Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 245, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 October 1918 — DR. GWIN WRITES OF “FLU” SITUATION AT FT. HARRISON [ARTICLE]

DR. GWIN WRITES OF “FLU” SITUATION AT FT. HARRISON

• ; Indianapolis, Oct. 16, 1918. Dear Hamilton: — A breathing spell has come and likely this camp will release Base Hospital 109 so We can travel. Our pneumonia cases are lessening add the influenza cases aie fast approaching zero in number. Our percentage of deaths from pneumonia is 26, compared with 30 to 35 at other camps, such at Camp Dodge and Camp Grant. The story of this trouble seems to be about as follows f First the influenza germ attacks and then a streptococcus germ of great virulence starts in and overpowers the influenza poison. Then the patient is betted for a few days until the poison of the streptococcus invades the system, and suddenly the patient is seriously ill from a streptococcus pneumonia. This we try, partially successfully, to combat by a serum which builds up the white corpuscles of the body, in other words our defense force. Thus we have going on in the body a great battle among various armies of germs similar to our world’s war, and our manly, virile boys go down and out in a few days. We have lost 160 here and I have personally studed the disease while treating them, and then into the laboratory and studied, under the microscope, the influenza germ and the overpowering strepococcus as it multiplies and spreads its Germanlike ruthless poison. Let us hope it will soon pass as tonight’s paper indicates the German power is passing. Jasper county is to be lauded for its record in the Fourth Loan. My hospital may leave immediately or the end of the war may come soon and catch us at the port.

M. D. GWIN.