Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-07-05
SITUATION ENCOURAGING
PoliOmyelitis Situation Thought
to Be under Control.
state board Of Health and Washington
County Health Officers VIII Meet
To-day At Montpelier--Ex-
pert Reports.

Encouraging under the circumstances"
was the way in which DR.. Edward Taylor.
the poliomyelitis expert Of the State board
Of health, described the situation with re-
gard to the poliomyelitis outbreak In
Washington county. DR.. Taylor returned
Tuesday from several days stay In
that county, where he examined large
number Of suspected cases Of which only
comparatively few proved to have the dread
disease. The total number of cases now
in the State is 81, practically all OF which
are confined to Washington county. there
being one case in the town Of Washington
| In Orange county. Only one case located
in South Barre was reported Tuesday
and the health ofiicials believe that the
situation is under control, although stat
ing that 1t may be only a temporary let
lup.
The State board Of health will meet
Thursday IN Montpelier and following
its session DR.. CT. Dalton. secretary OF
the board, has called a meeting OF the
health officers Of Washington county and
towns contiguous thereto. This meeting
will be held at the Pavilion Hotel Thurs
day afternoon.
The human serum treatment was ad-
ministered by DR.. Taylor In six cases. Not
enough time has yet elapsed to determine
what the result will be, but DR.. Taylor
will make a full report in medical journals
of the result Of this treatment. The most
efficacious and. indeed, the only weapon
with which the disease may be fought Is
the quarantine. The organism from which
poiomyeltis is developed Is carried by
human beings who do not even have to
have the disease TO carry the organism
and the disease is spread by contact. A
four weeks quarantine for the patient
AIrob Inn fnv rt,t n
coming from infected districts, is now en-
forced in Vermont. The salt and water
wash for throat and nostrils is the only
sensible thing to do. said DR.. Taylor.
The people Of the infected district have
co-operated most heartily with the health
officials in carrying out the quarantine
regulations. Regarding the number of
cases where paralysis had set in. DR..
Taylor could not say the majority OF
them were at a stage where paralysis
might or might not result. The State
board Of health now has a field worker,
Miss King, who studied muscle training
under experts and is now doing this work
through the State. This after-treatment
of the disease, to relieve the crippled
condition. has been highly developed. The
strength of groups of muscles is ascer-
tanned and charted and systematic ex-
ercises to strengthen them are given The
scientific measuring of the muscles
strength and the charts are of invaluable
aid in this work. Much of the former
relief treatment Is believed to have done
more harm than good.
AS to question Of whether or not 1t was
early In the year for poliomyelitis out
break, DR.. Taylor said that while It was
somewhat earlier than usual for an out
break in Vermont. the heaviest epidemic
in history occurred in Sweden In the
winter time and that the seasons are not
now thought to have had as much to dc
with the outbreaks as formerly. Cases
developed in Bristol and in Waterbury
during the winter. One theory Is tina,
Vermont, being a cold State, with winter
sports only slightly developed, the contact
of people Is not SO great as in the sum.
mer months. This would account for the
summer outbreaks. the disease being car
ried by people and transmitted by con.
tact.
DR.. Taylor will meet Thursday with the
health officials at Montpelier.