You should know about Swine Flu vaccine
30 Sep 1976
Most Canadians are in a no-man’s land state of mind about the Swine Flu vaccine. Some patients quickly say they don’t believe in flu shots. Others conclude they don’t want to risk having a reaction from the vaccine. Still others say that they will ask their doctor what to do. If they follow this latter course. I wish them luck.
Doctors I’ve asked seem as non-plussed about whether or not they would take the vaccine as patients. One surgeon thought it might interfere with his operating for a day or two. Many were undecided on the issue. A few thought they would wait until an epidemic seemed more likely before they rolled up their sleeves. And a couple had a novel approach; they would wait until they saw how their patients reacted to the vaccine.
If doctors can’t make up their minds at this stage of the game, patients won’t receive much informed help from them. It means that many Canadians will have to decide for themselves. Hopefully these two articles will give you the facts to make a logical decision. In spite of recent change in position by government, my opinion remains the same.
To understand the present problem you have to take a look at history. It’s also advisable not to be misled by words. People always listen hard when anyone talks about bubonic plague, cholera, typhus and yellow fever. These diseases ring an alarm bell. But most people only open one ear to influenza. It may be the one thing that springs the trap.
Everyone has experienced flu at one time or another. They’ve also heard of 90-year-olds with bad hearts and weak lungs dying of complications. Yet healthy adults usually laugh it off as a temporary inconvenience; or as a good excuse to stay off work.
But in 1918, more than 21 million people died of the flu. Most of them were in the prime of life. In just 11 months it killed twice as many people as died in 4.5 years of war. It was no laughing matter when entire families were wiped out within 48 hours.
The Edinburgh Medical Journal was certainly impressed. It called the epidemic the greatest plague ever to hit this planet. They forgot that in 542 A.D. the Plague of Justinian annihilated 100 million. The Black Death swept away 60 million people.
Epidemics have impressed some generals. In 415 B.C. the Athenian army in Sicily was slaughtered by infection before the battle began. Similarly, Charlemagne’s army in 827 A.D. was delivered a lethal blow. Influenza has repeatedly plagued mankind every few decades since early times. It’s a mild sounding name with a big punch. Somewhere along the line it should have been called the “Black Flu.”
Historically the world’s newspapers and cartoonists have always joked about this disease in its early stages. Then they thunder a different line when bodies are being lined up for burial.
Today not many people remember the 1918 epidemic. In Philadelphia it killed one in eight of the population. One-quarter of the population of Samoa died. In India, seven million fell victim to it. In the First World War, 50,000 U.S. soldiers were killed in action. At home, 500,000 succumbed to the flu. And in Canada 30,000 got it.
Wild stories circulated as to what people should do. In England some physicians advised snuff, wines and whiskey. If the plague killed the patient they at least died happy. Others advocated burning eucalyptus, inhaling turpentine fumes or menthol. One-group of doctors condemned smoking. Another group said that smoke acted as a smoke screen between healthy persons and those with the flu.
The Swiss came up with the best answer. They suggested wearing gauze masks. A few groups tried it and in some countries it became a crime not to use one. Most medical authorities ridiculed the idea. Yet long before 1918 masks had been worn in operating rooms and in some children’s hospital wards. On the street however doctors argued that masks were filthy appliances.
The social chaos was overwhelming. In many areas not enough wood could be found for coffins. Undertakers requested the help of soldiers to dig graves. Some patients died while waiting in line to see the doctor. Parents often died leaving no one to attend their sick children. Sometimes bodies went unburied for as long as two weeks. They were left in the home, at under-takers or in public mortuaries. In one area a carpenter made 30 coffins a day and personally conducted the funerals.
Those who recovered from the epidemic were sometimes left in a depressed state. Numerous cases are on record where the surviving person murdered the other members of the family.
The flu pandemic had a devastating effect on the armies of both sides. It put entire units out of action. How much it affected the course of the war is unknown. But several German divisions were curtailed from marching against Ypres. A total of 390,000 German soldiers eventually died of it.
The flu reached Canada in September, 1918. It began in a Polish camp at Niagara-on-the-Lake, and quickly spread across Canada. In Hamilton the hospitals were full and unable to admit more patients. The minister of health for Toronto ordered that only immediate relatives could attend funerals. Spitting was banned in public places. And it was no longer necessary to kiss the Bible in court.
During the epidemic it was suggested that the Prohibition regulations on liquor be lifted to allow people to purchase it without a doctor’s prescription. In the meantime people crowded doctor’s offices to get a prescription for an extra $2. Several cases of champagne were delivered to the Polish camp and it was believed it saved many lives. And one enquiring newspaper in Lethridge noted that physicians who advised liquor for the disease had more patients than those who gave castor oil.
Medicine and religion clashed in Canada during the epidemic. The minister of health ordered the churches closed along with other public places. Several ministers of various faiths resisted the move. Finally, after much oratory about serving either God or man they finally shut their doors.
Hoping to prevent another epidemic of this magnitude, the Canadian and U.S governments geared up for a massive immunization program against Swine Flu. Next week I’ll discuss the pros and cons of taking this vaccine. As in most things there’s more to it than meets the eye.
W. Gifford-Jones is the pseudonym for a practising physician. He expresses opinions only and in general terms not to be considered advice to anyone who may have a medical problem, Dr. Gifford-Jones is the author of The Doctor Game and On Being A Woman published by McClelland & Stewart.
Click here to read the second article in the series.
Vintage articles by W. Gifford-Jones, MD are posted for the purposes of sharing the historical record of the writings of one of Canada’s longest-serving and well respected medical journalists. Information may be out-of-date and readers are reminded to always consult with their doctors on any matters pertaining to their own personal health.
