Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-20
Pupils Excluded if Exposed to
InfantiIe Paralysis.
FEW WILL BE so ISOLATED
Disease on Wane and Not Many
Cases Needing Quarantine.
CAUSE Is STILL MYSTERIOUS
Research by Rockefeller Institute,
Marine Hospital Service and
Iowa Health Board.

School children who have been exposed
within the last three weeks to acute cases
of infantile paralysis will be excluded
from the schools for at least fourteen
DAYS.
Health Officer Woodward announced to-
day the beginning of an inspection to
keep exposed children from classrooms.
Although it is not expected that many
children will be excluded, DIR. Woodward
believes this is the safest method to ham
die the situation.
At the recent convention of medical men
in Milwaukee it was decided that a two
week exclusion is the West method. The
inspectors will now visit every home from
which case of infantile paralysis is re-
ported and find out whether any school
children are living there.
The cases of infantile paralysis are held
to be infectious in the first three weeks
after LESSONS appear on the skin. If q
school child Is exposed during that three
weeks he or she will be excluded from
the schools for at least two weeks from
the date of the last exposure.
Few Children Will Be Affected.
However, it is more than probable
that not over half a dozen children
would be excluded If the entire job were
finished today, All infantile paralysis
cases on the books at the health depart
ment are much older than three weeks.
with the exception of few that have
struggled in lately.
DIR. Woodward said today that the
disease is dying out. He does not be-
lieve there will be much stir in the
that would be found necessary.
The condition of HaiOy ]. Hunt. third.
who is suffering from infantile paraly-
sis at his home on the Rockville road,
passed a bad night, his physician
thought he was much better today.
Mr.. Hunts twenty month-old baby
who is also ill of the disease. is re-
ported to have but a partial attack the
left leg only being affected.
1t is admitted by physicians who are
studying infantile paralysis that they
have not yet gotten to the root OF the
trouble. They have not found any one
agency through which the disease is
conveyed, as in the case of mosquitoes
and yellow fever; but they have deter
mined that the disease is communicable.
All possible sterilizing precautions
need to be taken in handling a case,
they are agreed.
1t has been found also-and this is
particularly important in curbing the
extent of the infection-that there are
numerous cases where the trouble is
patient to bed. There is the character
istic fever and the discharge from the
nose and eyes and other symptoms that
can be recognized by trained physi-
clan.
Tho danger Of the situation is that these
sswalking cases" convey the disease just
as readily as can fatal case, and that
the infection they distribute may result
in case Of the most severe type.
Researches Into Cause Of Disease.
The disease has been taken up by the
Rockefeller Institute in New York. The
researches of DIR. Simon Flexner have
confirmed all that has been found out 80
far by the marine hospital service and
the Iowa state board Of health, where
there was q special investigation made
this summer, through the cooperation OF
Surgeon General Wyman.
An agent of the Rockefeller Institute
was sent to Washington. Samples were
taken from some cases and carried BACK
to New York for further study.
There was one serious case in which the
lumbar puncture was resorted to ana
spinal fluid was obtained for examine
ton. In another and more pathetic case
the parents of a child that had died al
lowed an autopsy to be held and por-
ton OF the brain and the spinal cord
was taken.
III taking these samples can help in
the study Of the disease" they said. and
perhaps save some other child, take them
and God help your work"
It was one OF the few cases that the
Investigating physicians have met where
they were permitted to obtain post-mor-
tenn samples that are SO necessary to the
study Of the disease.
The study Of chickens that have sick
ened and died during the progress of the
endemic Is progressing at the hygienic
laboratory Of the marine hospital service.
II is slow and laborious work to analyze
the samples, as they must be analysed to
make the researches of real value.
1t is thought that the surgeons uiti-
mately will be able to establish the fact
81 whether or not there is any connection
between the human cases and the out
break among fowls.