New-York tribune., 1916-07-17
Health Officials Are
Hopeful-Only 96
New Cases.
AWAIT RESULT
OF HOT SPELL
Research Work to Trace
Carriers Begins To-day
Fewer Die.

Ninety-six new cases Of infantile
paralysis and seventeen deaths were
reported to the Health Department
during the twenty-four hours ended at
10 o'clock yesterday morning.
These figures do lot in all prob
ability indicate the status Of the epi-
demic, Teputy Health Commissioner
Billings declared, inasmuch as the
clerical force of the Health Depa. =
ment is greatly reduced between Sat
urday noon and Monday morning.
Many physicians, for this reason, will
not report paralysis cases they have
discovered during the last forty-eight
hours, until to-day.
Health Department officials were
nevertheless imistic that completed
reports would show that the epidemic
had at least temporarily slackened, and
that ia the fight against the disease
they were holding their own.
New Outbreak Feared.
1--WE must not be too hopeful, how
ever" DR.. Billings said, "for previous
epidemcs have shown from week TO
week marked variations in the number
Of cases found The cool weather
should help to keep illness figures
down; but I'm afraid that in day or
two we will begin to see the effects OF
last weeks hot spell. as it takes five to
seven days after infantile paralysis is
contracted for the symptoms to ap-
pear
Sixty-fve of the new cases reported
Yesterday were discovered in Brook
lyn, fourteen in Manhattan, six IN The
Bronx, five in Richmond and six IN
Queens. One hundred and forty-four
cases were reported Saturday. The
toll Of the epidemic has now mounted
to .959 cases, according 20 the ap-
proxmated figures Of the Health De-
partment. and 1856 deaths. Only seven
teen Of those i'll with the disease have
been more than sixteen years of age.
Queens Hospital Ready.
The new Oueensborough Hospital will
be available tomorrow for infantlle
paralysis patients, and sixty cases VIII
be sent there al once. Others will fol-
low should more Of the new hospitals
wards be needed. Prompt isolation Of
every case discovered is the most ef-
fective weapon against the spread OF
the disease. but the mystery OF the
WAYS in which the minute germ is car
ried still proves battling.
Notice was brought TO the medical
authorities yesterday Of the case OF a
child i'll with the disease in Philadel-
phia, whose father. Isaac Folge, is en-
ployed by the Dobbie Foundry and Ma
chine Company. at 72 Warren Street.
Because of the outbreak Of the cpl
demic Mr.. Folge abandoned plans Of
moving 10 Brooklyn and has been
travelling between New York and Phila-
delphia each day The child was
stricken with the disease several days
ago.
Questioned as 70 the probable source
of the case. Or. Louis {. Ager, OF the
medical board of the Kingston Avenue
Uospital. Brooklyn. and in charge Of
the special nfantiie paralysis wards IN
the institution. said yesterday that
while there could, of course, be no GER
tainty as 10 the way in which the
disease had been transmitted to the
child. the germ might very possibly
have been carried by the father.
Adrenalin Being Tested.
Adrenalin. suggested by DR.. 5. J..
Meltzer. of the Rockefeller Institute
for Medical Research, as beneficial in
the treatment of infantile paralysis. is
being given a thorough trial at the
Kingston Avenue Hospital, where
more than three hundred children, Ill
with the disease are now confined.
DR.. Ager declared it would take sew
eral months to determine the real value
of the drug in overcoming the viru-
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