HICCOUGH EPIDEMIC REPORTED IN CONNECTICUT
Meriden, Connecticut (JFK+50) On November 14, 1924, the Associated Press is quoted in The Evening Star as saying "ten authentic cases of hiccoughing* have been reported by physicians here" in Meriden**. There are also "unofficial reports of many additional victims."
The report states that the attacks last two or three days and the cause remains "a mystery."
The "only theory" expressed to this point is that the epidemic may have been caused by the recent "long spell of dry weather."
*hiccough is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm muscle that causes a person to inhale air & make a "hic" sound
**Meriden, located between New Haven & Hartford, Connecticut, was incorporated in 1867 & was named for Meriden, West Midlands, England. She was nicknamed "Silver City" because of her silver manufacturing plants.
SOURCE
"Hiccough Siege In Connecticut; Blame Dry Spell," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., November 14, 1924, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
