The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-10-09

that one means that the hospital treats
the after-effects, because the blight
ing cause itself is so sudden that moth
ing can be done TO check it once it has
started. The real work of saving
comes in after the paroxysm has spent
itself. Then begins the task of getting
the nerve affected and the muscle that
that nerve feeds back 10 normal
DR.. Frauenthal. from his most re-
cent researches, cannot tell whether
a poison or a germ is responsible. But
he believes that the poison or a germ
Is generated in the intestinal canal. II
then, most probably. is carried by the
nerves of the sympathetic system,
whose great brain is the solar pleXus,
TO the spinal cord.
In its passage to the front or an
terror part it causes inhltTation OF
blood in the vertebra. Locating in the
front OF the cord il breaks down the
ganglionic cells Of which the gray
matter of the cord is composed, and a
"mash" of broken cells and blood
gathers. Paralysis of limbs, face and
other portions of the body controlled
or in sympathy with the nerves en-
anating from the affected parts fol-
lows. If the breaking down is very
great. death ensues.
The Rockefeller Institute surgeons
are still convinced that a minute
germ is responsible for the disease.
But they admit that although various
bacteria have from time 10 time been
isolated in cultures from the fluid OBJ
tanned by puncturing the lumbar sec
ton of the spinal column of patients
suffering from the disease, or from
specimens Of the central nervous sys-
tenn removed at autopsy. these germs
70 Of
micrO-Organisms and were unable to
reproduce the disease in animals. DIR.
FleXner believes they are to be re-
garded more as secOndarily invading
bacteria than as the cause of the dis
ease itself.
The bacteria cannot be found in the
blood OF children suffering from the
disease, nor from one who has died
from it, But about a year ago the
institute secured the spinal cord from
two cases of fatal paralysis in chill
dren, and elaborate experiments have
since been conducted upon animals. As
a result. DR.. Flexner concludes that
the virus epidemic poliomyelitis OBJ
tanned from the spinal cord when in
troduced into the body by means of
either the brain, the blood, subcutis,
peritoneum. spinal canal or large
nerves, tends to iocaliZe in the spinal
cord and brain and produce typical in
fantile paralysis.
Experiments made to produce infee-
ton by feeding the virus TO monkeys
We're unsuccessful. 1t was also deter
mined that not only the spinal cord
itself. but the fluid contained in the
spinal column Of a person suffering
from the disease is capable of setting
up the disease in animals The blood
of infants suffering from the disease
injected into monkeys uniformly failed
TO produce paralysis.
DR.. Flexner found that the abnor-
nal conditions in the spine and medu-
liza oblongata were visible TO the naked
eye and consist of congestion and
hemorrhage of blood in the gray mat
ter chiefly. although the white matter
was also similarly affected TO a certain
degree The severest LESSONS occur at
the points in the spinal cord corre-
spending to the most marked paral-
ysis of muscle groups.
Another interesting conclusion ar
rived ar from these experiments by the
surgeons at the Rockefeller Institute
is that immunity is afforded by an at
tack of the disease, and no patient can
have it twice.
1t is a curious fact that although
scientists succeeded in producing the
disease in eighty-One monkeys that
were inOculated with the spinal virus
they were unable to produce similar
results with other animals.
1t is certain that as far as preven-