The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-11-19


disease across the Atlantic, before it's
detection in quarantine was possible.
Physicians in Massachusetts and
elsewhere who have studied the dis
ease, have concluded that the virus
may be CT eyed by the bite of in.
sects; and, in the light of our recent
knowledge of insect transmission of
many infections time will no doubt
establish the correctness of this OBJ
servation concerning infantile paraly-
sis. Dust seems to be provocative.
In one epidemic of $50 cases, investi-
gated by DR.. r. w. Lovett, of Boston,
60 of the patients had been swimming
or wading in sewage wa
ter before coming down with the dis
ease.
In Massachusetts there were some
instances in which there was sickness,
paralysis, and death among domestic
animals and fowls coincident with the
epidemic outbreaks among human be-
ings; IN "a out OF 81 families this phe-
nomenon was observed. In Washing
ton the Public Health and Marine Hos
pital Service has been examining a
number of dead chickens furnished by
DR.. j. l.. Lewis of that city, who had
been attending a case of infantile para
lysis; | have not yet seen the results
of this examination, which was to as
certain whether the disease was COM
mlnicated to the patient from the
chickens, which were taken from his
farm; they had taken sick, and the
patient was caring for them imme-
diately before he came down with the
poliomyelitis. The patient is breed
er of chickens; these fowl died and
the BREEDER then himself succumbed to
what was diagnosed as infantile para
lysis. 1t is here noteworthy that in
the experiments of DR.. Flexner, pres
emily to be considered, attempts to I'M
plant the virus in such available warm
l mic dogs, cats, sheep, COWS, goats
pigs, chickens, pigeons and the horse
S were not successful; only in the mon
e key was the transfer of the virus sue
D cessful.
: In the epidemic in and about Spring
d field it was observed that the disease
+ did not especially flourish among The
: poor since there were no cases in tn,
+ most congested tenement districts;
, was considered that many well-to-dt
e children escaped, because they wer
{ taken from home during the summer
$ On the other hand it has been hell
st that the poor do suffer most, and tina
y the cases among the well-tO-do hav
> been in districts bordering upon area
Is of congested tenements, which tn
III poor occupy.
e Thus in infantile paralysis we hav
u to deal with an infection of a conti
gious sort Contact Infection; the V
Sc rus is present in the secretions frol
at nose throat and mouth especially
10 the pharrpnX; possibly also it exists
ID the discharges or patients. DR.. File
d. ner observes: "Nor can it be affirme
y! that still other avenues of infectiC
~ las the skin, the organs of respiratic
'e' or the digestive tract) do not exist, f,
a. the entrance of the virus into the ce
" trail nervous system" It is probab
'" that the infectiyity does not exte1
~ beyond the acute period when Il
Ia fever and other symptoms are
CO. tense.}
~ Action by Health Authorities.
:, Infantile paralysis has been made
-" reportable disease in Pennsylvania,
it certainly should be throughout t
. Union. The Iowa State Board
OF Health has ruled that all cases of
fantile paralysis, or suspected cas-
Idi- be reported by the attending physici
IAN or the parent to the local board
ms health; it recommends the quaranti
Thy of all cases for at least two wee
nts after the beginning of the disease, a
ing thorough disinfection of infected D
at misses after the termination of the {
ion ease; and, noting that the infectiC
cen material is found in the secretions
rec the nose and mouth of infected 2
ten sons, it recommends the use of spri