New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-07-12
THE PARALYSIS
Germ IS FOUND
Scientists Now Trying to Isolate
the Deadly Growth.
RESULTS OF NUMEROUS TESTS
Microscopic Examination Of the Blood
Of Monkeys and Humans Reveals an
Organism Not Found In the Blood
Of Healthy Persons or Animals-pr.
0ixon's Discovery.

OF 7eaIthy Persons or AnimAlS-OF
Oixon's Discovery.
Samuel Dixon, secretary Of the Penn
sylvania board of health. explains II
detail what is believed to be the dis
covery of the micro-organism which
causes infantile paralysis. Dr.. Dixon
does not definitely assert that be has
found the germ, but he has found an
organism in the blood Of persons and
animals which are, afflicted with the
disease and the organism does not an.
pear III the blood Of normal persons or
animals and it is not described in any
OF the treatises Of germs.
1nfantile paralysis has been epidemic
for two years. Scientists are working
hard to isolate the germ which causes
the disease and to work out treat
ment to prevent or cure it. Thus far
no cure has been discovered and the
germ has not been entirely isolated.
The discovery Of DR.. Dixon is a great
advance, and it may lead to the dis.
covery Of the cause and q treatment
for the disease.
Found New Organism.
DR.. Dixon says:
In examining the blood from acute
cases Of poliomyelitis Gnfantile paral.
ysis) in human beings and also in mon
keys, In which the disease was pro.
duced experimentally, an organism was
found. different in morphologic charac.
ter from any heretofore described,
which may or may not on further in
vestlgation prove to be the Geological
FACTOR In the causation of the disease.
Blood smears being fixed in methyl.
alcohol for one minute and stained
with carbol-thioin, the organism ap.
pears as a family stained blue rod, |
with regular cell wall about ten mi
,rons long and about eight-tenths Of q
nicron In width, curved at an angle of
'ixty to seventy-five degrees at one end,
at both ends. At times theJ
curved end is dubious. Some Of the)
organisms appear to have a very finely
protoplasm when the highest
is employed"
None Found In Healthy Blood.
DR.. Dixon describes the microscopes
which gave the best results In the ex-
animation. Continuing, he says:
"The bloods examined were from
en- different cases Of acute poliomye-
it's In children and were taken dur
1g the epidemic of last summer and
rom thirteen cases Of the disease in
ne acute stage which had been pro-
uced experimentally in as many
lonkeys. .
BLOOD smears from three normal
uman beings were carefully exam :
led. and. although the search for .
lese organisms was diligently made, !,
one was found. Smears were made !.
ON the blood of thirteen normal :.
onkeys with negative results. After
oculation with the virus these same :.
onkeys give positive results. v
"Smears from the cords and brains -
paralyzed monkeys and from one y
imam case were examined. but none =
the organisms was found. Defibri- :, :,
ted blood three weeks to two ~
onths old from two paralyzed mon
Us showed the forms in increased e
mbers. Cultures made from the
'od of paralyzed monkey in va
us forms, examined after being in
llated three weeks, showed the pres a.,
&c of the organism in increased
mbers Success in isolating the Or oe
nisms has not attended our efforts -,
yet"