Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-02-07
A DANGEROUS DISEASE.
infantile Paralysis Alarms and Pux.
zies Medical Authorities.

lnfantile paralysis seemed at first
but one of those minor ills formerly
unobserved amid the prevalent major
diseases. Recent developments haN..
shown that il, too. can reach the pro-
portions of major disease. Twenty
thousand cases occurred. according to
medical estimates. during the past
summer
No wonder. therefore. that the ply
sicians have been agitated of late.
There has been some perturbation i'll
medical ranks, taking the form of con-
tinIal news items and papers ON the
disease in the medical journals. of dis
cuss:ons in medical bodies and OF re-
ports of experimental work. The agi-
tation is likely to pass now from the
profession to the public in general
For .he disease is of nature peculiar
~ calculated to alarm parents.
Not SO much the mortality is the
dreaded feature of inrantile paral.- sis:
its particular cruelty is its after effect
or those who survive. Only 20 to l.
per cent. OF the sufferers die. But the
percentage OF complete and immediate
recoverios is only about the Same as
that OF death. The remaining 10 per
cent. more or less. are left paralyzed
for varying periods. in very many
cases for life. Paralysis of both legs
is the most frequent. Often an arm
also is paralyzed. Sometimes paraly
sis is Wcll-nigh complete. The results
OF paralysis are often the shriveliHS
of the members affected. or their ar
rested growth. \ great proportion of
these victims Who do not die linger
as cripples for life.
As the disease chiefly attacks ciil
drcn ard young persons under IL years
OF ag.. the injuries inflicted ere the
more terrible. The living victims have
allnost then entire lives before them
They arc Handicapped in such a way
that q start in life is made impossible.
y business man who is manned can
generally 80 on earning money. even
II disabled workman can often find
something useful To do. Rut the child
poraiyZcd deprived of bodily capabil-
ity before the start of it's career. seems
condemned to the life of dependent.
'rhere is hardly another disease prev
alent among children so terrifying TO
thc parent as the one which inlicts
these calamiticS.
Recent medical journals report
NuNuFtI vi SbtcHic Lof one oI tt't mus
malignant Of human diseases: they tell
Of such promising achievements as
the cultivation of human tissues out
side the body But in the active re-
search being carried on to find mcdi-
cal relief from infantilc paralysis all
is still unavailng. biologists have iso-
lated what they supposed ~ be the
bacteria that produced the disease.
The cultures have been used to cause
the disease artificiaIly in monkeys.
R,;t under. the microscope these cui-
lures have not revealed the bacteria;
ard. unlike the great number of bac-
teria, cultures they are not to be
steri,i>cd bv 0ltration The invcsti-
gators suppose micro-organism too
small to be detected hv the micro
scope. or TO be strained by filtration.
An ;nti;oxin is hoped for. but has not
Vet hecn nrodaced.
Let investigators do their share.
seeking out the sources of infection
and tho needed cure for the disease;
let the authorities do their share, re-
curing the disease to be reported to
Boards of Health and thoroughly iso-
lated There will remain the duty for
each parent of seeing to it that chill
dren are not unduly exposed to con-
tagion from other children. from COM
mon drinking cups. from various
inf Tho Qff1NEia
from tho nosa and mouth of the in
fected natient are now believed to be