New-York tribune., 1911-04-20
TO WAR ON NEW MALADY
Board of Health Gets Ready TO
Combat Infanti|e Paralysis.
PHYSICIANS JOIN HANDS
This Summer Will See First Real
Concerted Efforts to Check
Dread Disease.

The coming summer t7 looked upon 'F
/ physicians as probably the beginning OF the
first great battle in this city through con-
certed effort against the dread disease now
recognized as infantile paralysis Some
Of them even go so far a TO predict tna'
so great will be the number OF cases OF "
that II will constitute serious epidemic
demanding the utmost efforts on the part
Of both the public health authorities ana
private practitioners to combat IT,
The disease was first made reportsole As
communicable maIady last November
and as 1t lies auiescent in the winter
months, reviving as the warm weather
comes on. this summer will be the first
time when definite figures as to its real
extent can he ascertained. II is manda-
tory upon physician. as soon as he
dia gnoses a case that may come under his
notice as infsntile paralysis. TO report II at
once 10 the Board of Health.
At present tho law provides only for this
reporting Of the case. but II It's vrulence
seems ~ warrant such action the BOARD
Of Health may step in and take charge
Of II. " was said Al the Board If Health
headquarters Yesterday that the city au-
thorities would take active measures from
now on I'm all cases which seemed 10 de-
mand IT, Already the disease, IT was said
Is beginning 10 show itself. although there
have been only the first limitations of
warm weather az yet Two cases have
been reported I'm The Bronx and SIX IN
Brooklyn since March !. These cases are
being watched closely by the authorities.
II has not vet appeared in Manhattan,
Richmond or Queens.
Two Of the foremost authorities on the
disease in this city. DR.. Simon Flexner, OF
the Rockefeller Institute. and DR.. L.
Emmett Holt. the child specialist, both have
declared for the need ~ treating II as
definitely contagious disease. The utmost
precautions. they have agreed. are neces-
Sary to prevent It's spread reaching serious
proportions in this city.
Much Profitable Experiment.
During the last few months considerable
experimental knowledge has been added to
the data on the disease through vivisection
Before this II had been fairly well estab-
Iished that II was germ disease for al
though the germ was so small 10 be in
visible even with the most powerful micro
scope. when an emulsion made from the
from the disease was injected into the
blood ~ q monkey. almost identically the
same symptoms developed I'm the animal.
causing paralysis and sometimes death. II
was also shown that immunity from fur
ther attacks developed in those subjects
hich had recovered from the disease.
one Of the most important results OF ex-
periments during the last few months has
been the establishment of tho fact that the
disease may be communicated from one
person TO another many months after all
its active indications have disappeared. II
was already known that II seemed to he
by persons not themselves afflicted with II.
II is now thought that the nose is the
original place of entry for the germ. Al
though some believe in the use Of disn
fectants I'm the nose 10 prevent this. others
are opposed on the grounds that some
damage may he done in this way 10 the
membranes As vet there is no known
specific or method for treating the disease
itself directly. The most that can he done
is 10 treat its effects and cJard against its
spread This is largely owing 10 the fact
that il is almost impossible 10 make a dag
nosis until the worst effect paralysis, has
actually occurred.
Open Air for Treatment.
The paralysis is caused by the destruc-