The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-07-14
NO CURE IS FOUND
|, s,rFOR |NFANT|lE
:, PARALYSIS
Cases Are So Few There Should
Be No Panic
ISOLATION IS BEST PRECAUTION
Only One Person in Many Thousand
Attacked and the Fatality is Not
Alarming.

New York, July 19.-neaders in the
medical profession, public health ex-
perts from many cities, plIilanthrop-
lists and charity workers thronged the
rooms of the Academy of Medicine
here tonight to attend the mass meet
ing for the discussion of infantie
paralysis. Those who hoped that a
cure for the disease would be heralded
or that isolation of its deadly germ
would be announced were disappoint-
ed. DR.. Simon FleXner of the Rocke.
feller institute for medical research
and other experts, told of the progress
made by medical science in combat.
ting the disease, but they had no
epoch making discoveries to proclaim.
DR.. FleXner, who has devoted his
own skill and the resources of the
Rockefeller institute to the battle
against the disease, declared, how
ever, that there is no occasion Tor
panic. He asserted that the death
rate from infantile paralysis is lower
even than from other maladies con.
sidered far less serious. He had a
message Of cheer for anxious parents
i'll the announcement that a large per
centage of cases there are complete
recoveries.
DR.. Henry Koplik, who spoke on
he Clinical Types of the Diseaset,
declared everything known to modern
science is being done in this city to
stay the epidemic.
Artificial respiration was suggest
| ed by Dr. Louis C. Ager as one method
of treatment. He said it was possible
considerable might be accomplished
i'll that way.
DR.. Haven Emerson, health com
missioner Of this city, told what is be
ing done to fight the epidemic ant
asserted the widespread alarm which
parents feel is not justified. He poin
ed out that out of 1900 suspected case.
investigated only 1640 true cases o
infantile paralysis had been found o
which 30S resulted fatally.
That infantile paralysis is neither
so uncertain in origin nor so fatal o.
permanent in effect as generally sun
posed, was the assertion made by DI
Flexner. While the death rate ha
varied from ) to 20 per cent th
figure is not accurate, as only a smal
number OF cases are actually reported
DR. FleXner said. Many of those mos
seriously afflicted eventually max
complete recoveries
The origin of the disease in the sec
retions of the nose, throat and int.
tines. The chief cOnveyor Is the hl
man being himself, Dr. FleXner sait
: whether consciously afflicted or no
Files are known to have carried tn
injection In some cases, and poutr,
pigs, dogs and cats are suspected. Th
= chief means OF dissemination are kis,
} ing, sneezing and coughing. whic
| throw the virus into the atmospher
= whence 1t is carried direct to Che m,
l cous membranes of the nose an
throat and thence to the spinal cor
and brain.
Very many cases have been tran
, mltted also by mothers caring for u
noses and throats of their childro
! and then carrying the virus either
other children or to their food. Il
expert declared.
Protection can best be gain,
through the isolation of the disea
even in the earliest stages. and Il
d sanitary control of those coming
$ contact with 1t. At present there
no safe method of preventive inocu
e ton, though experiments are bell
made with the TRANSMISSION of blot
- from person already made imm
It by having had the disease. or by 4
l. use of sub-eifective doses of the vir
n itself. Nor is there as yet any prac
s. cable method of specific treatme
q Recovery Is accomplished slowly by
It process of immunization taking pla
n. during the acute period of the disea
IL and by the best medical and surgi,
care.
1 s