Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1916-07-28

NNlNAAAAE NNAWANNAn ~ Ah' ANfNN
attack by an organism or minute purn-
site on the contents of the spinal cord
into which II makes its way. The
spinal cord becomes FLIED with blood
and the sensOry and motor cells, as
they are called. become d~isOrganized
and broken. A healthy baby may be
turned into a cripple over night by the
disease. which for n long time hniiied
the most expert skill in therapeutics.
DR.. Simon Flexucr. head of the
Rockefeller institute. and the man
whose discoveries Ia connection with
the disease have given him an inter
national reputation. declares, reports
the New York Times. that, according
10 all records. tnfnntile paralysis
seems ito pick the strong and well
children Ia preference to the weak.
Vigorous health seems to be no pro-
lection against the disease
""The infectious agent enters the
body chiefly. Il not exclusively, through
the mucous membranes of tue nose
aud throat" lee says. 'rollOmyelltis,
or nfantlle paralysis. affects chiefly,
hut not exclusively, young persons Il
may and not i~nfrequently does affect
adults and no ngc is absolutely free Of
danger OF infection"
Doctor Flexncr appeared before Il
meeting of physicians in Brooklyn aud
explained to them how the disease
could he contracted.
The virus OF i~nfautile paralysis ex-
lists in the secretions Of the nose and
throat and in the intestlnes." he said.
Hence the Wode of spread may be
10y kissing, coughing, and sneezing,
which carry the sccretions OF the nose
aud throat from VA person who may
be infected to other persons.
"Since the disease attacks by prefer
euce young children and infants whose
nasal and mouth secretions are wiped
away by mother or nurse, the fingers
of these persons readily become con
tamlnated. The care OF other children
10y persons with contaminated fingers
may. therefore. lead to the conveying
~ the infectious micro-organism lndi.
rectly from the sick to the healthy.
This danger also exists In connection
with vendors Of food which is eaten
uucooked. The existence of cases of
iufantile paralysis in the homes of ven
doris of food is, therefore, a perpetual
source of danger. Dissemination can
be made by means of house dies.
As to Treatment.
Treatment involves isolation Of the
acutely III. proper rare and destruction
Of contaminated discharges, supervi-
sion Of persons Ia contact with the III
and Of all vendors of food, exclusion
Of All flies. and general sanitary con
trol Of the personnel and habitations Of
families In which the disease exists.
\ age is absolutely free of danger
Of Infection. although i%nfantile paraly-
sis affects chiefly young persons. 1t
not lnfrequently affects adults. More
over. as Indicated. the disease Is one
that a be communicated by healthy
persons who have been Ia contact with
the sick, but who are themselves we'll"
reports Of clinical cases Indicate
that the onset Of the disease is likely
"a be insidiOus. Parents paying little
heed to slight spasms in their children
are in due time shocked by the slow
whitening OF limbs and the beginning Of
q state which la many instances Is in
distinguishable from physical helpless
ness. Then. when II is too late. the
question OF c|ontnglOn Is raised. On
this last point, Doctor Flexner has
written:
OF Infectious Origin.
The idea OF c%Ontagion In respect 10 cpl
demic poliomyelltis IS lot a new one. but
appeared in the literature OF more than a
quarter OF a century ago. and OF late has
been frequently invoked. The clinical
course OF the disease indicated an lnfec-
uous origin. but up to very recent times no
convincing knowledge concerning the ma
ture OF the agent causing i~nfantlie para
lysis existed. The epidemic OF 1907 In this
country. In France and In Germany led 10
a renewed study OF the nature OF the In.
fectiou in the course OF which the more
subtle and recent methods OF bacterio!ogy
were employed.
These methods led almost simultaneous
ly. In the United States. by Doctor Lewis
and myself. and In France. by Landsteln.
err and Levadlti. 10 the discovery that the
Infectious agent was an extremely minute
micro-orgauism that readily passed
through the pores = earthenware filters
8nd constituted. therefore. an example OF
the so-called hlterable %viruses. Of which al
the present time several examples are
known 20 cause Infectious diseases IN
man and the lower animall. The hlterable
nature Of the virus has now been con.
trmed wherever the subject has been &C.
curately Investigated on acquisition OF
the fact OF the nature OF this virus. and
OF the further fact. on whicn the dlscov.
cry Of the nature o. the virus actually
depends, that both the higher and lower
monkeys are subject 90 the experimental.
disease. rest the recent great advances
which have been made In the lnvestigatior
Of infantiie paralysis.
Proved by Experiments.
Experiments with monkeys conduct
ed with extreme care proved that In.
fantile paralysis could be TRANSMITTED
from n patient 10 another. The d.
sease, moreover, Is caused by a most
minute organism or germ, as the popu
lar phrase has come to be.
1T Is. 20 far as we can now Judge
One Of the most minute organism,
known to cause d~isease." says Doctor
EIeNDer. tsThig concIugIon fo1o,..