Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-08-28
Commissioners Receive Pro-
posed New Regulations Which
Health Officer Opposes.
WORK OF THE NATIONS
EXPERTS ON HEALTH
DR.. Woodward Says to Avoid Infan.
tile Paralysis Cleanliness of
Highest Type Is Necessary.

The District Commissioners are in 8
quandary concerning the adoption o,
preventive measures against spread OF
infantile paralysis as the result of re.
ceiving from Health officer WOODWARD
today proposed new regulations. which
were drafted and recommended by thai
official because they meet the views oi
a majority of the nations health ex.
perts. but which do not receive his per.
sonal Endorsement
The suggested regulations are in sub.
stantial compliance with the standard
minimum requirements formulated ant
adopted by the conference of state ant
federal health officers held under the
auspices of the public health service
August IS.
Seventeen typewriter pages are EN-.
ployed for setting forth the proposed
rules, while DR.. Woodward utilize.
seven additional pages in presenting
reasons why he does not believe they
will be effective in preventing spread o!
infantile paralysis in the District ma.
terially, If at all.
Commissioners Must Decide.
The Commissioners, therefore, mus
decide whether to adopt the regula.
tions. which are recommended by DR.
Woodward, but not personally ap.
proved by that official, or allow the
present regulations to stand. Modiflca.
ton of the regulations is another al.
Tentative suggested.
Corporation Counsel Syme has beer
asked for an opinion, and it is possi.
BILE that the public will be given ar
opportunity to express itself on ths
subject at hearing before the Com.
missioners before final action is taken
Besides Incorporating the principa.
requirements OF the existing regula.
tions, the proposed body of laws con.
tains some new and drastic require.
ments.
For example, they will require tn.
riod of six weeks of all persons in ar
infected household. Under the present
regulations. only the patient is isolated
though persons coming in contact witt
a patient are required to observe wei
defined precautions. 49, y.
Another departure from existing law
requires the placarding of infected
premises. Still another provides thai
report shall be made to the health of.
f1cer, under certain conditions, OF al
coming into the District from places
which the public health service may
report as potential sources of infection
to the District.
Explains His Position.
In explaining his position in the mat
ter DIR. Woodward points out that the
recommendations not only are based
on the views of considerable major
ity of those who attended the state
and federal conference but as well on
the views of representative local ply
sicians, who conferred with the health
officer last week in regard to their
formulation.
The fact that the regulations are
recommended though not approved by
him is cleared up by DR.. Woodward in
the statement that, from an admins
trative standpoint, the community is
entitled to have the benefit of the ex-
perience and Judgment of the major
ity of those qualified to speak in the
matter rather than to be bound by
the experience and judgment of one
man, even though he be the health of-
ficer."
Continuing, DR.. Woodward says that
the proposed regulations may, In his
materially contribute to tie spread of
the disease.
The grave hardship and the expense
that will be imposed by these regula-
tions upon any family in which a case
of poliomyelitis occurs will cause any
conscientious physician to pause long
before diagnosing any Illness as pol
iomyelitis. The same causes will oper-
ate in the minds of parents, perhaps
consciously and perhaps unconsciously.
sicians in cases in which the ailment
seems slight, at least in cases In which
there is no paralysis.
Against Definite Quarantine Period.
DR.. Woodward also discusses what
he considers the futility of a definite
quarantine period While the regula-
tions propose a six-week quarantine,
the health officer points out that in an
to determine the infectfv-
from the disease one was found to
have mouth secretions infective in the
seventh month, another in the sixth
month and four in the fourth month.
In other words. four OF the nine patients
were infective for periods varying from
three to seven months after the onset of
the disease Even the most ardent ad-
vocate of drastic regulations to prevent
the spread of poliomyelitis," he continues.
would hardly advocate that all patients
be isolated for a period of seven months.
and vet there is no practical way for
infectivity in every case before
the patient is released from quarantine"
DR.. Woodward's Opinions
In summarizing his opinions DR.. Wood
ward says:
.It is best, 1t seems to me. that the
public should not be taught to rely upon
any regulations that may be promulgated
by official authority. The public should
understand that 1t is impossible to locate
the sources from which poliomyelitis is
spread, and that it is impossible to dis
cover the channels through which infec-
ton is carried from any such sources,
even from such as are known.
..Tho pubic snould understand that the
fight is a night in the dark. She public
should be made to understand, and each
indiyidual to feel, that the greatest safe
guard against infection lies in personal
cleanliness of the highest type. of per-
son. of home, of store. of workshop and
of office. The habit Of regarding every
sick person as a possible source of in
lection is not sufficient. but the habit
must be cultivated Of regarding every
person whatsoever as a source of in
lection, and Of doing everything possible
to avoid contact direct or indirect
through insects or otherwise: when such
contact is of such a nature as possibly
~ onu hind xuho