The Washington herald., 1912-07-14
Campaign Against
Mfantile Paralysis
Public Health and Marine Hospital Service Pre-
pares to Combat the Disease NTH More Ae-
gressipeness Than Ever in Past.

With the approach of the late sum-
mer months health officers in practi-
cally every State In the union. except
those south of the Mason and Dixon
line. are raliying for a campaign OF OBJ
servation and determination of the grow
ing menace OF infantile paralysis. The
medical profession is alarmed. not so
much with the present extent OF the dis
ease as the phenomenal increase in eN-
tent and number of epidemics and the
| lack Of knowledge of how to effectualIy
combat the disease and prevent its
| spread.
| Comparatively new to the medical pro-
fession. infantile paralysis has presented
| battling problem so far. After a study
OF nearly seven years in this country. II
Is admitted that the medical profession
does not know the cause OF the disease,
| It's means of transmission, or from
where. whether II is contagious or only
infectious, or an effective means for COM
batting the disease when IL is discovered
and diagnosed as infantile paralysis.
The Public Health and Marine Health
Hospital Service has taken up the prob
lem with greater vigor than ever this
year. At the annual conference between
| the Surgeon General and State health Of
hcers last month a committee was ap-
pointed TO study the disease and draft
recommendations These recommends
tions will include a uniform law to be
presented to different State legislatures
requiring the speedy reporting to State
health officers of all cases OF the disease
and the filling of uniform blanks giving
certain Information. This information
will be forwarded to the Public Health
Service here and disseminated through
out the country for the guidance of
health authorities.
History of Disease Brief.
The history of the disease is brief.
Sporadic cases were known as far back
as 1852, but the first large epidemic oc-
CURED in Norway and Sweden in 1906.
Since that time epIdemics of compare
lively slow spread have occurred all over
tho world. The first epidemic in this
country was in 1907. when there ware
800 cases in New York City, and a larger
number through New England. Since
then the rate Of increase has been alarm
ing. though the actual number OF cases
has been slight. compared with other
epidemic diseases. In 1905 there were a
number of epidemics in the middle and
northwest. and one year later the raw
ages of the disease were more severe
than ever before. In 1910 the increase
continued, and IL is estimated that there
were in the neighborhOyd Of 20GO cases
that year Last year there was a falling
OF, and the epidemic period. the latter
part of the summer. has not set in this
year.
A strange feature of the disease is that
It Is more prevalent in small towns. This.
in connection with the fact that some
forms OF animal paralysis bear a striking
resemblance TO infantile paralysis. has
led to the theory that it is a development
of the animal disease. the larger number
of animals in small towns lending force
to the theory. But no theory has been
sufficiently strengthened to have attained
marked credenCe over others. either as
to the causative factor or the means OF
transmission.
The first symptoms Of the disease are
pains as from acute indigestion. This
has led TO the belief that the means OF
access 10 body for the germ has 10 do
with the digestive apparatus. Fever ac-
companies the first illness. ana shortly
after the patient loses the use of one or
more limbs. In cases where death does
not foilow-the prOportiOnate OF deaths is
said TO average as high as one -third-the
fever subsidies and the patient regains
the use Of parts OF the affected members.
but the muscles in some one of the limbs
remain paralyZed and cease To grow. re-
sulting in uneven limbs in growing chill
dren, which are most susceptible to the
disease.