells which have been termed cholesterin-ester phagocytes. It has been
-shown that cholesterin metabolism is quite readily altered in the human
-and that the blood content will vary from the normal. In chronic kidney
-disease, pregnancy, diabetes, chronic heart disease and arteriosclerosis
-the blood cholesterin rises, while in many of the acute infectious
-diseases the cholesterin in the blood is materially diminished. It is
-particularly in these latter cases where fatty streaks of the intima are
-prone to occur. Hence in human pathology we more often meet with the
-development of fatty streaks of the intima associated with a
-hypocholesterinemia than with a hypercholesterinemia.
-
-The fatty streaks of the intima of the aorta to which we are referring
-are lesions quite aside from true endarteritis as well as atheroma. In
-naked eye appearance the lesion is of a fatty nature and suggests
-atheroma, but it differs from this well-known lesion in the fact that
-the fatty materials, cholesterin-esters, are contained within cells
-which are of uniform type and have no reaction in their immediate
-vicinity. True atheroma may occur in definite levels of the intima, most
-commonly in the deepest portion, and is characterized by the fact that
-we are dealing with a variety of fatty materials, neutral fat, fatty
-acids, soap, cholesterin-ester and free cholesterin which lie between
-the tissue cells forming a detritus following a process of true
-degeneration. It is possible that some of the superficial fatty streaks
-do give rise to a small atheromatous area by death of the cells which
-primarily contain the fatty substances. Most commonly, however, the
-fatty streaks do not progress directly to atheroma but may entirely
-disappear, as we have seen it occur in our experimental animals. At
-other times these fatty streaks are followed by a slight thickening of
-the surface of the intima so that the resemblance to early endarteritis
-is obtained. We do not believe that these fatty streaks in themselves
-lead to the chronic nodular thickening of the aorta, but that other
-factors giving rise to a low grade inflammatory reaction must be
-present.
-
-There appears to be a relation between the development of these fatty
-streaks and the altered cholesterin metabolism, brought about by
-pathological change in the blood, adrenal cortex and it may be in the
-liver. It is under these conditions where these tissues are altered
-particularly by bacterial toxins in a process of marked cloudy swelling
-that these intimal fatty streaks arise. Analyses in other diseases have
-shown that such organic changes lead to a diminution in the cholesterin
-content of the blood, while at the same time there is neither an
-increased intake nor an excessive output. It would appear that certain
-types of tissues and cells are stimulated into activity to become depots
-for the cholesterin which is not being properly handled by the adrenal
-and other organs. These cells in the intima which become active in
-taking up cholesterin-esters are types of endothelial cells whose origin
-is not entirely clear. In these lesions it is observed that the most
-superficial cells of the intima do not show an overloading with the
-fatty compound, but that the cells active in absorption lie at a level
-slightly beneath the endothelial lining and form colonies as if arising
-through active division of cells which are present in these parts.
-Active migration on the part of these cells is not to be observed. They
-do not appear to wander far from the location where they are found
-during the acute process. The plaque may enlarge by proliferation and
-thus enlarge the extent of the involved area. We have failed to find,
-however, that these cells migrate into the lowermost portion of the
-intima or into the media. The possibility that these cells do arise from
-the endothelium lining the blood vessels has, up to the present, not
-been excluded. If such is the case, the cells appear to adopt a function
-which is not commonly observed in normal arteries nor present in the
-endothelial cells lying immediately above the fatty plaque.
-
-We have searched various arterial systems in the cases of acute epidemic
-influenza for inflammatory lesions lying in the adventitia and media.
-These, up to the present, we have not discovered. Some years ago a
-number of French authors reported the development of acute
-non-suppurative influenza lesions in the outer coats of arteries which
-at times had aneurysm as the outcome. These cases, however, occurred
-during non-epidemic periods, when the type of influenza of which the
-patient suffered was quite different from that seen in pandemics. As far
-as we know none of the reported cases of arteritis and aneurysm
-occurring under these conditions has shown the presence of the influenza
-bacilli in the arterial lesion. It is possible that sporadic influenza
-has complicating secondary infections which are of importance in
-localizing in the arterial wall.
-
-Occasional reports have been made upon the occurrence of thrombosis
-immediately following an attack of influenza. These thromboses have
-occurred in diverse regions, the brachial, femoral, the mesenteric, and
-other arteries. It is possible that the development of the deep
-hemorrhagic lesions of muscles in the extremities are associated with
-thrombosis. It is impossible, however, to demonstrate within such blood
-masses the presence of thrombosed vessels which had preceded the
-hemorrhagic state. It was, however, possible to demonstrate capillary
-thromboses through the lung and in the submucosa of bronchi and trachea.
-In these instances the damage to the vascular walls was brought about by
-the action of the infection immediately surrounding them, and was not
-associated with a process beginning within the lumen of the channel. The
-type of thrombosis within the lung to which we have referred in a
-previous discussion is interesting in that it does not show the usual
-type of fibrin clotting, but in place of fibrin threads a gummy
-homogeneous material is deposited upon the vessel walls within which the
-red blood cells soon undergo dissolution. It would appear that these
-thromboses within the lung are dependent upon a toxic action on the
-vessel wall and its plasma content.
-
-Thromboses within venous channels are met with more often than in
-arteries. The veins of the lower extremities are most frequently
-affected, and yet amidst the many cases of influenza it is an unusual
-occurrence. The various thromboses of larger vessels usually occur as
-post-influenzal complications rather than as accompaniments of the acute
-disease. It is possible that factors other than those present during the
-acute stage play an important part, and that the virus of influenza is
-not directly the cause of the thrombosis.
-
-
- _Lymphatics of Lung and Mediastinum_
-
-One of the prominent reactions which was almost constantly present as
-the inflammatory reaction involving the lymphatic system of the chest.
-The lymph glands within the chest responded to a marked degree in
-hyperplasia and commonly showed enlargement quite out of proportion to
-what is usually observed in lobar pneumonia. These reactions were in
-direct relation to the inflammatory processes of the lung and appeared
-to be involved in proportion to the inflammation occupying the tissues
-drained by them. Elsewhere in the body the lymph glands responded but
-slightly, and often no change was observed in the lymphatics of the
-abdomen, axilla and lower extremities. The systemic intoxication thus
-had no effect upon distant lymph glands, and even the presence of
-micro-organisms in the circulation did not appear to cause responses in
-these tissues other than in the neighborhood of the chest. Within the
-chest the lymphatic system became involved through the presence of the
-various bacteria migrating along the lymphatic channels as well as
-through its activity in removing products of inflammation.
-
-The response of the thoracic lymphatics, including those within the lung
-and mediastinum, is observed in all stages of pneumonia. But in epidemic
-influenza the reaction was much more prompt, appearing in the early
-stages and rapidly developing tissue changes along the channels and in
-the lymph nodes. The lymph channels during the period of the early
-serous pneumonia became dilated and filled with fluid with relatively
-few cells. The stroma immediately surrounding became œdematous, so that
-in the gross specimen the connective tissue between the lobules of lung
-were sometimes easily seen as gray strands. At this time this tissue was
-not increased in quantity and did not project above the level of the cut
-lung. The fibrous tissue remained soft and pliable, but formed quite
-wide strands. When the pulmonary reaction became hemorrhagic, red blood
-cells, leucocytes and large mononuclears were found mixed with the fluid
-in the lymphatics. We had no way of determining the direction of the
-lymph flow from the pulmonary tissues, but it was assumed that as there
-was no excessive loss of serous fluid from the lung and the lymphatics
-beneath pleura into the chest cavities that the fluid was draining
-through the channels lying about the bronchi and vessels. The further
-evidence of the direction of flow was seen in the rapid and comparable
-responses which occurred in the lymph glands along these routes. The
-glands about the bronchi and at the hilus became enlarged, red and
-succulent. The glands were often two and one-half centimeters in
-diameter. Their capsule was thin and stretched and the gland was quite
-soft. Many of them when cut open were almost diffluent.
-
-This acute lymph hyperplasia occurred in 30 of our cases. It is
-impossible to indicate any particular type of infection as being
-responsible for these lymphatic lesions. The nature of the bacteria
-present in these 30 cases differed quite considerably: 25 showed
-influenza bacilli, 15 pneumococci, 18 streptococci, 8 M. catarrhalis and
-17 staphylococci. In as much as the pulmonary reaction was fairly
-constant in certain characteristics in all of our cases, and as we
-believe that the influenza bacilli were the very important factor in
-these reactions, it would appear that the lymphatic responses are only a
-part of the general inflammation of the respiratory organs. Comparison
-can also be made of the character of the lymphatic changes with that
-occurring within the pulmonary tissues. The lymphatics were filled with
-fluid which dilated all the available sinuses; the lymph nodes were
-œdematous and within them the reaction often had numerous small
-hemorrhages.
-
-The lesion within the lymph nodes following the early serous
-inflammation was of a non-suppurative kind. The lymph follicles lost
-their outline, and the lymphocytes were diffused through the stroma so
-that no recognition of the germinal centers could be found. The dilated
-sinuses within the lymph nodes were filled with large mononuclear cells,
-of the type of endothelial cells, along with some lymphocytes and
-leucocytes. Subsequently the leucocytes increased very materially so
-that the lymphatic fluid became purulent. Smears obtained from larger
-lymphatics showed leucocytes and varieties of bacteria. This was
-particularly true in those cases where the pulmonary lesion had itself
-become purulent either localized in a patchy pneumonia or with lobar
-involvement. Under these circumstances focal areas of purulent
-infiltration were found within the tissues of the gland occupying the
-regions of the former follicles and leading to necrosis or abscess.
-Where such purulent reaction and abscess formation were found within the
-lymph nodes there was remarkably little reaction in the tissues of the
-immediate vicinity. No attempt at the development of a pyogenic membrane
-or granulation tissue was observed, though this probably does take place
-in the cases recovering.
-
-In only one instance did we observe the development of the peculiar
-fibrosis along the lymphatic channels where the freshly cut section of
-lung reveals prominent and raised demarcation between the lobules. This
-response has been described by MacCallum as unique for the streptococcus
-inflammation of the lung. The character of the exudate within the
-lymphatics with many mononuclear cells and blood is not to be considered
-singular for the influenza pneumonia. It has been found that in ordinary
-lobar pneumonia, as well as in the pneumonia following measles, the
-early pulmonary reaction is accompanied by the dilatation of the
-lymphatic channels along the bronchi, containing serous fluid,
-mononuclear cells, blood and leucocytes, while occasionally thrombosis
-entangling bacteria is also encountered. It would seem, however, that
-the lymphatics in epidemic influenza can more readily recover their
-normal character when a streptococcus infection is wanting.
-
-In the late purulent lesions of the lung we have encountered dilated
-lymphatic channels whose yellow contents could be recognized by the
-naked eye. At times this could be followed for short distances along the
-bronchi as narrow yellow cords, or when cut transversely appeared as
-small dots close to the bronchi or vessels. On pressure small droplets
-of pus may be evacuated, or again where fibrin has led to a coagulation
-of the exudate a yellow plug can be withdrawn from the channel. These
-small plugs resembled the thick exudate seen within the bronchi and
-often were misleading when first viewed. The distribution of the
-purulent lymphatic masses was most irregular occupying only local or
-patchy fields in the lung, particularly associated with the purulent
-confluent pneumonia. In one instance such a lymphatic appeared to be
-associated with the development of a small abscess lying close to the
-bronchus.
-
-Too much stress cannot be placed upon the importance of the lymphatics
-in all forms of pneumonia. They play an important role in the drainage
-of the lung during inflammation. In the normal lung we hardly appreciate
-the lymphatic distribution except in our observations upon anthracosis.
-But even under these conditions when much carbon is deposited in
-conjunction with the lymphatic system we do not gain a true appreciation
-of the activity of the lymph channels and nodes during an acute process.
-Bacteria may be demonstrated in acute infections of the lung within the
-fluid and cells of the lymph channels. Less easily may we demonstrate
-bacteria in the lymph nodes under similar conditions, although when
-abscess has occurred their presence is readily recognized. The transport
-of bacteria is accomplished not only by a passive migration of
-micro-organisms in the fluid as it drains from the lung, but organisms
-are also found within the leucocytes as they travel with the current.
-Only occasionally have we demonstrated bacteria within the wandering
-large mononuclear cells, although we have observed them in a few
-instances within the cells lining the sinuses of the nodes.
-
-Whether the inflammation of the pleura is directly related to the
-involvement of the pleural lymphatics we have not been able to
-determine. In our series of cases pleurisy has not been a prominent
-feature of the disease, and in many instances the grade of involvement
-was so slight that it was not easily recognized by the naked eye and
-showed only a slight reaction microscopically. That the presence of
-bacteria within the intricate plexus of lymphatics beneath the pleura
-may be responsible for the development of an inflammation of this
-membrane may well be the case, and in this way simulate the mode of
-transmission of the infection as seen in lobar pneumococcus pneumonia
-and in the streptococcus type of infection.
-
-
- _Abdominal Viscera_
-
-The lesions occurring in the abdominal viscera were of less importance
-than those within the thorax. In none of the cases of the epidemic was
-the intestinal type of the disease, described in previous years,
-encountered. The changes found in the various viscera were concomitant
-with evidences of intoxication as observed clinically or at autopsy in
-other regions of the body. We found no evidence that the bacteria of the
-disease localized in the tissues of the abdominal viscera, and we were
-led to believe that the alterations in morphology and function were the
-result of diffusible toxins. The action of these toxins was either upon
-the parenchymatous cells of the organs, as in the liver and kidney,
-resulting in granular degeneration, or upon the capillaries with the
-development of petechial or diffuse hemorrhage as was encountered in the
-stomach, intestines and bladder. The absence of definite localized
-inflammatory processes in these distant tissues, including the abdominal
-lymphatics, speaks against the probability of a bacteriæmia playing an
-important role in the disease. That transient bacteriæmias by the
-influenza bacillus do occur has been repeatedly demonstrated, and that
-the organisms associated with this bacillus may also enter the blood
-stream has likewise been found. But these states are accessory to the
-disease, and must be viewed as complications rather than the rule. Hence
-the occasional observations by some, of bacterial inflammatory reactions
-in liver and kidney must not be considered a part of epidemic influenza,
-for in many cases it is wanting. The majority of lesions of the
-abdominal viscera probably arise through the action of the unknown toxin
-in the blood.
-
-In the _stomach_ and _intestines_ the lesions were of two kinds, (1)
-hemorrhage and (2) erosions. Petechial hemorrhages were present in the
-stomach 15 times, in the intestines 4 times. These small dots of blood
-extravasation, lying in the mucosa and submucosa, differ in no way from
-those observed in other acute infections and intoxications, save that
-the tendency for the leakage of blood into the lumen of the viscera was
-more pronounced. Often we could observe the presence of free and more or
-less altered blood in the stomach and intestines, and in 12 cases the
-amount was considerable, sufficient to be spoken of as melena. It is
-probable that the oozing of blood takes place not only from the areas
-visible to the eye as petechial hemorrhages, but also from the more
-normal-looking mucosa of stomach and bowel. The tendency to hemorrhage
-was not necessarily accompanied by visible alterations in the epithelial
-layer of the mucosa, though at times erosions were found. When
-hemorrhage could be observed, the extravasation of blood occupied the
-superficial layers of stroma, causing a separation of the tissues
-beneath the epithelial layer. At times the submucosa was also
-infiltrated, and in one instance the musculature. The lesions were
-isolated and sporadic, but always about small capillary loops. It
-appeared to us that the damage was primarily upon the vascular tissues
-and particularly upon the endothelial walls of the fine channels.
-Inflammation was not present, and the hemorrhage was more or less
-passive—that is, a slow oozing rather than acute hemorrhage by rhexis.
-
-The second type of lesion of the gastro-intestinal canal was erosion.
-This was of the nature of a defect in the mucosa, usually multiple,
-small and well circumscribed. The tissue loss was superficial. In their
-appearance these lesions were similar to those encountered in these
-parts in other infections, and also as described by McMeans in
-experimental infections of animals. The erosions appear to arise in a
-process of bland necrosis, limited in the periphery by healthy tissue
-and not tending to enlarge. It is probable that these erosions are
-associated in their development with the petechial hemorrhages, being a
-sequel to the vascular disturbance of the mucosa and subsequent
-digestion of the injured tissue. Multiple lesions of the stomach were
-found 10 times and twice in the intestine. The largest was 1.25 cm. in
-diameter. They are more common on the posterior than anterior wall, and
-usually toward the lesser curvature. It is probable that these defects
-are limited in their progress and heal readily.
-
-The changes occurring in the _liver_ were not of striking account.
-Cloudy swelling was observed 13 times, usually of moderate grade. The
-usual appearances with enlargement of the organ, bulging of the
-parenchyma on section and a dull gray cut surface were all that could be
-found. The one case with icterus was the only one in which the natural
-discharge of bile from the liver was interfered with through the
-swelling. Even in this case the obstruction to the outflow of bile in
-the small channels was not demonstrable in the microscopic sections, nor
-was there evidence of unusual bile staining of the liver-points
-suggesting the possible origin of the icterus in an unusual hemolysis.
-On no occasion did we meet with recent inflammatory reactions in the
-gall bladder or bile ducts, and we have no evidence that the organisms
-of the infection are discharged from the body by these routes. The
-cloudy swelling of the liver was accompanied by slight œdema of these
-tissues in seven cases; and in six instances focal necroses were
-observed. These focal necroses were similar in appearance to those seen
-in typhoid fever, but were much less frequent in the tissue. Only
-careful search revealed isolated pinhead gray dots with depressed
-centers. They were most commonly in the mid-zone of the lobule, and in
-the early stage were without inflammatory reaction. Subsequently,
-leucocytes infiltrated the area, but not in an amount to form pus.
-Bacteria were never demonstrated in the areas of focal necrosis. Four
-cases showed old adhesions about the gall bladder and in one a gall
-stone was present.
-
-Lesions of the _pancreas_ were not encountered. In a few cases the lymph
-glands about the head of the pancreas were slightly enlarged.
-
-The _spleen_ showed relatively little reaction and in only two cases was
-it enlarged. Fourteen times a diagnosis of acute splenitis was made on
-examination of the gross specimen. This diagnosis rested upon the
-finding of a swollen spleen with tense capsule and with a dark bulging
-pulp. The Malpighian bodies were usually in part or completely
-obliterated, though in a few instances these grayish nodules seemed even
-larger than normal. These spleens contained an excess of blood within
-the pulp. In one case several isolated areas appeared hemorrhagic as if
-a local rupture of the tissues had occurred. The microscopic examination
-of these specimens showed mainly a marked congestion of the sinusoids, a
-diminution in the size of the lymphoid corpuscles and some increase in
-the number of leucocytes within the blood spaces and reticulum. Only
-occasionally did we observe a proliferative reaction of the large
-mononuclear cells lying in the reticulum. This proliferation was not
-sufficiently marked nor uniformly present to be considered as
-characteristic. We did not find abnormal deposition of blood pigment
-indicating an unusual destruction of red blood cells within the spleen.
-It is interesting to note that 5 of the 32 cases showed obsolete miliary
-tubercles in the spleen.
-
-Our analysis of the changes occurring in the _kidney_ bore out the
-clinical findings observed in the wards. Like in so many acute
-infectious diseases urinary changes were commonly present. These are in
-part dependent upon systemic changes in the metabolism of tissues and
-not entirely the result of renal lesions. In acute epidemic influenza
-there was no common characteristic in the urinary output. The amount
-excreted in 24 hours was usually diminished to a small extent, the color
-was darker, the specific gravity slightly increased, as well as the
-total solids. There was no marked change in the total quantity of output
-of any one of the constituents as far as they were analyzed by us.
-Albumin was present in the urine in variable amounts and in the more
-severe cases casts were also present. There was only one case in which
-the quantitative output was much diminished and where some fear was
-entertained of development of acute uremic manifestations. This
-individual, however, died before these made their appearance and before
-there was any evidence that the retention of waste products was causing
-definite clinical symptoms.
-
-In 30 cases coming to autopsy more or less cloudy swelling was to be
-observed in the kidney. This reaction varied from a very mild swelling
-and granular degeneration of the tubules of the cortex to a decided
-parenchymatous degeneration with loss of nuclear structure and erosion
-of some of the cells lining the tubules. The convoluted tubules were
-always most markedly involved. Occasionally this tubular degeneration
-was accompanied by a desquamation of the lining cells of the glomerular
-capsules. We were, however, unable to recognize an acute inflammatory
-reaction in the interstitial tissue or in the glomeruli in any of the
-cases, except the one which had developed a streptococcus bacteriæmia as
-a sequel to an otitis media. The kidney lesion reminded one very much of
-the toxic lesion which is observed in the kidney in typhoid fever.
-Differing, however, from the latter there was a variable congestion of
-the fine vessels associated with the cyanosis which was present in a
-certain percentage of these cases. At times the kidneys were quite wet
-with blood from the venous engorgement.
-
-The lesions in the kidney were of a toxic type and did not resemble
-reactions following the presence of the bacteria in the stroma of the
-organ. In the majority of instances in other diseases where bacteria
-themselves locate in tissues we are able to recognize focal lesions of
-acute necrosis or inflammation. In epidemic influenza where a variety of
-micro-organisms within the lung are able to reach distant structures in
-a bacteriæmia, we would, because of their type, expect to find
-inflammatory reactions of a definite kind. The absence of such reactions
-is very suggestive that the bacteria do not commonly localize in the
-kidney, but that their toxins alone affect it during its elimination. We
-have also entirely missed the finding of any vascular lesions in the
-renal system. Neither degeneration nor inflammatory reactions of any of
-the coats of the blood vessels could be distinguished.
-
-The partial incapacity on the part of the kidneys must, therefore, be
-viewed as a complication resulting from the effect of a diffusible toxin
-reaching them by the blood stream. The damage performed in this manner
-may be quite extensive upon the secreting tissues of the tubules leading
-to an increased or decreased output of the urinary constituents. Because
-of the nature of the lesion, it is probable that the kidney damage
-incurred during the acute epidemic influenza is only temporary and not
-permanent. Tubular degeneration is readily repaired, and in the absence
-of an inflammatory reaction in the interstitial tissue or the glomeruli
-avoids the development of a permanent mark or derangement in the system.
-This is as we find it in typhoid fever.
-
-In two cases we observed very interesting lesions in the _bladder_.
-These two individuals during life had been excreting markedly
-blood-stained urine for some days preceding death. In the one case the
-hemorrhage was so marked that on standing, about one-tenth of the urine
-was composed of sedimented red blood cells. It was assumed that the
-hemorrhage was of kidney origin until the autopsy revealed a simple
-cloudy swelling of the kidney associated with a hemorrhagic state of the
-submucosa of the bladder. In both cases the posterior wall of the
-bladder was heavily infiltrated with blood so that the mucosa was raised
-from the surface and the prominent folds showed a superficial erosion
-with small points of greenish necrosis. This bladder hemorrhage was
-concomitant with hemorrhagic foci elsewhere in the body, pericardium,
-pleura, stomach and intestine. Alone in the bladder however, the
-hemorrhage formed a distinct mass and allowed a considerable escape from
-the lesions on the surface. These areas of hemorrhage were not infected
-and showed no local inflammatory reaction. They also appeared to be
-toxic in origin and resembled the hemorrhages occurring in the muscles
-of the abdomen.
-
-Changes in the _adrenal_ gland were noted in 14 instances. In all of
-these there was the picture of what is commonly known as cloudy swelling
-of the cortex and, in addition to this, in three cases small petechial
-hemorrhages were observed. The so-called cloudy swelling of the adrenal
-consists largely in a loss of the bright golden appearance of the
-cortical tissues accompanied by soft œdematous swelling. The tissues
-change color to a brown or clay color, and it is not uncommon to observe
-that the inner zone of pigmentation is more diffuse. There is no sharp
-demarcation between the layers of the cortex. With this alteration in
-the outer structure of the adrenal, the medulla not uncommonly appears
-smaller. This change is more apparent than real, and we have not been
-able to observe any definite lesion in the nervous portion. At times we
-believed that the inner tissue appeared more cellular, but it was not
-possible to determine any specific alteration in the cells.
-
-The changes in the adrenal cortex are comparable to those observed in
-typhoid fever. The analyses of these tissues showed that the cells were
-almost devoid of cholesterin bodies and few doubly refractile globules
-could be demonstrated. This change in the adrenal is by no means
-specific for any acute disease, it being found in many of the severe
-infections. We regret that systematic analysis of the blood serum in
-these cases was not made to determine the cholesterin content. If the
-comparison bears out with typhoid fever, we would expect to find that
-the quantitative cholesterin of the blood is diminished. Some importance
-attaches itself to the study of the cholesterin metabolism, particularly
-in regard to the development of the peculiar fatty streaks which develop
-in the aorta and other arteries during these acute infections. It has
-been claimed that in the human these streaks bear an analogy to those
-produced in the experimental animals and that the arterial lesions are
-associated with an altered activity on the part of the adrenal cortex in
-handling the cholesterin compounds. In influenza there is evidence that
-the adrenal does not function in a normal fashion and that the storage
-of cholesterin-esters does not take place. From this, however, we cannot
-conclude that the blood content is increased, and, in fact, it is more
-than probable in comparing the other reactions of the disease that it
-follows the changes as seen in typhoid fever where the blood content of
-cholesterin is lowered. In this way comparison with the experimentally
-produced arterial lesions in animals is not clear, in as much as in the
-experimental work a true hypercholesterinemia was induced. Nevertheless
-it is possible that with the abnormal function on the part of the
-adrenal the cholesterin materials are made more available for absorption
-by other tissues and that a true hypercholesterinemia is not necessarily
-a constant factor, even with the abnormal accumulation of these
-substances in the intima. It may well be that the normal activity of the
-adrenal is related to the presence of toxins in the circulation and an
-attempt by mobilizing cholesterin to diminish the activity of these
-harmful substances.
-
-
- OBSERVATIONS UPON THE PATHOLOGY OF EIGHTEEN CASES OF INFLUENZA
-
- By J. W. MCMEANS
-
-The recent epidemic of influenza has afforded a series of interesting
-autopsies in view of the very extensive and peculiar involvement that
-occurred in the lungs of the cases examined. Ordinary lobar pneumonia,
-as we know it, was not observed, although it must be said that the lungs
-many times exhibited a consolidation of a lobar distribution. The usual
-dry granular lung of the more common pneumonia was absent, and in its
-stead a most unusual series of pictures was observed in the several
-cases. A common feature of all cases was the œdema of the lung tissue,
-which in the majority of instances contained such an amount of fluid
-that it ran freely from the cut surface in almost unlimited quantity.
-This fluid varied in its color and consistence depending upon the age of
-the process. In the very early cases the lungs were boggy, very
-congested, and a thin serosanguinous fluid poured forth from the cut
-surface. It actually appeared as though the fluid within the tissue was
-under considerable pressure. At times blotchy deep red hemorrhages
-occurred in the lung substance, and hemorrhages of a bright red color
-were not infrequent in the pleura. That the circulation of the lungs was
-much embarrassed was often prettily demonstrated by the dilatation of
-the fine capillaries and lymphatics beneath the pleura. These small
-vessels stood out prominently as a meshwork more or less outlining the
-areas supplied by them. Not only was the peculiar consolidation in lobar
-arrangement, but also in many cases was there evidence of a lobular
-distribution. Even in some cases where the entire lobe was consolidated
-the cut surface presented a peculiar lobulation with patches of lung
-tissue projecting above the general surface. The wet trabeculated
-structure of the lung in this stage did not give the impression of true
-red hepatization, but rather a structure resembling spleen and at times
-a meaty, compact, glassy picture not unlike thyroid.
-
-As the process advanced the appearance of the lung changed from deep red
-to yellowish red and finally to a quite yellowish gray color, still
-retaining, however, the very moist characters. The fluid found in the
-lung changed its consistency from the thin red type to a sticky, glairy
-variety which could be pulled out in long strings. It was noted that the
-change in the character of the fluid was accompanied by similar changes
-in the lung structure, advancing in two cases to abscess formation of a
-grape-bunch type. Here there was a rather extensive necrosis and
-cavitation of lung substance in communication with the bronchioles.
-However, there was also marked softening and necrosis of lung in a
-number of cases where abscesses did not develop, but the lesion was so
-advanced that the lung substance was almost diffluent. An accompaniment
-of these advanced cases were irregular yellow islands which appeared
-beneath the pleura. At times they reached the size of a circle 2 cm. in
-diameter and were slightly raised above the surrounding pleural surface.
-When these were opened they were found to be areas of softened lung
-substance. This reaction was so extensive in some lungs that it
-resembled to a degree the appearance of a caseous pneumonia. However,
-the former process appeared to be brought about by the interference with
-the lymphatic drainage, as it was not uncommon to see engorged yellow
-channels beneath the pleura as well as enlarged lymph nodes at some
-distance from the hilus. Another feature of the advanced cases were the
-plugs of ropy yellow material which were contained within the
-bronchioles, while in the early cases the bronchi and bronchioles showed
-intense congestion of the mucosa with blood-stained fluid in their
-lumina.
-
-Of the more unusual reactions observed in the lungs an infarct was found
-occupying a considerable part of the lower left lobe in one case. There
-was a marked softening of the lung tissue with reddish, mucky-looking
-lung substance arranged about small irregular cavities. This reaction
-extended into the lung for a distance of 4.5 cm. Bordering close on
-these softened areas there was a dry mottled yellowish gray and deep red
-lung tissue. Surrounding this area again were noted a number of small
-blood vessels in which there were found yellowish granular plugs. One
-plug in a vessel was found at a distance of 3 cm. from the base of the
-lobe, and another was found at a distance of 8 cm. from the apex of the
-lobe. On further examination it was observed that the base of this
-softened area was situated on the pleural surface and that the apex was
-directed inward about a distance of 6 cm. from the pleura. Bathing the
-cut surface there was a glairy and very sticky material of a reddish
-yellow color. Near the apex of this softened area in the lung there was
-found a vessel about the size of a goose-quill in which there was a
-grayish yellow granular plug. This plug was adherent to the vessel.
-Within the small bronchioles there were plugs of a soft yellowish brown
-material. The striking feature in addition to the softening of the lung
-in a number of places was the glairy material of a sticky nature which
-bathed the cut surface. A white infarct was present in the spleen. The
-lung described above as well as another showed gangrenous change. In the
-second of these two abscesses had formed, and there was a communication
-between the lung and pleural cavity in which there was a large amount of
-sanguino-purulent fluid and a pyopneumothorax.
-
-In a description of these reactions it must be added that the early and
-late changes were not always observed independently, but in most cases
-occurred together, giving the lung a peculiar mottled red and yellow
-glassy appearance. More frequently the congested œdematous reaction was
-observed singly, while the purulent alteration usually was in
-combination with the former type. The acute serous pneumonia was noted
-13 times, 6 times in combination with the purulent reaction and 7 times
-alone, while the acute purulent pneumonia was found in 9 cases, 3 times
-alone and 6 times with an acute serous process. In all but 3 of 18 cases
-there was evidence of a bronchial distribution. Two of these three cases
-showed a massive œdematous lung with in one case an extensive
-hemorrhage, while the third presented an advanced purulent reaction with
-marked necrosis and softening. An acute bronchitis which varied in
-character from a hemorrhagic to a purulent one was present in all the
-cases. The reaction observed within the bronchi in the individual cases
-corresponded closely to the picture found in the lungs.
-
-In all cases except one there was an exudate in one or both pleural
-cavities. A serofibrinous pleurisy was noted in 11 cases with, in 2 of
-this number, a fibrino-purulent reaction present in the opposite pleural
-cavity, while fibrino-purulent pleurisy occurred alone in 6. In 6 cases
-pleurisy occurred on one side only with the incidence equally divided in
-each cavity. Both pleurae were involved in 9 cases. Seventeen of the 18
-cases showed both lungs involved. One case was an individual who had had
-clinical influenza and during convalescence developed gangrenous colitis
-and acute ascending myelitis which terminated fatally. B. influenzæ was
-isolated from the bronchioles in the lung of this individual.
-
-The reaction of the body generally was evidenced by a widespread
-distribution of petechial hemorrhages over serosal and mucosal surfaces.
-However, certain other important lesions were noted such as one acute
-vegetative mitral endocarditis, two acute serofibrinous pericarditis,
-three cases in which focal necroses were prominent in the liver and two
-examples of infarct of spleen. Further, there were four cases of slight
-dilatation of the right heart. The liver was usually swollen and
-œdematous and the spleen presented evidence of an acute reaction,
-softening and reddening of its pulp with at times slight enlargement.
-
-As evidence of the virulent character of the infection from which these
-patients suffered, there was not only present in the lung a peculiar
-hemorrhage and purulent process, but also a more or less widespread
-distribution of hemorrhages in other parts of the body. The
-gastro-intestinal tract was most affected with the stomach showing
-petechial hemorrhages in 17 of 18 cases and the small intestine in 15 of
-the same number. In the gastric mucosa of three cases there were
-definite erosions, while in two instances the duodenum presented an
-intense œdematous and hemorrhagic appearance of its mucosa. Further
-hemorrhages were observed on one occasion each in the mesentery and in
-the mesenteric and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. In the latter the
-mesenteric glands were so distended with hemorrhages that a soft pulp
-spurted out when the glands were sectioned. Next in order of frequency,
-hemorrhages were noted 9 times in the pleura, 8 in the pelvis of the
-kidney, 6 in heart muscle and 3 each in pericardium and bladder. In one
-case of widespread distribution of petechial hemorrhages there was a
-massive loose hemorrhage into the lower recti abdominis. Further another
-case showed a large amount of a blood-stained fluid in the peritoneal
-cavity.
-
-
- _Summary_
-
-In the analysis of the cases of acute epidemic influenza two important
-features of the disease present themselves, (1) a marked systemic
-intoxication with localized manifestations in certain organs, and (2)
-inflammatory lesions of the respiratory tract. These manifestations
-present themselves both to the clinician and to the pathologist, and to
-each they have demonstrated their importance in the disease. The
-pathologist not in touch with the clinical manifestations of the toxæmia
-has more closely linked the occurrence of these two factors with the
-actual findings in the cadaver. But there are those who look upon these
-factors as separate and distinct, viewing the toxæmia as an individual
-process and as illustrating the uninvolved influenza, while the
-inflammatory reaction of the respiratory tract is taken to be a
-complication arising through the activity of secondary invading
-organisms. This is the view held by MacCallum, who compares influenza
-with the acute exanthemata wherein the respiratory lesions are but
-secondary to the production of a lowered resistance and an invasion by a
-variety of bacteria. Such confusion presupposes an undetermined virus
-for influenza. In confirmation to such views we have the reports upon a
-filterable virus. Up to the present, however, the latter has been on
-insecure grounds.
-
-It would appear to us that, as has been discussed by Dr. Holman, the
-case against the B. influenzæ not being the important causative agent
-has not been proved. The demonstration by others of a potent toxin from
-the B. influenzæ cannot be overlooked, and although the actual disease
-has not been reproduced in animals, there is evidence that this toxin
-will induce acute degenerations in various tissues. Furthermore, the in
-vitro symbiotic relation demonstrated for the B. influenzæ with other
-organisms, as the pneumococcus, streptococcus, staphylococcus pyogenes
-aureus and M. catarrhalis, gives ample support to the claim for a
-similar symbiosis in the human tissues. The evidence for the important
-primary relation of the B. influenzæ to epidemic influenza is such that
-we cannot disregard it—at least, not before we can produce some definite
-positive evidence that another demonstrable virus precedes it and
-produces those constitutional effects which initiate the remaining
-sequelæ.
-
-We must agree with Christian in the statement that all cases dying
-during the acute stage of epidemic influenza have inflammatory lesions
-in the respiratory tract and largely in the lung (pneumonia). It is
-difficult to conceive of a disease comparable to the acute exanthemata,
-which beginning as a separate and distinct process ends fatally within
-48 hours with a pneumonia which is claimed to be secondary.
-
-Epidemic influenza is an acute infectious process of the respiratory
-tract, usually localizing in the upper respiratory system, but often and
-in a fairly constant percentage of cases extending into the lower
-portion of the same system and causing a type of broncho-pneumonia.
-Accompanying the initial invasion there is a marked systemic
-intoxication with lesions of degeneration arising in a variety of
-tissues. These lesions of degeneration are to be seen both locally in
-the respiratory system as well as in distant parts, as in the muscles,
-kidney and liver. The primary damage arising in the respiratory organs,
-and which we believe to be the result of infection by the B. influenzæ,
-facilitates attacks by such other bacteria as are available and
-pathogenic to man. The secondary invaders are not constant in type, but
-we find variations according to the localities where the epidemic takes
-place. Just as there is a difference in the bacterial flora which
-constitutes the secondary invasion, so, too, there is a variation in the
-picture of the inflammatory process which appears in the lungs. The
-occurrence of the miliary streptococcal broncho-pneumonia has been met
-with in certain localities much more frequently than in others; lobular
-and confluent pneumonia has been the prevailing type in certain regions,
-while a lobar purulent pneumonia with abscess and gangrene was most
-frequent with others. There does not appear to be an individual and
-constant character in the mode of distribution of the pneumonia in the
-lungs. That the pneumonias were not the usual type otherwise seen, is
-fairly agreed upon by all. The most astonishing feature presenting
-itself to us was the frequency of death occurring in the early stages of
-the inflammatory process and before the gray stage had definitely
-developed. The gray stage of influenza pneumonia is a purulent pneumonia
-which often also constitutes an acute interstitial pneumonia.
-
-The extensive hemorrhage and inflammatory œdema of the lung are striking
-during the early stages of the lung involvement. The mononuclear
-infiltration which appears early and remains for a variable time, until
-the purulent process is well under way, is also unique. The hyaline
-deposit in the lung alveoli; the capillary thrombosis and necrosis of
-the alveolar walls and bronchi are important; while the tendency to
-abscess, infarct, gangrene and incomplete resolution with fibrosis
-differentiates this type of pneumonia from the common lobar variety.
-
-As an organic evidence of the acute intoxication, none stands out more
-prominently than the degeneration of the voluntary muscles. These
-resemble the waxy degeneration of other bacterial intoxications, and
-particularly that of typhoid fever. The finding of these acute
-degenerations does not assist us in arriving at a conclusion as to the
-nature of the poisonous body, whether a true exotoxin. The presence,
-however, of such widespread degenerative lesions in cases showing no
-naked eye change suggests, at least, that the peculiar muscle weakness
-associated with pain has its origin in this definite process and not in
-primary nerve lesions.
-
-Very interesting it is that the different muscular structures are not
-equally affected by the intoxication. This is particularly noteworthy in
-the heart and intestine. In neither of these structures have we met with
-lesions comparable to those in the voluntary muscles. Wherein this
-immunity resides we cannot state. In our own series, as well as in the
-majority of others, there was an unusual absence of evidence of
-myocardial weakness. In most of those dying during the acute illness,
-the heart muscle was found firm and the cavities not dilated. This
-finding was in striking contrast to that found in acute lobar pneumonia
-where dilatation of the right ventricle and auricle, along with muscle
-degeneration, is almost the rule. In but one case of the present series
-did we find myocardial degeneration leading to dilatation of the
-cavities and causing death. And in this particular case the intoxication
-was due to a streptococcus septicæmia arising as a late sequel from the
-middle ear. The heart in influenza withstands remarkably well the
-effects of an intoxication from the disease and carries the extra load
-imposed upon it by the involved lung with little evidence of fatigue.
-
-It is also worthy of attention to note that the kidney suffers so little
-in this severe disease. Bacterial localization with inflammatory
-concomitants does not occur, and there is no lasting damage upon its
-structure. As in so many conditions of bacterial poisoning, tubular
-degeneration, varying from a cloudy swelling to a more acute damage, is
-to be found in a percentage of cases, but complete restoration is
-rapidly obtained in convalescence. It is unusual to find such severe
-renal damage to incapacitate function to a degree to endanger life.
-
-Finally we can add our evidence, gained from a study of the pathology of
-epidemic influenza, that the primary disease induced by the invasion of
-the B. influenzæ opens the way for secondary infections of a variety of
-kinds, whose subsequent effect may be more serious than initial lesions.
-The many late complications which arise in this manner we have not
-investigated.
-
-
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
-
- Abrahams, Hallows and
- French Lancet., 1919; i, p. 1.
- Advisory Board to the
- D. G. M. S Brit. Med. Jour., 1918; ii, p. 505.
- Blanton and Irons Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1988.
- Boggs Johns Hop. Bull., 1905; xvi, p. 288.
- Brooks and Cecil Brit. Med. Jour., 1918; ii, p. 496.
- Chickering and Park Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 617.
- Christian Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1565.
- Cole Brit. Med. Jour., 1918; ii, p. 566.
- Cole Canadian Med. Assoc. Jour., 1919; ix, p. 41.
- Dever, Boles and Case Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 265.
- Fildes, Baker and
- Thompson Lancet., 1918; ii, p. 697.
- Fletcher Lancet., 1919; i, p. 104.
- Friedlander, McCord,
- Sladen and Wheeler Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1652.
- Goodpasture and Burnett U. S. Naval Med. Bull., 1919; xiii, No. 1.
- Hall, Stone and Simpson Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1986.
- Hunt Lancet., 1918; ii, p. 419.
- Keegan Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1051.
- Kuskow Virchows Archiv., 1895; cxxxix, p. 406.
- Le Count Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 650.
- Lord Boston Med. and Surg. Jour., 1905; cl, p. 537.
- Lyon Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 924.
- MacCallum Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 720.
- MacCallum Monog. Rock. Inst. for Med. Res., 1919; No. 10.
- Muir and Wilson Brit. Med. Jour., 1919; i, p. 3.
- McMeans Archives of Int. Med., 1917; xix, p. 709.
- Nuzum, Pilot, Stangl
- and Bonar Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1562.
- Oertel Canadian Med. Assoc. Jour., 1919; ix, p. 339.
- Opie, Freeman, Blake,
- Small and Rivers Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 556.
- Speares Boston Med. and Surg. Jour., 1919; clxxx, p.
- 212.
- Stone and Swift Jour. A. M. A., 1919; lxxii, p. 487.
- Symmers Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1482.
- Synnott and Clark Jour. A. M. A., 1918; lxxi, p. 1816.
- Torrey and Grosh Amer. Jour. Med. Sci., 1919; clvii, p. 170.
- Weber British Med. Jour., 1919; i, p. 8.
- Wittingham and Sims Lancet., 1918; ii, p. 865.
-
-
-
-
- EXPLANATION OF PLATES
-
-
- Fig. i. Cyanosis of head and neck.
-
- Fig. ii. Acute tracheitis with desquamation of epithelium and
- superficial necrosis.
-
- Fig. iii. Acute serous and hemorrhagic pneumonia.
-
- Fig. iv. Acute serous pneumonia with massive hemorrhage.
-
- Fig. v. Acute hemorrhagic and purulent lobular pneumonia. The
- purulent process is seen to be advancing from the focal
- type to the more diffuse lobar by fusion of the
- neighboring lobules.
-
- Fig. vi. Acute purulent pneumonia.
-
- Fig. vii. Lobular fibrosing pneumonia. In this specimen the patches of
- new scar tissue formed irregular islands. The final stage
- of contraction of the scar had not taken place.
-
- Fig. viii. Acute serous pneumonia with some infiltration by mononuclear
- cells.
-
- Fig. ix. Acute hemorrhagic pneumonia.
-
- Fig. x. Hyaline deposits upon alveolar walls. In some areas the wall
- itself has suffered necrosis.
-
- Fig. xi. Acute purulent pneumonia. In other areas of the same lung
- the interstitial infiltration by leucocytes was more
- intense.
-
- Fig. xii. Acute lymph adenitis, showing the unusual numbers of
- endothelial cells while leucocytes are relatively
- infrequent.
-
- Fig. xiii. Rupture of abdominal rectus muscle with hemorrhage. The
- degeneration antecedent to the rupture is shown in the
- belly of the muscle.
-
-[Illustration: Fig. i]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. ii]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. iii]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. iv]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. v]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. vi]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. vii]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. viii]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. ix]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. x]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. xi]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. xii]
-
-[Illustration: Fig. xiii]
-
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-
-
-
-
- TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
-
-
- 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.
- 2. Anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as
- printed.
- 3. Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers.
- 4. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
-
-
-
-
-
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