Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1916-07-18
keep THEM CLEAN
|. TO SAVE CHILDREN
Epidemic Of Infantlls PARALYSIS
Puzzles New York Doctors
MOVIES CLOSED 10 YOUNG

No One Under Sixteen VIII % Ad.
nIttsd - Sunday Schools oiseortin.
usd--symptoms Confusing, end Sci.
sntIsts Have Been Unable 70 isolate
the Germ or Find curs.
Anterior Poliomyelitis. : An In
fectiye contagious disease, prob
ably OF microbIc origin. In which
the anterior horns Of gray matter
OF the spinal cord are attacked,
producing destruction OF their cells
and causing motor paralysis; more
common In children and hence often
called infantile paralysis. : Web
ster's Dictionary.
This definition Of infantile paralysis,
written several years ago for laymen.
h practically nll that the medical world
knows today regarding the dread dis.
ease now epidemic In New York. In
1907 an epidemic Of infantile paralysis
swept through the city. causing thou.
sands OF deaths.
With the epidemic growing daily,
$4,000 has been set aside by the city
for immediate expenditure In coplng
with the disease. and arrangements
have been mnde that $4,000 more will
be available II needed
Great and imminent peril TO the
public health exists asserts the board
Of health. The money will he spent to
employ tifty additional hospital doctors,
fifteen additional Held doctors and at
least 40 additional nurses.
Three thousand theaters and moving
picture houses are now closed 70 chill
dren under sixteen years Of age: sum
mer schools are being called or; mill
tary camps for boys In the vicinity OF
the Greater City are being placed under
the strictest regulations: sunday school
picnics and excursions are being aban
doned, Sunday schools discontinued
for the summer In many parishes. and
the hegsra of children from the city
progressed appreciably.
Every effort has been put forward q
trace the germ that causes the ailmenI
and thus ind cure. such us was ac'
compllshed Ia typhoid and diphtherIa
During the 1907 epidemic committee
composed Of the most eminent medical
men IN the United States made a sys
tematic study or infantile paralysis
with the purpose OF accurately cata
l0guing the symptoms Of the disease
and OF identifying the germ that caiis
cd II. With the germ properly identi
ded the task Of tindlng II serum to kill
II and thus produce n cure for infnntile
paralysis would not he difficult one.
Find symptoms Confusing.
But the eminent medical men found
themselves against a stone wall The
report which they had prepared Oh the
1907 epidemic shows that In some cases
the symptoms were fever aud chills: IN
others they we're not: In some cases
that the juvenile sufferer vomlted and
was delIriolis: In others that the suffer
ers showed entirely different symptoms
The bacterlologists had no better sue
cess Headed by DR.. Simon flexner Of
the Rockefeller institute. they segre.
gated the poliomyelitis germ. but were
unable to identify II further than Il
fnd that Il showed similarity TO the
virus Of human rabies. They injected
germs OF infantile paralysis Into AMI
mails. aud OF those experimental upon
monkeys were the only ones that con
tracted the, disease. This was interest
Ing. but not vitally Instructive IN SC
far as undlng u cure for lnfantile pa
ralysis was concerned
The 1907 epidemic passed. the medi
cal men drew up long report, and In
fantile paralysis was practically for
gotten until the present scouree began
sweeping over New York. With the
coming Of the 1915 epidemic the med
ical profession found itself just where
Il was In 1907. Il knew that a germ
caused infantile paralysis. but II did
not know how to deal with the germ
except TO eradicate Il by the one meth
cd used In dealing with all deadly
germs--absolute cleanliness, i,
Therefore cleanliness has been the
slogan Of tie health department In the
present epidemic. DIR Charles r. Bol
dunn, head OF the bureau OF public
health education OF the health depart
ment, told how the fight against infan
tile paralysis Is being waged
I'VE have physicians, nurses and In
( spectors out seeking cases OF the dis
ease day and night" he said. I'VE also
are conducting n campaign of publicity
SO that parents may know how to keeT
the deadly germ from their homes
! The department Of health has prepared
n map on which daily record OF the
disease Is kept
Parents must not give way 10 fright
or hysteria II a child becomes sick d
competent physician should be sum
moncd at once, II child Is given
plenty Of fresh air and sunshine aud
kent umid clean surroundings there Il
/ llo great danger Of its contracting the