Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-03
,MAY TRY ISOLATION NO HALF-WAY PLACE
Health Department Effort to Cummns Says Republicans
Combat Infant Paralysis. Must Take Positive Stand.
FIVE new CASES REPORTED DEFENDS THE INSURGENTS
Spraying Of Mouth and Nose Asserts Party Must All
posed Quarantine Measure. sive "Stand Pat"
DIR. JAMES MoRGAN's VIEWS DECLARES PLEDGES UNKEPT
Writes Contends
But
Slightly
Health Department Effort to
Combat Infant Paralysis.
FIVE NEW CASES REPORTED
Spraying Of Mouth and Nose Pro-
posed as Quarantine Measure.
DR.. JAMES D. MoRGAN's VIEWS
Writes Star From Atlantic CITY, Dis
ease Is Non-Contagious, But
Slightly Infectious.

Beginning with today an effort will
be made by the health department to
establish some sort of quarantine. or,
at least, to isolate cases of tnfantile
paralysis, SO that If the disease is
really communicable the communica-
ton with others shall be cut Off One
this morning that he had not seen a
| single case where any attempt toward
| isolation had been made
1t is believed in the health depart
ment that spraying of the mouth and
nose Will tend toward disinfection and
that this should be done as a quaran-
tine measure. However this is one of
the leaps in the dark that are being
taken with this present outbreak of
| the malady. 1t is freely stated by
the inspectors and others of the medical
staff that there is nothing certain
about the spraying preventive
against communication of the germ.
Five more cases of the disease were re-
ported at the health Office today. They
were scattered over wide area. In dis
cussing them two physicians held widely
divergent views on the subject. One said
that in his experience badly nOurished
children ran the greater risk from the
disease and that well nourished children
rarely caught it. The other man said
his experience showed that the malady
was no respecter of nourshment, that it
attacked the well fed child as well the
less fortunate.
While many physicians and scientists
seem to be at differences concerning the
disease, DR.. James Dudley Morgan, who
is now in Atlantic City, holds positive
views about the matter. which he sets
forth in letter to The Star.
DIR. Morgan's Views.
cit will take three months to overcome
the dread and apprehension of parents
in returning to Washington with their
children on account of the fear of con-
tracing infantile paralysis or, it is
known professionally, acute anterior
poliomyelitis.'' he says. 1T should be
remembered that there are always in
every large city few sporadic cases of
infantile paralysis, and to impress the
public mind with the idea that the dis
ease is a scourge for which we should
give up friends. home and city is, to my
thinking altogether wrong.
"A New York paper has a special from
Washington today august - telling of
the widespread progress of the disease
in Washington, and stating there are. $50
cases on hand. Now this may be most
alarming, especially to the lay mind. and
what has instgated me to write you is
to say that two families now at Atlantic
City have consulted me on the advisab bill
ity of changing their plans about return
ing home.
THE disease has for many years been
considered mcrObic and having a special
susceptibility for tht motor roots of the
spinal cord. 1t is non-contagious, but
slightly infectious, and at Garfield Hospi-
tai, where we treat the disease, we have
never had spread or a new case to de-
velOp.'