Evening star., 1916-09-20
SWEDISH SCIENTISTS
BALKED BY PLAGUE
Unable to Suggest Means Of
Curing or Preventing In
fanti|e Paralysis.
THEIR NATION SCOURGED
REPEATEDLY BY EPIDEMIC
Declare That Best Research Work Is
Being Done by the Rookie
feller Institute.

1Cl1CT xuSLlLuLc.
Correspondence Of the Associated Press
STOCKHOLM, Sweden. September g.
What can be done to cure and prevent in
tantile paralysis?
The Associated Press correspondent has
put this question to all of Sweden's lead
| ing authorities on poliomyelitis. as the
disease is scientifically known, and their
answer has been the same:
We don't know"
This answer is the more discouraging
In view Of the fact that Sweden, almost
alone among European countries, has been
| repeatedly scourged by the epidemic, and
as a result has number Of physicians
and psychologists who have devoted
themselves for years almost exclusively
| to the study of the disease. Nowhere else,
| except in the Rockefeller Institute of New
| York, have such exhaustive investigations
been made. and the sum of them all is
the answer given above: I'VE don't
know
Seasonal Incidence Uncertain.
While the curve of the disease in Swe-
den in general has attained it's highest
point in August and September. there
have been marked exceptions to the rule.
| and there can be no certain conclusions
| as to a seasonal incidence Of the epi-
demic The last large epidemic in the
city OF Gothenburg began in October and
ran through March, and there have been
| small local outbreaks in mdwinter in
latitude Sc degrees north This, incl
dentally, is one of the facts that incline
| the Swedish scientists to doubt the trans
| mission Of the disease by flies They ad-
| improbable.
The disease first appeared in Sweden
| or rather, was first accurately .dia enosed
| as such-in 1881 Scattered cases ap-
peared therefter from time to time, but
| the attention Of Swedish physicians gem
orally was first directed to the disease by
| the epidemic of 1905, which brought some
| 1,500 cases. Then came a Comparative
lull, although the succeeding years up to
1911 brought another 1900 cases.
Cases Steadily Decrease.
Investigations into the nature of the
disease and the manner of it's transmits
sion were just well under way when the
great epidemic of 1911-12-13 broke out,
with total Of almost 10000 cases for
| the three years. an appalling total for a
country with population of only about
100000 The epidemic had a mortality
OF 1879 per cent and 1000 of the pa
tients who recovered were famed. a great
proportion permanently. The disease is
OF cases had dropped to 310 in 1914 and
has since steadily decreased although
word has just come Of the appearance of
about score of cases In a western
province.
DR.. Wilhelm Wernstedt of Malmo. one
OF the country's leading authorities on
poiiomyelitis. confessed to the CORE
spondent his and his colleagues utter
neipiessness against the disease. Their
demic are directed to the achieving of
as strict isolation of afflicted families
and districts as possible.
Disease Carrier Among Healthy.
These precautions, however. no mat
ter how thorough. are rendered largely
nugatory by the fact that in the words
OF report by DR.. Carl King, Prof
Alfred Peterson and Dr. Wernstedt.
virus carriers are very common and
often in number greatly exceed the
clinically positive cases" In three
IA miles In each Of which one case Of
infantile paralysis had occurred, eight
healthy members of the families were
In their mouth cavities. Disease car
riers are almost inevitably found
among healthy members of families
where cases of poliomyelitis have oc-
Cured
Nor is this the only unfavorable fac
tor Investigations by the scientists
named proved that the secretions of
the mucous membranes of the mouth
OF person who had recovered from the
disease contained virulent microbes of
infantile paralysis 2O4 days-almost
seven months-after the onset of the
disease. Investigations with other pa
tients have repeatedly shown the pres
ence of virulent germs of the disease
four months and more after the pa
TENTS recovery