Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-07-20
TOO EARLY TO TELL
IF CHILD PARALYSIS
WILL AFFECT WEST
DR.. Clifford Grulee of Chicago
Says Medical Science BAT.
fled by Disease Terror.
izing the East.
( NC OFTEN STRICKEN
4 lady Appears to Have No
Selection in Types of
It's Victims.
ADDRESS TO SIOUX DOCTORS
Nc OFTEN STRICKEN
ADDRESS TO SIOUX DOCTORS

to come. according to the opinion of
DR.. Clifford c. Grulee Of Chicago,
who addressed the first session of the
annual meeting of the Sioux Valley
Medical association at the H9tel Fon-
tenelle yesterday afternoon. The dis.
ease takes three or four weeks to de-
velop and people from New York are
only just beginning to get their chill.
dren to the resorts of Michigan and
Wisconsin, fleeing from the epidemic.
lnasmuch as the exact origin and
means of infection of the disease are
unknown it will be difficult or I'M
possible to quaratine against the dis
ease. 1t would be impossible to quar-
antine against all possible carriers and
direct contact does not always trans
NIT the disease. 1t is known that if
monkey is infected and the infection
is placed on the mucous membrane
of another monkey, that it will prob
ably induce the disease but the car
rier is unknown.
Many Children Immune.
1t has been found in the study OF
the disease, said DR.. Grulee, that there
is a high degree of natural immunity
in mostSehildren, as frequently only
one achild=6f a group. or family who
have BEEN similarly exposed will be
aeffcted, and the natural bodily
strength and vigor of the child seems
to have very little affect as regards
its immunity. The strongest child in
the family seems almost if not quite
as prone to attack as the weaker ones.
1t is doubtful whether flies are the
carriers of this disease and very lit
tle is known of the carrier. In re-
cent epidemic in Europe, careful study
Of the cases showed that the children
Of miners seemed to be more suscept-
ible than other classes, which gave
rise to the theory that the miners
carried itsin the dust of their clothes.
Another class Of families particularly
affected were those where the father
was shoe repairer. ! f
Avoid Cats and Dogs.
Infantile, paralysis has. also been
connected with the disease of cats
and dogs known as distemper, and as
a precautionary measure it is we'll to
keep children away from cats and
dogs. In the case of children who
have been affected by the disease, DR..
GrulsS advised physicians to allow the
child to rest for long period after
the dangerous stage had passed and
allow the natural recuperative ability
of the body to get in its work. This
might be assisted by careful and ju-
dicious massage.
DR.. J. G. Parsons Of Sioux Falls
mentioned in the discussion, of the
paralysis that study of numerous
eastern cases as reported in one Of
the medical journals had shown that
children in small towns and even on
farms where sanitary conditions were
supposed to be almost ideal had been
found to be as prone to the disease
as in the cities and that it seemed
to be an ailment on which croWdiug
and housing conditions had very lit
tie effect.
Not Most Serious Problem.
Dr.. Grulee made the rather sur
prising statement, in view of the gen
eral fear of infantile paralysis, that
it was not nearly so serious prob
lem to the medical profession as is
the proper treatment and cure of
summer diarrhoea in infants. He adj
vocated three general things which
the physician must observe in the
treatment of the disease:
First, a stoppage of all irritants, in-
Guiding both food and cathartics and
other medicines.
Second, prevention of dcsiccation,
which may require in extreme cases
the use OF stmulants, but more usu-
ally is better accomplished by injec-
tions OF water.
Third, the prevention of starving.
No child should be allowed to 60
without food for more than forty
eight hours under any conditions OF
the disease. After this time food must
be injected, and the child brought
back to a normal balanced diet as
rapidly as his condition will allow
The point most emphasized, however
by the doctor was that the child
should not be dosed with medicine
,,,I,;ob ,rould ucuoli,, corvn tn aunro
vate the complaint.
Use of Anesthetics.
DR.. NJ. A. Stern of Sioux Falls ad.
vocated all extended use of local an
csthetics in preference to general
anesthesia in an increasing number
of major surgical operations which
have previously required ether or
chloroform administration, He re-
ported very successful results with
novocaine injected under pressure
and recommended its use except in
cases of extremely nervous patients
DR.. f. L. Coulter Of Omaha ana
lyzed the different varieties or causes
of headaches and urged the physi.
clans TO be careful in their diagnonis
and not attempt to give temporary
relief and trust to the patients natur.
al .recuperatiyc powers to pull hin,
through. A careful diagnosis viii
usually bring out reason for the
4 headache, which, If remedied, pre-,
vents the recurrence of the trouble.
Last evening the association 'en.
joycd a smoker at the Fontenelle
The election of officers, postponed