Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-03-03
DR.. EAST LECTURE
WAS INSTRUCTIVE
MEMBER OF STATE BOARD OF
HEALTH SPEAKS AT THE HIGH
SCHOOL ON EFFECT AND CURE
OF iNFANTilE PARALYSIS.

Notwithstanding the importance of
the subject matter treated Of by Dr. /
East, the free public lecture at the
high school last night was not attend !
ed by nearly the number who should |
have been there. However, led by DR.. |
W. A. Pike, many of the med |
ical men and nurses of this city
were there and they became deeply
interested in the discourse of the
state health boards representative.
Infantile Paralysis.
But it was no race-suicide gathering
that greeted the Doctor. The audi
ence was composed almost entirely OF
the mothers, and few fathers, of the
younger children of the city, who lis.
tened intently to the almost two hours
talk of Dr.. East, hardly realizing the
length of time he was telling of the
disease, its ravages, and the latest
theories for its prevention and its
cure.
Tr. East gave the reasons for the
| prediction of the medical world that
the Central West would be more of
victim Of the scourge than it was in
1916. The history of epidemics is that
they move from east to west, and as
last year was the first Of a real cpl
demic in this vicinity and in general
way 1t was hardly supposed that it
reached its height, 1t was but nat
ural conclusion that 1t would reach its
highest point probably during the com
ing year. The State Board of Health
deny that they are alarmists, but in
carrying on this campaign they wish
to not only bring home to the people
the seriousness of the epidemic. but
to arouse the people towards its pre-
vention and the cure of the victims.
As preventive measures he urged
most rigid sanitation, quarantine and
swat the f1y.' Dr. FleXner unques-
tionably the greatest authority on the
disease in the United States or, in
deed. in the world, gives as his judg-
ultIL lldt llO SiCottot 1uii ~
5oourge Is the house fly, and next to
that the carelessness Of people. re.
garding quarantine and personal con
tact. While he showed examples OF
the awful results in many cases, his
lecture was full of hope to the vic
tins, his illustrations showing what
had been done in extreme cases He
showed no mercy in his condemnation
of those who would disregard or
break quarantine, giving as an Illus
tration of the effectiveness of these
measures figures to show that in Chi
cago, where a strict quarantine was
maintained, the proportion was but
one to four as compared with the
rural communities, where less care or
authority is exercised. The same
ration prevails in New York the pro
porto on Long Island outside of the
cities being nearly four to one.
Or. East told of how the dreaded
infantle paralysis had claimed so
many children during the past seven
years and especially in Illinois since
1915. He explained how the afflictlon
robs the patient of certain natural
functions which. when the patient Is
on the road TO recovery, must be
painstakngly learned all over again,
Just like a new born Oaby. lie tod
, how. after a severe case, the patient
, crippled must learn anew how 10
I stand upright and also how to walk
and use the other limbs
Or. East'S illustrations were force
ful and starting and the lecture as a
whole was highly instructive. The
/ state board of health may send Or.
, East back to Ottawa for another elm
ical conference If the medical men of
this locality express "A wish to this
, effect. However, DR.. East has fifteen
! other cities to visit after leaving here
and cannot return to Ottawa until he
1 has covered that territory.