Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-08-17
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


the pores of TIE densest and finest
porcelain filters, namely, the sO-called
Chamberlain filters. It is extremely
doubtful if the virus has actually been
seen.
When the fItrates are examined I'M
der the dark microscope innumerable
bright dancing points, devoid of definite
size and form, and not truly motile,
can be diSCerned. That those particles
represent the micro organism of
pOliOmyeIitis cannot be affirmed, since
similar particles are present in fill
trates obtained from nervous and other
tissues, which can be viewed also as
consisting of simple protein matter
The filtrates are highly potent.
Quantities as small as one one thou
Sandth to one One-hUndTedth of a cubic
centimeter suffice to cause the disease
in monkeys, after the usual incubation
period, when injected into the brain
The virus is highly resistant to exter-
nal agencies and conditions It with
stands glycerination for weeks and
months very much as the virus of
vaccinia or rabies does. It withstands
drying over caustic potash for weeks
without any or marked reduction of
potency, showing a greater degree Of
resistance that the virus Of rabies.
The spinal cord of a paraIyzed mon
key always contains the virus. If a
canePs hair pencil is covered with
some of the broken up tissues of such
a cord and painted upon the mucous
membrane of monkeys these animals
viii develop in due time the paralysis
and other symptoms of poliomyeIitis
The chief terror of the disease lies in
It's appalling power to produce de-
fOrmities. When death does occur it
is not the result, as in many infec-
tons, of a process of poisoning that
robs the patient of strength and con-
iTcr INN o.i7oo, 1D,,+
IS caused solely by paralysis of the
respiratory function. Sometimes with
suddenncss, but often with
painful SlOWneSS, without in any de-
gree obscurinG the consciousness of
the suffOcating victim until just before
the end is reached. No more terrible
tragedy can be witnessed.
The employment for treatment Of
the immune serum, taken from mon
keys or from human beings, exercises
a definite if not very strong protective
action upon innOculated MONKEYS
Either the disease is prevented alto
gether or its evolution is modified in
such manner as to diminish its Sc
verify. When the virus used for in
incubation is highly adapted to the
and thus very virulent, it is
more difficult to central the result
than when it departs less from the
original type and is less active.
The immune serum has thus far
acted best when it was injected into
the subdural space on several success
sive days. This in conformity with
the fact that however introduced into
the body, the virus establishes itself in
communication with the cerebro- spinal
liquid where it prOpagates for a time
Later the virus lOcalizeS in the nervous
tissue itself and becomes accessible
not from this liquid only but probably
from the general blood also
The iT7+ iy,+ +Lo
iural space soon escapes into the blood
and thus a double action is secured.
On the one hand it reaches the neI-v-
GUS tissue directly from the CerebrO-
spinal liquid and on the other Indirect
y with the blood. An immune horse
serum at first gave disappointing re-
suits, but Iatterly its employment by
injection has given more
promise.
The point of departure which we
have adopted is the drug hexamethIy-
anamin (urOtrOpin), which possesses a
degree of antiseptic action in the body
and is known to be seCreted into the
cerebrO- spinal liquid. When the drug
is administered by mouth it can be
detected by chemical tests in the liquid
in a short time, When innoculation of
virus and administration of the drug
are begun together, and the admins
-ration continued for some days after
ward, the development of the paralysis
IS sometimes but not always averted.
lends itself to mod
f1CatiOns by the addition Of other anti
septic groups to its mOleCule. We
have tested a large number of such
mad have found certain
ones to exceed the original compound
in protective power, while others pro-
NOTED the onset Of paralysis. None is
wholly without some degree of in
furious action upon the sensitive and
vital organs Of the body. But mantp-
ulatiVe skill has already succeeded in
the Objectionable and i'm
probing the valuable features of GER
tain drugs so that they exert little
action upon the organs, but severely
upon the parasite, when they become
useful therapeutic agents.
In less severe cases Of infantfle pa
ralysis only a group Of muscles under
go complete paralysis and trophy. And
there is always hope of some return of
power in paralyzed limb. Associated
with a withered condition of the limb,
1ue to the muscular atrophY, is an en-
feehled circulation, rendering the limb
cold blue and livid. The nutrition of
the bones and other parts is involved, |
so that limb para1yzed in early in
fancy does not grow and is shorter
han its fellow. A pan-den1ic of the
disease arose in 1907 in Austria, Ger
many, France, and came to the United
States. 1t came through Boston and
=IE41za 4-s