Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1914-09-23

MFANTlLE PARALYSIS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.
INFECTION OF THE NERVOUS
CENTERS
Infection of the nervous centres with
the paralysis virus may result from
the injection of the virus into the blood
stream, but the Flexner experiments
show that this occurs rarely, and in
these experiments only with "doses"
of the virus hundreds of times greater
in volume than could be deposited by
an insect. In some instances $50 cubic
centimeters (about one fluid ounce) in
the nervous centers and in many cases
injections of so cubic centimeters
were harmless.
Virus introduced into the blood is
deposited promptly in the spleen and
IN the bone marrow; but not in the
kidneys, brain or spinal cord. In the
spleen and bone marrow the virus is
gradually destroyed, but a considerable
degree of virulence was shown to exist
in certain of the experiments for about
a week. These are so striking that
an outline of typical case is worth
while. A monkey which had received
24O cubic centimeters of virus was
killed four days later and parts of the
spinal cord, medulla, kidneys, spleen,
and bone marrow were removed asep-
tically for incubation into other mon
keys. The cord and medulla and kid
ney emulsions failed to transfer the in.
lection; while NEGOTIATIONS from the
spleen and bone marrow produced
typical energetic cases of paralysis.
The brain and cord seem to be unable
to take up the virus directly from the
blood stream unless the virus has first
damaged the blood vessels of the brain.
Apparently this occurs most often.
when at all, by damage to the choroid
| plexuses, which are delicate fringes,
mostly of blood vessels, which project
| into the ventricles of the brain, and
| which produce the spinal fluid. Infec-
| ton from the blood is possible by this
means after heavy intravenous dose
of virus has resulted in damage to the
| choroid plexus; and apparently also
through the intervertebral ganglions,
which somewhat readily take up the
virus from the blood and may pass it
into the spinal fluid, through which it
may reach the medulla and brain.
| VIRUS AND THE NERVE TISSUES
But it has long been we'll known that
| the virus has a special affinity for
the nerve tissues; and that an infection
of the surface end of non-specialized
nerve may result in the virus working
reaches the central nervous system and
| there produces paralysis.
1t seems probable that the instances
of transfer of the disease by biting
insects are to be explained On the sup
position that in biting it's animal vic
tim the infected insect has puncturec
superficial nerve fiber, and that the
resulting paralysis has been due not
to infection of the blood stream but te
the working of the virus along the
wounded nerve fibre to the brain. The
fact that one one-hundredth of a cubic
centimeter of active virus will otter
produce paralysis when injected into
the brain explains how the minute dose
conveyed by an insect might at long
intervals succeed in making success
full march along nerve line punctureC
by the insect bite. On the other hand
the frequent failure of large doses o.
virus thrown into the blood to lead tt
paralysis, makes it highly improbable
that minute insect-borne doses intro
duced in the same way could infect tn,
nervous centers.
THE MAIN LINE OF ENTRY
That the main line of entry of tn
virus is through the short olfactory
nerves which lead from the membrane
of the nose to the olfactory lobes Of tn
brain becomes still more nearly dem
onstrated by these recent experiments
DR.. FleXner remarks that the question
is still an open one and the exclusiv
agency of the mouth and nose mem
branes is indeed not proved. Blu
. the accumulated facts tend yer
strongly to this conclusion-barring. Q
course, such slender chances as the ir
. fecting of nerve ending far distan
from the brain. Experimental inocr
been done successfully. The virus
/ known to be present in the mouth an
7 nasal secretions of those who have RI
, covered from infantile paralysis fe
, months after the signs of active diseas
have ceased. Perfectly healthy PEI
sons also act as carriers of the viru
often maintaining it in virulent cond
) ton for many months.
: TRANSMITTED FROM PERSON T
PERSON
On this basis of facts, together wit
other facts that may now be omitte'
: disease is transmitted from person
r person in practically the same mann,
as the common cold-by the expulsit
q of the virus in the acts of sneezir
|, and coughing, and by splitting wi
: the later deposit of the virus. air-co
; veyed, for the most part, on the mas
membranes of another human bein
e Whether Infection and characterize
q development of the disease follow
J. such transfer depends on various ia
tors which it is difficult to value-su'
|. as the virulence of the transferred ,
q rus, the susceptibility, natural or cas-
. al, of the receiving person; the poss
. BILE quick removal of the virus
liquids that are drunk. by blowing tt
+ nose, by the use of antiseptic washe
+ and perhaps by other means. 1t
y hazardous to be dogmatic on the has
e of incomplete knowledge. for, lii
If Mark Twain's ''New England Weat
~ IL