THE WEATHER, INFLUENZA, AND DISEASE. 



603 



corresponding figures for the Digestive system were 13 "2 p.c. before, 13*8 p.c. after, with 

 a normal of 13 - 41 p.c. The death-rate during the epidemics was 10'2 p.c, after them 

 9"2 p.c, the normal being 959 p.c. 



From a consideration of these facts we must conclude that Influenza attacks the 

 respiratory organs at the time, as of course is well known, while it does not seem to 

 cause serious affections of the other systems, especially of the circulatory and nervous, 

 until some time later. This fact is of considerable importance ; for by the time these 

 secondary results appear, the patient is generally out of the doctor's hands ; and as they 

 may appear very insidiously, they may not be properly treated until the disease has 

 obtained a strong hold on the part affected. 



Previous Epidemics of Influenza feom 1848. 



I have thought that it would be interesting and of value to investigate in a pre- 

 cisely similar manner the previous epidemics of Influenza recorded in the Infirmary 

 books. Unfortunately the books for the period before 1838 were lost at the time of 

 the opening of the present Infirmary buildings. Only the four epidemics which have 

 occurred since 1848 could be considered. A relic of the past, however, exists in the 

 form of a small register for 1782, in which an epidemic of Influenza can be clearly 

 recognised. 



Table showing the Weekly Admissions and the Percentages to Total Admissions 

 for the Epidemics from 1848 to 1891. 





Year 



1848-49. 



1851. 



1855. 



1857-58. 



1891-92. 







23 Weeks. 



18 Weeks. 



18 Weeks. 



22 Weeks. 



23 Weeks. 



Totals, . 





802 



724 



614 



657 



1724 



Respiratory, 



Weekly, 







773 



10-6 



10-94 



8-36 



19-6 





Per cent., 







22-18 



26-3 



32-2 



28-0 



26-2 



Pneumonia, 



Weekly, 







1-52 



1-72 



1-16 



1 18 



4-1 





Per cent., 







4-36 



4-28 



3-42 



3-94 



5-5 



Pleurisy, 



Weekly, 







0-87 



0-68 



0-83 



0-86 



3-7 





Per cent., 







2-49 



1*51 



2-44 



2-87 



5-0 



Cardiac, 



Weekly, 







0-65 



1-2 



1-72 



2-36 



6-9 





Per cent., 







1-87 



2-02 



5-04 



7-88 



9-2 



Kidney, 



Weekly, 







1-21 



1-06 



1-84 



1-22 



2-5 





Per cent., 







3-49 



2-62 



537 



4-1 



3-4 



Rheumatism 



Weekly, 







0-69 



1-88 



0-44 



10 



1-3 





Per cent., 







1-99 



4-69 



1-3 



3-34 



1-8 



Nervous, 



Weekly, 







2-82 



4-7 



3-44 



3-91 



10-7 





Per cent., 







8-14 



11-7 



10-1 



13-1 



14-3 



Digestive, 



Weekly, 







5-04 



3-5 



2-61 



2-4 



8-9 





Per cent., 







14-46 



8-97 



7-65 



8-06 



11-8 



Influenza, 



Weekly, 







5-21 



1-06 



0-5 



0-36 



8-7 





Per cent., 







14-83 



2-62 



1-46 



1-23 



11-7 



VOL. XXXVIII. PART III. (NO. 16). 



4 O 



