Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-08-02
Madison Democrat.)

k1duISOn dIsJ
Seventy-five years ago, a little girl
of 10 years, in a neighboring town,
complained of not feeling we'll While
she was not in severe pain, she did
not feel we'll enough for school, so
her mother, who was making a dress
for her, allowed her to stay at home,
spreading a blanket on the floor for
the child to lie on. Suddenly the
child was attacked with acute pain,
and for twelve hours her mother
worked over her. doing everything she
could think of, and finally sending for
the village doctor. The pain left the
child as suddenly as it came. Her
mother changed her clothes and asked
the child stand up when it was dis
covered that she could not do so. She
was treated for rheumatism, and as
was the custom then, dose OF Gallo
mel was given to her. But no after
dose was given to carry off the Gallo
mel, and it remained in the child's
system a week, Gripping her even
more, as results proved. 'She will
never walk again. said the doctor,
unless she learns all over, like a lit
tie child" 'But l won't be cripple"
was the child's reply, and she held
on to chairs, tables, the side of the
house, etc., until she could walk quite
well again; indeed, when she was a
young woman her lameness was very
slight, though as she advanced in
years, (she lived to be 81 it became
quite pronounced so that she was
obliged to walk with a cane. Tell
ing a physician about it, he said: Il
think you must have had what is now
called 'infantile paralysis though you
were older, when attacked, than child
rem usually are"
This is interesting, in view of mod
ern epidemics of this disease. Very
likely she was infected through the
agency of flies, as houses were not so
carefully screened then as now.
The following story, by Rosalind E.
Dunkin, in the New York Tribune,
gives a good deal of valuable informa
ton regarding this scourge of in
fancy.
Polomyelitis Is merely a name
meaning infantile paralysis-until you
walk through the wards of the Willard
Parker hospital and see $50 children,
ranging in age from few months to
Is years, lying in cribs and restful
white beds, some whimpering and
others too weary to lift their eyelids.
AS 1 followed DR.. Robert ]. Wilson
from room to room and noted tiny mo-
tionless limbs and quiet hands,
wished that every careless household
could have just one glimpse into the
hospital and realize what dirt and
dust, the greatest carriers of the dis
ease, are doing to the children of this
city.
An ambulance call came in, and l,
permitted to go with the doctor, hur-
ried to pack my bundle, which con-
sisted of a blanket, flannel night
gown, some soft clothes and little
tape wristband on which to write the
child's name. Crowds of curious folk
gathered around when we stopped at
81 Bedford street, and heavily built
woman hurried out to assure us that
her child was as good as gold and
didn't need to go to the hospital.
The doctor, a quiet-voiced Southern
err, nodded calmly to the woman, and
turning to me, whispered: "They all
say that. For some reason they have
a dread of sending their children with
us. If they only knew how much bet
ter off thew would be, there wouldn't
be any scenes.
Hello, JOHNNY" said the doctor,
smiling and shaking hands with g.
year-old child, half-dressed and cling
ing to a chair. Then an examination
followed to see if paralysis had set