Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-28

Health Department informed the
public that the United States Public
Health Service and the Rockefeller
Institute would begin active work at
once to assist in stamping out the
scourge.
ordered closed. Every childrens
reading room in Manhattan and
Brooklyn was closed. Sunday schools
were closed. Summer camps were
broken up.
DIR. Lewis c. Ager called for public
subscriptions to buy bracers and
other supporting devices for victims
OF the disease.
At the Kingston Avenue Hospital in
Brooklyn a hundred Bradford frames,
plaster of paris bandages, and a
maker Of braces were called for.
'Of the 2s3 children with infantile
paralysis in the Kingston Avenue
Hospital" said DR.. Ager, "75 per
cent. will have legs or arms badly de-
formed"
Extra calls were sent out for am
balances. The Health Department
commandeered eleven automobiles
from other departments in order to
respond to the frantic appeals.
Eminent scientists publicly an
nounced that they did not know the
reason for the spread Of the disease
nor did they understand why chill
dren presented so little resistance
to il.
Then came this remarkable state
ment, July 9, 1916, from Professor
Simon Baruch, who diagnosed the
first recorded case of perforating ap-
pendicitis successfully operated on
and who is one of the foremost men,
berS Of the American medical pro-
fession.
The obscurity OF the origin of in
fantile paralysis ana the mode OF
diffusion, together with its fatality
and crppling results. strikes terror
into the hearts of the people to an
extent unknown since the shotgun
quarantine of yellow fever" declares
Professor Baruch.
Just as the latter gave way to an
enlightened public sentiment due to
the discovery that the fatal disease is
not due TO 'foites' (babbage), and
supposed carriers, but to inoculation
by a certain kind of mosquito, so will
the present unreasonIng apprehension
disappear when the real cause Of in
fantile paralysis is discovered.
For several months have watch
ed the scientific development of the
malign influence of defective or alb
sent vitamines in certain foods, as
published in the weekly reports Of the
United States Public Health Service.
together with articles in the medical
journals on beri-beri and pellagra.
Pigeons fed on polished rice are
affected by paralysis technically called
polyneuritis, which begins with loss
Of weight and ends fatally. DR.. Sidell
found that pigeons fed on this ex-
elusive diet did not get paralyzed
(within the two months of experiment
at least) if they were given also some
otherwise useless yeast products (rich
in mineral salts) from the brewery
vats which are usually wasted. He
has also shown that if this waste ma
terial be given to a pigeon already
paralyzed it will recover within an
hour and to all appearances it will be
normal in twelve hours.
There is a striking similarity in
some of the causes predisposing to
infantile paralysis and beri-beri. Both
occur chiefly in overcrowded localities
in hot weather. and more among
males than females. Both are ac-
companied by fever and paralysis,
and both are extremely fatal. Both
have prevailed as epidemics. and
their fatality has caused terror and
despair.
''Beri-beri was formerly regarded
as an infectious disease from undis-
coverable sources, but is now known
TO be due chiefly If not solely to alb
sence OF vitamines in the diet, of the
Japanese and others, as in a reported
epidemic among Norwegian fishermen
May not infantile paralyss, which
has eluded thus far the most search
ing Investigations, be likewise trace
able TO some defect in diet that may
be discovered by the able officers ac-
lively engaged in research? I regard
this result as probable.
I'VE have clue 10 the possibilities
in this direction in the report of the
United States Public Health Service
of April II, 1915. on bread as food.
in which the fact is clearly brought
out that the fine roller miIled wheat
flour is devoid of v1tamines, and that
owing to the use of baking powders
bicarbonate of soda the
in other foods are likely to
be destroyed.
I'm study of peIlagra in South
Carolina. Voeghtlin regards this
malady as somewhat related to beri-
beri. He found that this disease pre-
vailed in the factory districts, where
people eat mostly fat bacon, cereals
and soda raised biscuits or corn bread
made of highly milled corn, while
in the backwoods, where coarseIy mill
ed grain is used, pellegra is rare
The high cost of vitamine-contain-
ing foods, like eggs, milk and meats.
makes 1t impossible for these poor
people to protect themselves against