INFLUENZA EPIDEMICS IN EUROPE AND ASIA.
B.C. 1103. Epidemic in Babylon, or Babirus of the Persians. 722. Epidemic in Nineveh, during the reign of Sargon, King of Assyria. 591. Diodorus mentions a pestilence as having occurred at this date; accompanied with headache, coma and death. (?Meningitis) A.M. 412. The Roman Historian and writer Livy refers to a pestilence resembling the Flu in book iv. page 52. 395. A pestilence claimed to be Flu destroyed by thousands the soldiers in the Greek army at the siege of Syracuse. (?Plague or Cholera) A.M. A.D. 827. A cough disease with fever spread rapidly and widely; known as Heafd or Heafod Flowan, also as Se Wulf. Epidemic in Britain. 876. A disease attended with cough and fever, pain in the eyes, Italiae febris, Italian fever. Ravaged Germany and Italy. 888. A disease with cough and fever spread through Germany. 927. A disease with cough and fever. Epidemic in France and Germany. 996–7. A disease with cough and fever. Epidemic in England. 1173. First epidemic or claimed to be the first, prevailed in Italy, Germany and England. 1323. The same countries invaded, spread to persons, towns and villages. 1327. The same countries invaded, spread to persons, towns and villages. 1387. Jacob von Königshofen states in the Strasburg chronicle, “A general pestilence invaded the whole country, attended with cough and fever; hardly one among ten were unaffected.” 1403–4. Epidemic over Europe.