The Common Cold 1914 – Seasonal Flu

The common cold is a viral upper respiratory tract infection. More than 100 different viruses, particularly rhinoviruses and coronaviruses, can cause a cold. Although no practical, effective cure is available, many medicines are used to reduce symptoms such as a runny nose, nasal congestion, and a sore throat.

Since ancient times, a remarkable range of "treatments" has been available for the common cold:

• The Italian Pliny the Elder prescribed jaguar urine and rabbit droppings for coughs. 
• Syrian physician Ibn al-Quff recommended applying a hot iron to the head and waiting until the skull became visible. 
• Swiss physician Samuel Tissot treated severe colds by making cuts to let blood.

In 1914, German bacteriologist Walther Kruse demonstrated that viruses caused the common cold and could be transmitted to healthy individuals through bacteria-free nasal secretions. Colds can ordinarily be transmitted through airborne droplets after sneezing. After rhinovirus was isolated in 1956, physicians recognized it as a very common cause of the common cold. 

Developing a vaccine against cold viruses is difficult because the viruses frequently mutate and change slightly as they pass from person to person. After rhinoviruses infect the lining of the nasal cavity, macrophages (a type of white blood cell) mobilize the body's defenses, triggering the production of inflammatory cytokine molecules and, in turn, mucus production. In addition, the body's bradykinins (small proteins) cause a sore throat and nasal irritation.

Influenza, a similar illness, is transmitted by the influenza virus. It tends to cause a more severe course of illness (it is more likely to cause fever and affect the lower respiratory tract). SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is a highly dangerous respiratory disease caused by the SARS coronavirus.

Historical Figures Mentioned in This Article: Gaius Plinius Secundus (known as Pliny the Elder; 23–79), Ibn al-Quff (1233–1286), Samuel Auguste Tissot (1728–1797), Walther Kruse (1864–1943)

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