The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-18
,Infantile Paralysis ANTERIOR POLIOMYELITIS) Discussion Published in Journal of American Medical
 Association.
Association.

F
 All reports agree in characterizinS tho cutbreak of poliomyelitis now making such sad havoc. in New York city and elsewhere as a highly serious emergency both for the affected local ity and for the entire country. The type of disease is evidently severe and the mortality already has passed far beyond. the figures reached in the great New York epidemic in 1907, The time of year is distinctly unfavorable, summer being usually the period of greatest prevalence. Once the disease has started there is generally an in- crease in the number of cases until checked in some unknown way by the advent of cool weather. In the yer mont epidemic of 1914 there were s cases recorded in July, SS in August, , 142 in September, 56 in October, and 8 in November The increase that has occurred in New York since June 1, and especially the outbreak of the past two weeks, emphasizes the un- propitious nature of the seasonal con- ditions. It can hardly be anticipated that the task of combating the cpl femic will be materially lighter for some weeks to come, and it may be- come even more formidable than at present. = Various conditions seem to threat en a more or less extensive dissemina- ton of the disease. It is stated that many thousands of children of we'll to-do parents-one estimate going as high as oO,000--were sent or taken out of New York city within the few days following the great development of. the epidemic in early July. Taking into account the natural vacation ex- odus at this season, the danger of es- :ablishing rev foci of infection can be seen to be very great.
 There are several features of epi- demic poliomyeiitis that make the spread of this malady peculiarly diff ficult to combat. Certain things im- portant epidemiologically, such as the minimum period of incubation, are not yet cleared up. The researches of Flexnei. and his co-workers have, to be sure, shown that the virus Is lis present in the nasal and buccal se- cretions and is also eliminated in some casc, fror. the intestines. These facts facts might be thought, to indicate that the ordinary measures of isolation
 
 be quite successful, as in some oth CT diseases, in preventing the spread of the infection. Such measures do, m doubtedly, lessen the frequency with which infection is transferred, but un- fortunately they are not so efficacious as might be anticipated, because of the apparently large number of abortive atypical. or ambulatory cases that in one why or another escape recognition and control Undetected cases of po- homyelitis of this sort seem to be es- pecially numerous. As in other infec- tions, persons who have recovered from an attack of poliomyelitis may continue to haRbor the virus, and un- der suitable conditions disseminate it for many months. Of a different but perhaps even more dangerous type are the healthy virus carriers familiar in connection with a variety of infec- tious diseases. There is no precise in- formation as to how common these healthy carriers of poliomyelitis may be, but there is some reason to believe that they are not insignificant agen- cy in the diffusion of infection. Po- tentiaaly any one who has been in con tact with either frank case or any abortive case of infantile paralysis may become carrier. Through this agency conceivably the specific mi crobe may be transferred to yet other healthy individuals until finally it