Fort Pierce news., 1910-12-16
HIGH SCHOOL CLOSED
10 Prevent Contagion Of a
Dreaded Disease.
One Case of "Infantile Paralysis"
Caused School Board to Take .
Precautionary Measures.


School Board yesterday morning closed
the ST. Lucie County High School In
Fort Pierce to prevent the spread OF
new ane terrible disease known as "In.
fantile Paralysis" The school will re-
main closed until after the holidays.
On Wednesday morning the ten.year
old daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs. A. Lovett,
OF Viking. pupil died OF this disease,
and on the same day tho other pupils
from Viking who had been exposed to
this disease by riding 10 the same wa.
gon and other associations, we're ex.
cluded from the school.
On the report of DR.. W. E. VanLand-
ingham as to the nature of the malady
and danger Of epidemic, the school
board ordered the suspension Of the en-.
tire school until the threatened danger
had passed. There is az yet no epi-
demic, nor is there any other case of
the kind reported. and this radical ac-
tlon is taken merely as q caution
against any spread that might have
been caused by the mingling OF the
school children with each other.
During the last few days there has
been much inquiry regarding the dis
ease, and for the benefit Of the anxious
parents whose first desire is to shield
the child from all possible danger we
publish below extracts from an ex'
haustive article in Hampton's Maya"
zine for December by DR.. Jacolyn Man
ming on this new and dangerous disease.
An editorial note preceding the Arti'
Gle says n
"The lives and bodies of our children,
rich and poor alike. are menaced by a
terrible disease-imported to this coun-
try about Eve years age Since then 1t
has ragged as an epidemic In widely
scattered communities. A hundred
thousand children have been its victims
since 1905, Of whom probably two in
every ten died and six in every ten
were crippled. What is known OF this
frightful disease, which is now spread
ing rapidly throughout the country, is
told by DR.. Manning in the following
article. DR.. Manning was secretary OF
the West Wisconsin District Medical
Society, and was in charge of work OF
stamping out the epidemic there. She
clearly sets forth the methods for pre-
vsntion and the best means to control
the spread Of the contagion,"
DR.. Manning describes the disease
in most able treatise OF which the fol-
lowing is only a portion.
"a mothers grief for her dead child
is stragic, yet we know that the kindly
alchemy Of Time will transmute that
main into a sad memory. But what OF
,ha mother 10 whom every dawn brings
a new anguish, woe upon which Time
has no compassion? What of the child
left forever detormed and disabled by
the scourge of iniautIle paralysis that
i snreadiue With alarming rapidity
over the United statssP What OF the
misery Of an expanding mind in a world
for which the body is unfit
.This disease, infantile spinal paraly-
sis. has prevailed in epidemic form in
the United States during the past four
summers.
statistics are difficult to get, as the
a,soase has been placed but lately on
the reportable lists by the Boards ot
uoaltb 81, the most seriously menaced
states A conservative estimate from
artboritatiye sources place the mirln-
nun number Of cases since 1905 at
100000. There are from 10000 TO 20
ooo cases in the United States at pres
ant OF every hundred cases fifteen
resulted in death, ten completely re-
covared, and sixty or more were Left
~ lin Dernanent paralysis Of one or
,.,ora limbs. This means that six or
savsn :. children 10 every ten attacked
~ the disease are doomed TO go
through ~ the years without the complete.
- Il their bodies. a small percentage
wisb ss both legs useless, some With 2
lac u Or a. arm vlthered, some with feet
sS cisbsd d nIsshapeu--but all handicap