An Epidemic Of Grip Prevails In Birmingham.

"Nearly every physician in the city," said Dr. W. H. Wilder, the city physician of Birmingham, yesterday, "say that they are now treating more cases of grip then all other cases of sickness combined. The disease is epidemic in Birmingham, just as it is in so many other cities of the country.

 

"Except from the statement of the various physicians we cannot tell just how widespread the disease is, for the board of health of Birmingham does not require the physicians to report the cases which they have in their practice, nor is any record kept. You know there is a city ordinance requiring that all cases of smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, diptheria, scarlet fever and other diseases of such highly contagious type, be reported to the health officials by the attending physician at once. There is another class of contagious diseases such as measles, and mumps with the city does not require shall be reported, and in this class is placed our modern grip. It has been clearly proved that the disease is contagious, althought it has never been considered dangerous enough to be put in the quarantine class of diseases.

 

"There is more grip in Birmingham now than there has been since 1893, and it is almost as severe a type as we had here that year. As you know, the influenza, or grip, as we choose to call it, made its first appearance in the United States in the winter of 1889 and 1890, and at that time was very severe. It seemed to get milder during the winters that followed, but now it is getting severe again.

 

Opens The System.

"The greatest danger in grip is that is seems to open the system to numerous other diseases, and many a case of pneumonia, consumption and catarrhal troubles can be traced back to a case of grip. All of the insurance companies recognize the weakening effects of the disease, and all of the companies have the question in their blanks, 'Have you ever had grip?'

 

"I see there is now quite a discussion being carried on in New York as to whether grip shall be placed in the class with all the serious contagious diseases, thus putting all cases directly under the control of the board of health. I don't think this has been done yet, however. Although the disease has long been recognized as contagious, not bacteriologist has ever succeeded in isolating the germ of grip. That is, in getting a germ which, when inoculated into another, will produce the disease of grip. Numbers have claimed that they have made the discovery, but the medical profession has never accepted any of them.

 

"It is hard to tell exactly what the symptoms of the disease are, for it seems to effect everyone differently. A severe cold, accompanied by fever and pains something like muscular rheumatism in the limbs and all over the body are the most usual signs."

 

Dr. E. H. Scholl, president of the board of health for Jefferson county, said yesterday that he had no means of telling exactly how many cases of grip there were in Birmingham at the present time, for grip cases are not reported. Judging from the cases that had come under his observation, and according to the reports he heard from other physicians, the cases are not nearly so numerous nor so severe as they were back in 1891 and 1893. There  are enough cases in Birmingham, however, for the disease to be epidemic, he says.

 

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