The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-28
Five Cases of Infantile Paraly'
sis Are Reported in Salt
Lake City.
PERPLEXING GREATEST
PHYSICIANS OF LAND
Public Health and Marine Hos
pital Report Shows Start
ling Increase.

Infantile paralysis is becoming a prob
lem in Utah. There are five CAGES Of the
disease in Salt Lake City, Two OF these
cases were reported to the city board
OF health last week II Is now well known
that this strange and little understood
disease is perpleXing the greatest physl
clans OF the land; that the germ Of
the disease has not been identified for
the reason that It's isolation has not been
successfully accomplished.
In the. hve-year period preceding the
present year. the monthly report OF the
public health and marine hospital serv-
Ice shows that the Increase In the dis
ease has been startling: In the five-year
period from 1850 to 1884. there were re-
ported % cases in two epidemics, or an
average OF ll.5 cases. This number grad
ually Increased until the period from
1900 TO 1904 showed 349 cases nine cpl
denies, and an average number of cases
OF $50. The progress Of the disease fol-
lowing that period mas been startlngly
rapid. The report shows that for the
period Of 1906 1909 there were 1854 cases,
only o5 epdemics, with an average num-
Der OF cases Of 1920,
Alarming Increase,
After making due allowance for the
Increase due to greater accur cy of dag
nosis, IL is still clearly evident that there
has been an actual. progressive and
rapid increase In the occurrence Of cpl
denies of this disea~e. =" says the report.
And what is OF more vital importance to
us. Of the 5000 cases reported from 1905
to 1903 approximately 5000 have occurred
in in the three years, iEso7- -iscs.S A'' WIN
On the head of preventability, the ma
tionsl health department has to say with
reference to the duties and responsible
ties Of public health authorities:
1T is not however. the seriousness of
epidemic poliomyelitis dnfantile paraly-
sis). but its preventability, which fastens
upon the health officer his responsibility
In the matter; the seriousness Of the dis
ease only increases the gravity OF this
responsibility So long as a disease is
known to be irremediable the health Off
Ger may stand by and commiserate; II
there is reason TO suspect that it is pre-
ventabe II is his duty to Investigate; n
1t Is known TO be preventable. he must
prevent"
The report then discusses at length the
results of laboratory studies and finds
that 1t has been demonstrated that the
disease Is transmissible from human be-
ings TO monkeys and from monkey TO
have been found insusceptible. except
by a few observers, who report success
fui inoculations of rabbits.
OF Minute Size.
'It has been demonstrated that the spe-
clf1c causatvo organism Is of minute
Size, being Die to pass through a Berke-
field filter: that il is easily killed b" heat
and by comparatively weak disinfectants;
that It is very resistant to cold and. TO
drying. In bodies OF infected ani.lals the
virus (germ) of the disease has been
demonstrated not only In the spinal cord
and brain. but in the nasal mucous
membrane, the salivary glands. mesen-
ter!c glands. and, after subcutaneous in
eculation, at the site OF incubation and
in the lymph glands receiving the drain =
age from that area"
1T appears that the virus Is present
in the blood only In the early stages
OF infection and then in small amounts.
In discussing the bearing OF conditions
and circumstances upon poliomyelitis the
| matter Of DUST is given no little atten- :
tion. The report says.
The occurrence of epidemic poliomye-
Hits In the hot dry. dusty season has
given rise to the surmise that dust may
| be In some way factor In the spread
of the disease. This surmise has been
strengthened by the grouping OF cases
along dusty thoroughfares observed in
several localities and by the cessation OF
several epidemics shortly after the dust
| had been abated by rainfall or sprinklins
| Of streets"
| The acceptance Is. however. In the light
OF present knowledge of the disease that
epidemic poliomyelitis is most probably
| transmissibIe by direct contact.
| Helpful Suggestions.
| The national bureau makes these sug-
gestions which might be helpful In guild
ing health officials and physicians gen
| orally:
| Isolation OF the patient. with Isolation
OF the contacts so far as practicable