New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-15
Parents Urged to Have
Their Blood Serum
Given Children.
EVEN HEALTHY ARE
ASKED TO DO THIS
95 New Patients Reported
Lowest Figure in Three
WeekS-DeathS Rise.

4 further marked SiaCkehihS ." ~"
infantile paralysis epidemic was SHOWN
Yesterday in the Health Department
report. Forty-six fewer cases were re-
ported than on Sunday. Deaths showed
an increase of nine. New cases num-
bered IS and deaths 81.
Acting on the theory, recently put
forward. that the comparative immu-
njtv OF adults from infantile paralysis
cen no shared with children, Dr. Aora-
ham Zinqher. of Willard Parker nos
ni,al Yesterday recommended that
ssrnn formed from the blood OF par
ents. be injected into their cnlidreh.
This recommendation is not restricted
20 narents who have had the disease.
The blood Of any adult, 1t is thought;
NAV contain substances whiCh "ou4u
make a child immune. AL
Not more than per cent OF tno
victims of the present eploeihio nav
been more than fifteen years Oh az
a small number have been under one
The most susceptible ages have been
tbree and four. This tendency OF the
disease TO pass over adults and eN-
tremelv Young children has gwen IN
petus to the immunity theory
Volunteers Give Blood.
Volunteers who have had the disease
have been coming to the hospltai !
Give quantities of their blood' from
Sb;cb the serum has been formed ana
;niected into young patients. The good
results in many cases nave oes
marked Some injections have ALREADY
heen made of serum from the olooc
81 adults who have not had the disease.
While enough cases have not yet oeeh
+rcated. il is believed by Willard Park
or musicians that the injections may
40 Great good, if not in curing III cnll
dren. at least in making others IN
II is recommended that private physi,
clans draw the blood from parents ana
inject the serum into their chlIdren.
II the blood is allowed 70 stand ioT
twenty-four hours 1t will be found that
the serum is separated from the cor
puscles. 1t is believed that the lhIec-
lions will protect child from the DIS.
go for {our months. An ounce Of
blood will make one-hat ounce OF
serum. The proper amount Tor emil
dren under two is two ounces; from
three TO six. four, and above SIX, SIX
ounces. . -. .Lo
The most encouraging report on inc
endemic since its outbreak was issued
by the Health Department TOT inc
twentv-four hours which ended at III
o'clock Yesterday morning. Only nine
tv-fve cases were found in the greater
city. the lowest number since July "a
and q decrease Of forty-six from sun
days figure.
Increase in Deaths.
There was q discouraging increase
from TWENTY-FIVE 10 thilty-one IN the
number of deaths reported. but It Is
altogether probable that mortality hg-
mes will lessen within day or two IN
proportion to the slackening IN the
endemic, the health authorities say.
Officials of the Health Department
believe yesterdays decrease Is sign
that the epidemic is really Wahlns'5
ave can, of course, make no predic-
tions" said Commissioner Emerson,
"but it is especially encouraging that
there has been an almost steady de,
cline in the number Of cases reported
daily since last Wednesday, when we
lad 1873. Figures for the following
DAYS have been 175, 100, 1877, l4l ana 20
succcssivelv. I attach considerable I'M
portance 10 the fact that the decrease
began before the end Of the week.
The report for Manhattan was the
one discouraging feature. forty-three
cases were discovered. ana Tor the hrsI
time since the epidemic began 70 cause
alarm the daily total from brookIyh
only thirty-One cases-was eNceeueu ny
another borough. Not since June Is
has Brooklyn's case figure been so low.
Queens had thirteen new cases, the
lowest number since July 2S, and Inc
Bronx eight. No cases were reported
from Richmond. -,
II is not now believed by the health
authorities that the epidemic Will be-
como as severe in Manhattan as IL has
boen in Brooklyn. Every medical IN
snector the Health Department can
snare from work IN other borougns mas
been detailed 20 Manhattan, and de-
spite the relative stubbornness OF the
epidemic il is thought that good re-
suits Of the departments work are ap-
pearing -, ..o~-
dev The situation in Manhattan had
AT all times been under better controi
than i was in Brooklyn at the start
Of the epidemic.
Handicapped in Brooklyn.
Owe we're handicapped there" he
declared. "by the failure Of physicians
and parents TO report cases. Before
we knew il existed the epidemic in
Brooklyn had grown serious. Of the
first thirty-one cases found only five
we're reported 10 the Health Depart
ment. The other twenty-six we found
ourselves and when confronted with
the facts the attending physicians said
they hadn't recognized the symptoms.
By the time the disease appeared in
Manhattan physicians had become
,.,,..~o 90 Tho nocessifv of careful dag
nosis. followed by a report TO the de-
partment."
Deputy Health Commissioner Bill
ines, who believes cool weather has
had much to do with the slackening of