492 
THE BIOLOGY OF DISEASE 
When the body gains the requisite amount of strength 
the disease and its germs are usually thrown off. Patent 
medicines and alcohol should be avoided, as they reduce 
the power of the body to resist disease and give no aid in 
building up the diseased tissues. In addition, alcohol causes 
serious disturbances in the general circulation. 
In addition to pulmonary tuberculosis physicians recog¬ 
nize tuberculosis of the throat, intestines, kidneys, brain, 
and joints. 
377. Influenza. — This is a communicable disease that 
killed more than 550,000 people in the United States during 
the fall of 1918 and the winter of 1919, which is about five 
times the number (111,179) of American soldiers officially 
stated to have lost their lives from all causes in the World 
War up to the date of April 30, 1919. This disease is con¬ 
tracted only by those who come in contact with the secretions 
from the nose or bronchial tubes of one who is affected with it. 
The word contagious is properly used for such diseases, because 
the person suffering from them gives off germs that pass to 
another. In this same sense tuberculosis, diphtheria, and 
typhoid fever are contagious diseases. 
When the disease is of average severity the symptoms are 
a chilly sensation, headache, and “ bone ache,” or pains all 
over the body, and fever. Coughs usually develop as the 
progress of the inflammation extends into the bronchial tubes. 
The full force of this disease may center in the respiratory 
organs, or in the muscles and nerves, or in the digestive 
tract. It is clear that influenza paves the way for pneu¬ 
monia, if it does not actually produce it. 
The mouth and nasal passages should be kept clean with 
such washes as salt in water or borax in water in the pro¬ 
portion of one level teaspoonful to a pint of water. The 
chief value of all nasal washes is the water, and any prepara¬ 
tion that has a smarting reaction should be avoided. There 
is really no special method of cleaning the nose that excels 
