Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-01-05

Of a victim Of the disease carries the
poison. and other persons may b In
fected by these germs. The poison has
been spread thruout q state from one
public. promiscu0us gathering, such a.
a county fair. Fourth Of July cele.
bration. Q street fair. It has been TAX.
en- from New York TO Cubs. Il was
brought from Scandinavia to America
1t is menace which 30 far we do
not know wholly how to fight. but
which We do know may be carried from
one person to another in many ways.
We do not know how long after . SUI.
Ter RECEIVERS from the acute attack he
may still be secreted ana spreadiug the
germ We do not know where the
poison stays during tho winter. We do
not know whether the germ has IL
winter habitat in human beings. in do.
nestle animals. in vermin, or in houses.
But we do know that It IL infectious,
tnat one person may take Il from an.
other. and for that reason every Dre.
caution our experience has taught m
should be taken to prevent its spread.
The disease has ,,een divided by MAJ.
cal men into eight types, differing with
relation to the severity and local char
acter OF the attack One Of thess, the
called abortive type. IL noticed In
families and communities where the
acute type is prevalent. Somatin,ee
there 10 nothing more Il an . slight run.
nlng or the nose, q headache, a sel0
neck. ct cetera. But, Ike the wen.
Known typhoid carrier" this mild case
may transmit the disease In its most
v5rllent form.
All our accurate Knowledge concern.
irs infantile spinal paralysis has besn
acquired during the ;.ast Ave years.
ana much OF 1t has come thru the mod.
lum OF animal experimentation. Ami.
MAJ tests are necessary because Il 10
hellher possible nor desirable to ex-
pertinent on human beings .
The only exact method of ACQUIRING
naWless knowledge of disease is to
produce that disease in living crca-
tare; 70 observe thru that body tissue
ene hVlhs being acquires the disease;
what .faln of symptoms follow. and
what line OF treatment renders ,hs dis
ease harmless. :irs. to the individual.
and second to the community.
From the Rockafe..e.. Research Iah.
oratory OF New York, where prs Simon
Fiexner and Paul A. Lewls. In 1909, un-
ocrtoCk the investigation If infantile
paralysis by conducting a series Of ex-
periments on monkeys. came the arst
scientific proof given to the world and
TO the medical profession that infantile
paralysis was an infectious. n trans.
Missile disease.
This fact established, health offlcses
ana physicians wire enabled to enforcs
isolation and disinfection, thus limiting
the spread OF the scourge.
In this laboratory Is q room fill.d
with commodious cages Each Gag.
contains two brf..ht-eyed, chatterine
monkeys-hopping. scamperihE, and
about. If one looks closely he
sees that each little creature has some
disability. One has drop wrist. An
other fail arm. One has an arm com.
pietely paralyzed with the typical at
tendant wasting away and whitening Of
the muscles. One big male il paralys-
ed from the TANKS down both legs be-
ing entirely out OF commission, shrunk-
en- and useless. Even So he gets about
with surprising agility II one contrasts
his condition with the plight Of q child
paralyzed from the waist down. There
are many such children now who were
in robust health year or more ago.
These sacrificial apes already have
contributed much toward the know
ledge Of the course and manner Of In
fantile paralysis. In the autumn OF
1909 Drs. F!exner and Lewis inoculat-
ed an anesthetized monkey by intro
ducing directly inside the brain an
Of the spinal cord q human
victim Of this disease. After q few
days the monkey became i'll. and then
followed the paralysis with the same
noticed in human victims OF
the disease then and now epidemic in
this country.
49,. -. a.