Report on the influenza epidemic of 1889-90 / by Dr. Parsons.

  • Parsons, H. Franklin (Henry Franklin), 1846-1913
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the influenza epidemic of 1889-90 / by Dr. Parsons. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    340/354 (page 316)
    3IG On Epidemic Influenziv In 188U-90; by Dr. Parsons. Chap. XII. by Dr. T. P. Thomson; Dr. T. P. Thomson, of Wcstbury, Shropshire, writes, February 3r(l, 1890:— I have at present under medical supervision upwards of 50 cases of Influenza. Mine is a purely agricultural practice, and I have been very mucli struck with the fact that the farmers and their wives as a )'ule are the first attacked, followed in a few days by their servants. I put this down to their long drives to the markets of Shrewsbury and Welsh- pool; to tlieh' very often going all day without a substantial dinner, thereby allowing their system to get lowered ; and to the bad sanitary state of Shrewsbury acting as a feeding ground to the germs of Influenza. In my opinion the disease is infectious and contagious. by Dr. J. E. Dr. J. E. SINCLAIR, of Princes Street, Storey's G-ate, London, tells Sinclan-; ^j-^j^j. Qj.st case of Influenza which he saw was in his own house- hold, his child's nurse, who was taken ill on December 3rd with well- marked symptoms of the epidemic, and had a relapse on December 20th. The child who slept in the same room up to December 3rd and after December 8th, escaped. The only mode of infection that could be suggested was through a third person, Avho herself had not the com- plaint. On November 30th, a lady, who had just come from Paris, leaving her household there ill of la grippe, had gone into the nursery : she wore other clothes than those she had worn at home. The case was an isolated one in Dr. Sinclair's practice until on or after December 13th, when the general outbreak in his neighbourhood seemed to begin. tiy Mr. J. Pai-- The following case, communicated by Mr. J. Parsons, of Frome, sons; seems to fix the incubation period, if other sources of infection can be excluded, at about 34 hours :— The little son (set. 5) of a medical man is very fond of running into the surgery (a different house from his residence, but in the same street), but was as far as possible prevented from doing so during the Influenza epidemic. One Saturday morning, however, between 9 and ]0 a.m., he escaped his mother's vigilance, and came in for a few minutes while the place was full of patients. <^n Sunday evening he went to bed complaining, and shortly afterwards had a severe rigor, quickly followed by a temperature of 104°, with the usual frontal and muscular pains. The symptoms lasted between 24 and 48 hours, and then subsided rapidly and completely. He was carefully isolated at home, and no other member of the household was affticted. Mr. J. Q. CosTiN, of Market Harborough, gives me the following history :— by Mr. J. Q. On January 6lh Mr. and Mrs. C. and two daughters went up to Costin! ■ ■ London and stayed at a large hotel until January 9th, when they left owino- to Miss 0. having been taken ill the evening before. On leaving Mr. C. was told by the manager that many of the servants at the hotel had been laid up with Influenza. There had been no Influenza previously at Market Harborough. On January 10th Mrs. C, Avho had been to London, was taken ill, and on January 14th Mr. C. and the other daughter.