The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-09-29
The New Evidence That the
Great Cause, If Not the Only
Cause, Of Infantile Paralysis
Is q Rat Infection Communicated

Dr. Richardson has prepared a number
OF extremely interesting charts showing
the relation between the appearance Of
human cases Of infantile paralysis ana OF
the numbers of neas on rats: that is,
observations Of rats taken at random
showed that at the time Of the greatest
prevalence Of paralysis the number of
heas upon the rodents showed their
greatest number, thus establishing
striking and suggestive coincidence.
DR.. Richardson finds that the relation
Of bubonic plague to the localities OF
water fronts, sewers, slums, rivers,
brooks, ETC., is marked. He says:
"Brues found in New York City C1916)
q special grouping Of cases on the water
fronts. The same was true of Boston in
1916. In Boston in 1916, at least two
sailors working on the affected water
fronts acquired infantile paralysis and
died.
Furthermore, although the well-to-do
do not escape infection with infantile
paralysis, | agree heartily with the state
ment OF Dr.. Charles K. Mills, of Philadel-
phia, that q very great majority of cases
occur In surroundings which are unsani-
tary and have all the earmarks of rat and
flea infestation. AS to the cases among
the rich, there is the proximity OF stables,
the possession Of cats and dogs and other
carriers.
an bubonic plague the primary bubo
Is, in the great majority of instances, in
the groin. This is, of course, because the
nea reaches most easily the legs OF the
victim.
an infantile paralysis the vast majority
Of children are paralyzed in the lower
extremlties either alone or in combina-
ton with other parts Of the body (See
chart No. 10) We have, furthermore,
the following experimental data as deter
mined by Zappert, Leiner and Wiesner
(I0). These observers found it to be
practically always true that In monkeys
the initial paralysis depended upon the
site Of the incubation. II the incubation
was made into the sciatic then the initial
paralysis came In the leg. II into the
median then the arm, etc. the infection
travelling along the lymphatics to the
spinal cord. The aforementioned writ
ers suggested that, paralyzed legs in chill
dren being In marked predominance. in
lection might have taken place, In some
instances at least, as in tetanus, through
breaks In the skin Of the lower extremi-
ties.
The possible relation Of nea bites to this
aspect OF the disease did not occur to
these writer's probably because, in 1909,
the rat and flea theory Of bubonic plague
had not been fully substantiated. The
conclusion, of course, which | desire to
draw from these combined observations
is that this marked excess Of paralysis in
the lower extremities is strong presump-
tive evidence that the infection takes
place through the lower extremities. The
fact that the patients almost never give
history of flea bites is of no contradictory
value, for in bubonic plague such his
tory is rarely forthcoming
"The epidemiology of infantile paraly-
sis corresponds so remarkably with that
of bubonic plague, disease known to be
due to the rat and flea, that 1t can be
stated with great probability that human
infantile paralysis is due to a precedent
and underlying infection of rodents"