Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-11-09
ISOLATE PARALYSIS GERM
Physicians Believe Responsible
Bacteria Have Been Found.
Enter Through Tonsiis--CuIturrs In
jcctcd into Animals Prosiucc the
Same symptoms Ms Those In
Childrcn's Epidemic.

| atories of the Mayo Foundation and the
New York hospital apparently have solved
the mystery of the origin OF infantile
paralysis and the means by which the I'm
lection enters the human organism, SAYS
the New York Times. They believe that
" is caused by germ Of sufficient size TO
be accorded classification among the
| diHerent families Of bacteria 1t enters
the body through the tonsils and throat
The physicians who have demonstrated
these facts regarding the origin of the
disease arc Dr.. r. &. Rosenow Of
Rochester. Mimi; DR.. f. +, Tovne Of
| l'oFton. and DR.. g. W Wheeler OF New
York. Their official communica ton APP
pears in the form Of preliminary n,te
contributed to recent issue of the Jour
nal of the American Medical Associat on
on The Etioogy of Epidemic Poliomyc-
ltis."
The offending germ is described as a
| peculiar polymorphous streptococcus"
winch has been taken sometimes in large
numbers. from the throat. from material
squeezed out of the tonsis. and from alb
Scesses in tonsils in "A large series IT
cases of persons suffering from epidemic
IPohon'yclltis Cultures of this germ in
Jected into animals have caused infar lie
paralysis in these animals
MAY BE A MODIFICATION
coccus is a bacterium of round. spine
rodal or ovoid form. and a streptococcus
is variety of this genus in which the
| individuals are arranged in curved lines
| resembling a string of beads. 4 poly
, morpheus germ, of course, is one which
appears in various form; that is, It varies
in rospect. to length. width. and outline
1t will lie seen. therefore, from the doh-
mite Characterization of the supposed in
fantie paralysis germ that these ply 81
clans have been able to observe it care.
fully. acknowledgements accompanying
their preliminary note confirm this.
The Investigators express the opinion
that the ultra microscopic germ discovered
by Or, Simon Flexner and Dr.. Hideyo
NoSuchi in the Rockefeller Institute for
Medical Research. and which has beer
generally accepted AS the cause of polio
myeltiS. may be simply modification of
the germ which they themselves have iso
lated.
"Rosenow has shown" SAYS the note
by the use Of special methods that the
specific localizing power Of bacteria is
an important factor in the etiology Of va
rious diseases. including diseases Of the
nervous system. We felt, therefore, tina,
a rcinvestiEation Of the hacteriolocy OF
poliomyelitis by the newer methods was
desirable
Accordingly VIC have made hacterio
logic study of throats, tonsis blood
spinal fluid, the central nervous system
and other tissues in cases Of acute polio
mNeltis in the present epidemic. both ir
Rochester, MINI, and in New York citv
with particular reference TO the infectins
power Of the bacteria isolated The meth
DDS employed were similar TO those used
by Rosenow and the methods used II,
FleXner and Noguchi in their studies oi
poomyeltis
The writer's then describe how they iso
lated the bacteria and cultivated them
and give details to their appearance
and behavior under the microscope
PARALYSIS PRODUCED IN DOGS
PARALYSIS with LESSONS (pathologica a
conditiOns) in the central nervous sys
tenn" they continue has been produced
in guinea pigs. rabbits. dogs. cats ana
monkeys by intravenous or intracerebral
Injection with this peculiar streptococc,ls
from practically all Of 81 cases of acute
poiomyeltis.
1T has been produced by injecting ,he
emulsions of pus expressed from the ton
sis. emulsionS Of eXtirpated tonsls. anc
emulsionS OF the brain. II has follow eG
injection of the primary mixed culture
containing. chiefly this peculiar strepto
coccus, and by the injection Of the pur.
cultures from throats. from the nlaterla
expressed from tonsils. and from the alb
SccsSses in tonslS and from Assesses ir
tonSils removed from living patients anc
necropsy cases. IT has been produced con
sistently also. with the pure cultures 90
tanned from tho brain and cord
Young animals were more susceptible
but the older ones were not always i'm
mune, While those which received larg.
doses of culture often showed paralys,.
within Sc hours. the incubation period va:
usually from three to five days
The early paralyses were usually az
companied by evidences of pain in the at
fected extremity, and the animals so af
fected were apt to die within e hours nj
the onset as the process extended rapid
~ and caused respiratory failure.
The onset OF later paralysis, especially
in rabbits was sometimes preceded by :
fine tremor or even definite twitching o
the muscles which later became placid
These animals appeared generally we'll anc
took food normally. In most cases tn.
paralysis spread and death occurred with
in two or three days. A number Of ami
mails. however. showed slow but detinit,
Improvement and did not die"
The investigators give the details Of sew
eral individual cases. In the summary G.,
their experiments they say:
! The exact relation of our results to tn,
facts already established as TO the eti n
ogN of polomyelitis cannot vet be definite
ly stated"