INFLUENZA. 



moutlis ef OAober anti November i^Sr. At all eveiits, its 

 courl'e was in the beginning weihvard ; for it was in Dcn- 

 maik. in the latter end of April 1782, or the beginning of 

 May ; and many people were faid to have died of it at Co- 

 penhagen before the nth of May. It appeared at New- 

 caille-;ipon-Tyne about the end of April, and in the fecond 

 week in May it was certainly in London ; fome perfons in- 

 deed thought that it had reached the metropolis fooner. 

 According to the accounts received from various parts of 

 England, it did not begin to appear in moll of them until 

 after its prevalence in London, namely, until the latter end 

 of May, or the beginning of June. In Scotland and Ire- 

 land it feems to have been ratlier later, and in the foutli of 

 Europe later (lill ; for it prevailed in France in the months 

 of June and July ; in Italy, in July and Auguft ; and in 

 Portugal and Spain, in Auguft and September. The fourth 

 week in May was the period of its mod general prevalence 

 in London : from that time it began to decline, and in the 

 fpace of tv/o or three weeks ceafed to exift as a general dif- 

 order ; bat it did not altogether leave the city till the month 

 of September. 



No attempt was made to afcertain with accuracy th.e pro- 

 portional number of perfons attacked by this influenza : 

 the number was every where very great ; the proportion of 

 the inhabitants affected in fome places being elliir.ated at 

 three-fourths, in other places at four-fifths of tlie wliole 1 

 and in London it was afTerted, from a pretty competent 

 view of the matter, that the number of thofe attacked by 

 it was much greater tlian that of thofe who efcaped it. Botii 

 fexes appeared to be equally liable to it ; but perfons of the 

 middle age wei-e more fubjedl to its attacks than old people, 

 and thefe more than children ; while infants were confider- 

 ably lefs pre-difpofed to it than either, though not entirely 

 exempt from it. When old perfons were attacked, they ge- 

 nerally had the difeafe very violently. 



This epidemic appeared with a confiderable variety of 

 fymptoms ; but the moil general form of it was certainly 

 that of catarrh ; and the great debility or depreffion of 

 llrength whicli accompanied its attack, and the rapidity with 

 which its fymptoms came on, (which in fome inftances was 

 truly wonderful,) feein to have been tlie moil remarkable 

 characters of it. Perfons, apparently in perfedl health, were 

 feized inftantaneoufly, as it were, with a violent cold, to 

 which fncceeded head-ache, running at the nofe, &c. ; while 

 others were as fuddenly feized with giddinefs, ftriclure on 

 the cheft, ficknefs at the ftomach, and cold fweats, which 

 were fpeedily followed by the pcftoral fymptoms. The 

 mod common courfe of the fymptoms, however, was the 

 following : 



The dileafe generally began with fits of chillinefs and heat 

 alternately fucceeding each other ; fometimes with a flight 

 (hivering, followed by more or lefs of fever ; anxiety of the 

 prsecordia ; pain in the back and liinbs ; flitches and cramps 

 in the mufcles fabfervient to refpirdtion ; a very great dif- 

 charge of their lymph from the eyes and nofe ; a fenfation 

 in the eyes as if they w'cre about to ilart out of the feead ; 

 fneezing, hoarfenefs, and frequently an inceflant cough, 

 forcing up large quantities of mucus, and fometimes attend- 

 ed with a forenefs of the bread. In many indances the ap- 

 petite and fcnfc of tade were lod or much impaired, with 

 fome degree of naufea ; and a few vomited. Mod of the 

 patients laboured under great lafTitude and rcdlefsnefs. The 

 fleep was general'y mneii broken ; and many could liardly 

 ftccn at all. The pulle was frequent, but feldom hard or 

 tenfe. Languor, debility, and dejection of fpirits were ge- 

 neral, and very great in all ; far beyond what might have 

 beeft expe£led from the degree of all the other fymptoms. 



But the fymptom which univcrfally prevailed, and which ap- 

 peared to be almod a pathognomonic of the difeafe, was a 

 diilrefung pain and fcnfc of condriclion in the forehead, 

 temples, and fometimes in the whole face, accompanied \«ith 

 a fenfe of forenefs about the cheek-bones under the mufcles. 

 This, now and then, was felt previoufly to the catarrh, and 

 not imfrequently was followed by very little or no catarrhous 

 affeftion. 



The didemper was by no means fo uniform as to prefent 

 the fame identical appearances in every fubjedl whom it at- 

 tacked; nor vet fo various, but that the refemblance conld 

 eafily be difcovered ; diverlified perhaps by the pccuhar 

 habit and conditution of the fufferer, or by fome other cir- 

 cumdances not eafily explained. In fome, a part only of 

 the mucous membrane was afleCled, in otliers the whole. In 

 the latter, a forenefs of the throat was common, with fre- 

 quent excretion. Upon infpecting the fauces of thefe, a 

 rednefs might be obferved ; but in few indances any confi-- 

 derable fwelling, and in none any ulceration. In fome there 

 was a great propenlity to perfpiration ; it could be readily 

 excited in moil, and ofte?i appeared where no means had 

 been employed for that piu-pofe ; but in a few the fl<in was 

 dry throughout the whole complaint. Dailv exacerbations 

 and remillions of the cough and lever were obvious in many 

 indances ; in fome, they either did not take place, or if they 

 did, were very obfcure. The date of the belly was very- 

 different in different patients ; in fome it was- regular, iu' 

 others difpofed to codivenefs ; which, however, was eafily 

 removed : and feveral had a fpontaneous purging at various 

 periods of the difeafe, fometimes with pain, but oftener with- 

 out. Nothing in general could be collected from the urine 

 that deferves notice.- 



Thefe were the mod general and frequent appearances of 

 the influenza of 17S2. But it mud be obferved, that not 

 only in London, but in all parts of the illand from whence 

 accounts were received, it now and then degenerated into^ 

 pleurify or peripneumony ;. yet thefe affections ftill mani-- 

 feded themfelves as particular modifications- of the epidemic,, 

 being either preceded or accompanied by fome of its cha- 

 racleriflic fvmptoms. Some, thus attacked, had in the be.^ 

 ginning either that didinguifliing pain in the face and fore- 

 head, or catarrh, or both : and in all there was that debility 

 of body and depreffion of mind, which are not eflfential to 

 inflammation ; the prefence of which- here,. liowever,\va* ob- 

 vious and iiidifputable.. 



The rarer occurrences were in fome few an imufual difpo-- 

 fition to fleep ; in others, drangury independent of bliflers,- 

 and in fome indances attended with bloody urine for three or- 

 four days ; hemorrhages from the nofe, with relief to the- 

 catarrhal affeaions ; and one indance of a clear difcharge 

 from the ears, as copious as others had it from the nofo- 



Extenfive as the range of this epidemic was, its influence 

 was neither very fatally exerted, nor long continued. Very 

 few died of it ; and of thofe to whom it proved fatal, the- 

 greater part were old, afthmatic, or h-.id been debilitated by 

 fome previous indifpofition. The continuance of the dif- 

 temper in any one place was not above fix weeks : where it 

 appeared in May, it vaniflied before the end of June ; and 

 where it did not break out before June, it remained until the 

 middle, or towards the dechnc of July. Its duration with> 

 each individu-al whom it attacked was as various as the de- 

 gree of violence with which the attack was made.. It feldom 

 held any one above a fortnight ; in fome its duration was 

 not above a day or two ; but it ufually ladedabout a week, 

 or longer. In fome parts of the country relapfes were com- 

 mon a fecond, third, or even fourth time; this was alio ti.e 

 cafe in London, but to a ids extent. The cough was fome- 



