588 



DR A. LOCKHART GILLESPIE ON 



for the month of April shows that it was much above the average. The epidemic of 

 this year may therefore be assumed to have begun in Edinburgh and district about 

 the middle of the month, and to have gone on until the end of the week ending 11th 

 July, a period of thirteen weeks. 



The admission of cases of influenza practically ceased from the date last mentioned 

 until 25th October 1891. During the next sixteen weeks patients suffering from 

 influenza were admitted in large numbers. This attack proved to be the worst of the 

 six, with regard to the results, in the Infirmary. The maximum may be assigned to the 

 week ending 5th December 1891, and the end of the epidemic to the week ending 13th 

 February 1892, although scattered cases were taken in for some time afterwards. The 

 Post Office records agree in almost every particular with those from the Infirmary. 

 The epidemic commenced at the same date, reached its highest level during the same 

 week, but diminished sooner, as might be expected. 



The attack which occurred in the spring of 1893 can hardly be dignified with the 

 name of an epidemic, if the number of patients admitted for the disease be alone 

 considered. A great increase, however, took place in the admissions of respiratory 

 cases, an increase which, being out of season, must be looked upon as due to some 

 abnormal cause. In the Post Office, influenza was present in a mildly epidemic form 

 during March and April, commencing on the 15th of March. From this fact, and 

 owing to the rise in the respiratory admissions after 11th March, the beginning of this 

 epidemic may be assigned to the week commencing at that date. A short attack, 

 lasting to the end of April, it only continued for seven weeks. 



The fifth epidemic of the series began towards the end of October 1893 and lasted 

 until the end of January 1894. I have given the date of the commencement of this 

 epidemic on 15th October, as agreeing with the Infirmary records, but the postmen 

 were not affected until the 21st. The maximum in the Post Office occurred in the 

 second and third weeks of November, while in the Infirmary it was not reached until 

 the first week of December. 



List of Epidemics. 



Year. 



Duration. 



Winter. 



Spring. 



Summer. 



1. 1889-90, 



2. 1891, . 



3. 1891-92, 



4. 1893, . 



5. 1893-94, 



6. 1895, . 



Total weeks, 



9 weeks 

 13 „ 

 16 „ 



7 „ 

 16 „ 



7 „ 



Dec. 15-Feb. 15 

 Oct. 2 5 -Feb. 13 

 Oct. 15- Jan. 31 



Mar. 11-Apr. 28 

 Feb. 11 -Mar. 31 



Apr. 12-July 11 



68 



41 



14 



13 



The other months of 1894 were comparatively free from influenza, a few cases being 

 recorded in December. In February 1895 it again became epidemic, and reached its 



