Specific Diseases: Influenza


Figure 1.--Doctors were powerless to treat influenza during th 1918-19 pandemic. Virtually nothing was known about virology. And in the inter-War period the approach to influenza was basically good health so that the individual had an effective immune system. Some as the same practives were used as with tuberculosis, a good diet, fesh air, and sunshine. Here is a solarium in Italy during 1937. The press caption read, "Sun's Rays Battle Influemza in Italy: Children of well-to-do parents lie in the sun in a solarium in southn Italy, as part of the progrm to combat influenza. They spend an hour each morming in the sun light." The photograph is dated August 17, 1937.

Some diseases are of relatively modern origin, or at least modern virulence/leathality. This is of some debate among medical hisorians. They puzzel over ancienct texts desribing the symptoms of sickness. They attemt to identify the disease involved is a tricky proposition given the fact that many of the texts date back not just centuries, but millenia. This is a difficult undertaking as historical names have nothing to do with modern medical terminology. Modern doctors stress the importance of personal examinations. It seems clear, however, that the influenza is as old as civilazation, at least in the Eurasia. We find accounts that seem very much like flu in earliest written texts. Infuenza symtoms were described by Hippocrates roughly (4th entury BC). Historians are convinced that the influeza virus have caused epidemics throughout history. Historical accounts data on influenza are difficult to interpret, because the symptoms are the same as other respiratory diseases. The disease does not appear to have been present in the Americas, suggesting that it may not have been revalent in Eurasia at the time that Siberian hunters began to cross the Bearing Sea land passage. The inflenza virus did not reach the Americas until the arrival of Columbus (1492) followed by other Europeans. and other Europeans. An epidemic with symtoms resembling inflenza was reported (1493). In only a few decades vurtually the entire ideigenous population od the Caribbean was decimated, although influenza wa not the only disease involved. Smallpox was another deadly killer. The first actual epidemic that medical historains are almost unamimously began in Russia (1580) and appears to have spread to Europe via Africa. Some 8,000 people died in Rome. Several Spanish cities were devestated. Doctors use the term pandemic because it was so widespread. There were pandemics reported occasionally (17th and 18th centuries) The most serious infected something like a quater of those exposed (1830-33). The most virulent outbreak known to history was the flu pandemic that occurred at the end of World War I (1918-19). It was inaccuately labeled the Spanish flu pandemic. It was a type A influenza (H1N1 subtype). The number of people wjo died is not known with any certainty. We knowthat millions died, but estimates are widely spaced (20 to 100 million people). Historians describe it as 'the greatest medical holocaust in history'. It may have killed as many people as the Black Death, although perhaps not the same proportion of the popultion. The flu pandemic occured in Europe and North America in the aftermath of World War I (1918-19) and spread worldwide, including plces as remote as Samoa. One of the problems was that because of the War millions of people were malnourished, lowering their resistance to disease. Large numbers of men in the military lived in crowded barracks or filthy trenches, perfect conditions for spreadung the flu. The flu mutated to an extremely deadly version which also spread to America. Science knew next to nothing about viruses at the time.

Researching Medical History

Some diseases are of relatively modern origin, or at least modern virulence/leathality. This is of some debate among medical hisorians. They puzzel over ancienct texts desribing the symptoms of sickness. They attemt to identify the disease involves a tricky proposition given the fact that many of the texts date back not just centuries, but millenia. This is a difficult undertaking as historical names have nothing to do with modern medical terminology. Modern doctors stress the importance of personal examinations. Texts of course only come from literate civilized socierty. Knowing about disease before agriculture and civilization is a much more difficult undertaking.

Agriculturl Revolution and Civilization

It seems clear, however, that the influenza is as old as civilization, at least in the Eurasia. In fact, it appears that it is the neolithic revolution that generted influenza and other communicable diseases. The Neolithic Revolution meaning the invention of agriculture in the Middle East (about 8,000 BC/10,000 BP) made civilization possible. Agrivulture generated wealth that hunter-gather peoples were unable to do. Cities began to appear meaning hat people were libing together in densities never before seen. One historian explains how diases were generated. "Living at close quarters with animals meant that some animal diseases spread to humans. These were Smallpox, Anthrax, Tubercuclosis, Influenza. Large communities living close together aklowed diseases to be passed around. Problems of disposing human and animal waste led to intestine complaints and the spread of waterborne diseases. Cholera and Typhoid. Irrigation created breeding grounds for mosquitoes and parasites infecting humans with diseases like Malaria." [Coward] As a result, we find accounts that seem very much like these diseases in earliest written texts. Infuenza symtoms were described by Hippocrates roughly (4th entury BC). Historians are convinced that the influeza virus have caused epidemics throughout recorded history. Historical accounts data on influenza are difficult to interpret, because the symptoms are the same as other respiratory diseases.

The Americas

The influenza virus and several other comunicable fiseases disease does not appear to have been present in the Americas, suggesting that it they were not prevalent in Eurasia at the time that Siberian hunters began to cross the Bearing Sea land passage. And this is because when Siberian hunters made the Bering Sea crossing, agriculture had not yet been invented or was in a various primitive stage of development. And many animals (donkies, horses, oxen, pigs, and sheep) were not yet domesticated. For years it was believes that the date of the crossing was well understood (about 8,000 BC). Recent archeological work has found evidence that the crossings begun well before that, altough just how much earlier is a subject of intense scholarly deabte. As result the inflenza virus and other comunicable diseases did not reach the Americas until the arrival of Columbus (1492) followed by other Europeans. An epidemic with symtoms resembling inflenza was immediately reported (1493). In only a few decades vurtually the entire ideigenous population of the Caribbean was decimated. Influenza was only one of the diseases involved. Smallpox was another deadly killer. The impact of these diseases is what set the Atlantic slave trade in motion. Africa was in contact with Eurasia and thus Africans had an immunity that Native Americans did not have.

Documented Ourbreaks

The first actual epidemic that medical historains are almost unamimously began in Russia (1580) and appears to have spread to Europe via Africa. Some 8,000 people died in Rome. Several Spanish cities were devestated. Doctors use the term pandemic because it was so widespread. There were pandemics reported occasionally (17th and 18th centuries) The most serious infected something like a quater of those exposed (1830-33). The most virulent outbreak known to history was the flu pandemic that occurred at the end of World War I (1918-19). It was inaccuately labeled the Spanish flu pandemic. It was a type A influenza (H1N1 subtype). The number of people wjo died is not known with any certainty. We knowthat millions died, but estimates are widely spaced (20 to 100 million people). Historians describe it as 'the greatest medical holocaust in history'. It may have killed as many people as the Black Death, although perhaps not the same proportion of the popultion. The flu pandemic occured in Europe and North America in the aftermath of World War I (1918-19) and spread worldwide, including plces as remote as Samoa. One of the problems was that because of the War millions of people were malnourished, lowering their resistance to disease. Large numbers of men in the military lived in crowded barracks or filthy trenches, perfect conditions for spreadung the flu. The flu mutated to an extremely deadly version which also spread to America. Science knew next to nothing about viruses at the time.

Scientific Knowledge

The best scientists, doctors, and health officials in Europe and America could not identify the disease patogens. They were stunned that aisease could striking so fast and with such lethality. Some of the victims died within hours of the initial symptoms. Others lingered on for a few days. The cause of death was their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated. With out an understanding of the pathology, there was no way to treat or control the disease. Reserachers attempting to study the outbreak were baffekled by the pervasiveness of the dsease. It spread in both urban and rural areas, even reaching the remotest areas of Alaska. And it affected young adults, the healtiest portion of the populstion. In factvthey were one of thev popultion groups most ffected in addition to the elderly and children. The flu afflicted more than 25 percent of the American population. Incredably in only one year, the life expectancy in the United States was reduced by 12 years. All of this stunded researchers. Vural innoculation began before the agents involved were known (19th century). Jonas Salk and Thomas Francis developed the first vaccine against flu viruses. It was used protect the U.S. military forces during World War II (1938). The first actual virus discovered was the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Wendell Meredith Stanley was awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1946).

Sources

Coward, Fiona. Farming section in Dorlig Kingsley, The History Book.






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Created: 12:21 AM 1/29/2018
Last updated: 5:33 AM 10/29/2018