Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-07-21
lMAN1Ilt PARALYSIS.
{ POLIOMYELITIS

portions in New York City and has
spread to other points in the United
States has created great alarm all
over the country and there is per-
haps not q household, especially
where there are children, but uneasi-
ness is felt.
The Louisiana State Board of Health
has given out the following to the
press for publications:
An acute communicable disease
caused by minute germs
usually begins with symptoms OF
cold in the head, fever, restlessness.
Mortality often not high, bat perma-
nent paralysis of one or more limbs
very frequent.
Discharges from mouth, nose,
throat, and bowels, sources of infec-
ton.
Healthy persons may be- carriers of
the disease and transmit J. to others.
Animals with distemper possibly
sources of danger.
Flies may carry on their feet.
PRE- VENTION
The public should be warned when
disease is prevalent TO pay especial
attention to the hygienic surround
ings of children, along the following
lines:
1. Avoid public gatherings of
children, especially crowded rooms,
including picture show, parties, pic
MICS, etc.
2. Children should not visit houses
where other children are i'll, nor
should grown people come in contact
with sick children kiss or handle
other peoples children.
3. Flies should be prevented from
coming in contact with hands, face,
or food of children. Flies shonld be
excluded from the house as far as
possible.
4. All measures to diminish the
prevalence of flies should be carried
ont.
8. Sick children, especially those
with colds and and fever, should be
carefully examined by a physician.
6. Patients suffering from anything
resembling poliomyelitis should be
protected from flies; nose, throat and
bowel discharges should be disinfected
or burned, aud the members of the
household should avoid contact with
crowds and with other peoples child
rem.
z. Personal cleanliness, hyginenic
and sanitary conditions Of premises
and public places SHOULD be insisted
upon.
LOUISIANA STATE BOARD OF
HEALTH.
The editorial page OF the Daily
States each day contains a scientific
article, prepared by DR.. Leonard
Keene Hirshberg, A. B., M. A, M. D.,
OF Johns Hopkins University, on va
rious diseases to which flesh is heir,
and the issues of Tuesday and We'd
nesday contained the following very
interesting and timely articles on in
fantile paralysis:
Epidemic Of InfantiIe Paralysis.
The unhappy epidemic of infantile
of 1907 resulted in important
by Prof. Simon Flexner
and his colleague, DIR. Noguchi, eOf the
Rockefeller Institute, and these, in
turn, brought about the discovery by
them of the exceedingly small germ
which causes the paralysis.
The dread scourge of children is
due to disease spots i'm the fore part
Of the spinal cord. The germ grows
out of contact with oxygen, aud can
be detected only by the ultra micro
scope. The germ has been isolated
from other germs, and DR.. Noguchi
has succeeded in growing it, 80 that
In large colonies it can be seen and
studied.
DIR. Flexner obtained pure cultures
Of the germ from the nasal discharge
Of children who had the disease and
with these has reproduced it in mon
Keys.
The next step to be taken will be
10 fnd serum or vaccine which will
mmunize those who may be exposed
70 the disease or who have come down ,
with 1t. The germ present in the +.
iuids of the nose is carried by certain
Individuals, especially adults, who are
mmunized, like carriers of typhoid or
iiptheria, and distribute the distem-
Der to those who are not immune, es- :
'ecially children under ten years of I
'ge.
The transference takes place by the y
or otherwise to the .
lasal mucous membrane of those who
re sensitive. 1t gets into the lymph
" blood and Is finally localized or de-
,osited In the "cells" of the interior q
'ortion Of the gray matter of the
pinal cord. There it develops and Z
PRODUCES the disease of which the II
hief symptoms are paralysis of the I
muscles of the extremities. One arm t
nd one leg, or both arms and 9
9th legs, or only one muscle or group h
4 muscles may be involved. II
Beginning suddenly with fever, rest c
sssness, sometimes vomiting or con-
more or less delirium and p
Their vague symptoms, no diagnosis Il
, possible until . day or so have
lspscd. Even other parts may be d
6ected, and in the worst instance. o
he child may die in few days. Some. h
mes the onset is even more sudden. p
nd child, well on going to bed, lie Il
3und paralyzed in the morning, Com
derable IMPROVEMENT often takes D
lace, though slowly. Diminution of d
srenth and restricted use of the limbs u
lay remain through life. p
The epidemic which is now pre. ii
slent In New York and the vicinity Il
much more severe and is attended bl
18th heavier mortality than the epi- 81
emic OF 1907. The later, however. cl
~ particularly memorable because
was followed by investigations which H
d to the discovery of the microbe. W
The disease is extremely infectious Fl
I'D contagious, particularly in the
ONES OF the careless and the slovenly. m