Arizona republican., 1912-08-26

cases instead of showing loss of po- tency from higher dilution, show a tendency to increase in Virulence The experiments on monkeys have shown that one attack of the disease, even the abortive confers immunity and that when the virus is mkt with the blood serum of a monkey which has had the disease no symptoms result from an injection of the mixture thereby demonstrating the formation of a neutralizng principle or anti body in the blood of those infected.
 It has also been shown that the virus is found in the thrOats and noses of infected animals and to slight extent in the blood. The dilu- tion in the latter however was found so great that quite a large quantity was necessary to produce the disease. The urine and feces were also found to be free of the virus.
 The experiments further showed that it was easily possible to produce the disease by scarifying the surface of the upper part of the throat paren na- sOpharynX) and rubbing over 1t the vii rus Infection through the stomach and intestines was found to be inn possible unless the normal motions or these organs were prevented by means of opium The lung and the trachea were also found unfavorable to the infection but infection through the general circulation by subcutaneous infection. through the large nerves and by way of the spinal cord was readily accomplished.
 The bearing of these facts on the probable mode of transmission of the spontaneous disease in man is quite annarent. Most people are fortunately free from the danger of having emul- sified spinal cord injected into them and the large quantity of blood neces- sary to infect monkey makes It nm probable that mosquitoes, fleas or other insects are capable of transmit ting the disease. The facts seem to point unmistakablY to the naso- pharyngical secretions as the medium Of infection and the naso- -pharynX as the common primary site of infection. In other WorCs the infection probably travels from throat or nose to throat or nose.
 Taking the facts known concerning epidemic cerebro- spinal meningitis Ca disease very similar to acute polio
 mvslitis) and reasoning by analogy 1t is possible to explain many of the incongruities observed in epidemics of noJiomvelitis Observation indicates that most people. especially adults, have a high degree of immunity to hoth diseases and that mild or abor tive attacks are not uncommon. In cerebro- spinal meningitis, the germ of which can be readily identified, the further observation has been made that numerous people in the best of health carry during epidemics, the germs of the disease. Though not 1 sick themselves, these people (called | "carriers') are capable of injecting ! others and they offer by far the most 1 rational explanation of cases occur ring without direct contact with other cases It is quite probable that sim | liar "carriers" will some day be found | in poliomyelitis and that they and 1 cases of the abortive type will be found to be largely responsible for the
 occurrence of the disease in epi-
 demic form.
 The studies of the epidemics of re- cent years leave no doubt in fair 1 mind Of the cOnIdSlOuSHeSS Ol tnt | malady There seems also to be a ! decided tendency for the disease to | become more virulent as the epidemic
 spreads and in view of these cOnclu- sions the health authorities are am-
 ply warranted in maintaining a strict surveillance over possible contacts
 in order that the first case may be ] discovered at the earliest possible mo-
 ment and by quarantining prevent
 other cases and the propagation of carriers" There is no reasonable
 basis for presumng that the clothing
 or other inanmate articles are bearers of the infection and the practise of 1 Immigration would appear Ordinarily
 to be a waste of money. The virus of 1 the spontaneous human disease has not been found outside the human
 body and except for a peculiar rela- tion the cases in certain epidemics
 borne to the prevalence of street dust, we have no good reason for believing that the disease is transmitted in any
 other way than from one person to
 another When mothers stop people from kissing their babies and from talking AT them while holding them
 in front of them at a distance of a foot or two and stop doing these
 things themselves the morbidity of the disease will probably show an abrupt
 decline,