Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-05-15
LABORATORY
TO Be REOPENEO SOON
Expert and Assistant Secured by
State Board of Health to Re.
sumo Investigations and Care
for Patients Afflicted with Pc.
liomyelitis

Vituiu lew DAYS the research lHD-
oratory for infantile paralysis at the
University of Vermont closed since last
fall because of the difficulty of finding
anyone fitted to carry on the work,
will be reopened, and the research
work will continue under the direction
of DR.. w. L. Aycock, who Is now in the
POSTGRADUATE hospital In New York
city. but has been secured by the state
Board of Health to take up the research
and diagnostic work In poliomyelitls
for the State. He will come to Bur-
lington soon.
The State Board of Health also has
secured the services of Miss Bertha f.
Weisbrod of Lutherville. Md, to take
up the work of after-care in infantile
paralysis cases. Miss Weisbrod already
has arrived in the city and will begin
work at once. She has had long ex-
perience as u nurse at Johns Hopkins
and has Just returned from France,
where she has served as a Red Cross
nurse for several months having been
in many hospitals throughout France.
| Miss Weisbrod Is n pupil OF DR.. Rob-
ert Lovett of Boston, one of the most
| eminent specialists in America on the
| treatment of poliomyelitis and she was
employed In this kind of work before
going overseas She will take up the
work formerly done in the State by
Miss Rebecca Selfridge and Miss Helen
King. who were in the city last year.
Miss Weisbrod will begin conducting
clinics in Burlington next week. Later,
she will go to different parts of the
State, holding clinics in the larger CEN
ters and visiting individual patients in
the smaller towns and communities. She
will make her headquarters In Bur-
lington at the office of the State Board
of Health.
Dr. Aycock takes over the work at the
| research laboratory which was formerly
performed by DR.. Edward Taylor. who
il now in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Dr. Taylor left the work here last fall,
and during the winter the laboratory
was closed because. on account of the
war conditions and the great call for
specialists Of this kind it was found
practically impossible to find a man who
was fitted for this particular kind of
research work.
The whole program Of work on polio
myelitis began in this State following the
disastrous epidemic Of 1914. and has been
made possible by a private donation.
1t will now be carried on to the fullest
extent through the addition Of these two
trained specialists in this line, DR..
Aycock and Miss Weisbrod.
1t will now be possible for the board
Of health to continue the work with
crippled cases and also to assist the
physicians of the State to make dag
noses in any cases which may occur.
The research laboratory at the univer-
sty. Of which DR.. Aycock will have
charge, Is under the direct supervision
Of the Rockefeller Institute Of New
York. Several important discoveries in
regard to the disease Of poliomyelitis
have been made at this laboratory. which
is rated high among those Of the coun.
try.
There are no cases Of infantile paralysis
In the State at present. but it is felt that
preventive efforts in this direction are
always wise 1t is usually In the sum-
mer that new cases Of this dangerous
disease first appear, and there will be
concerted efforts made to keep it out of
the State this year.
Last year there were only four cases
Of infantile paralysis in Vermont. The
disease first appeared in the State to any
considerable extent back in 1894. At that
time, the late DIR. C. S. Caverly of Rut-
land wrote the first comprehensive
which had been published in this country.
Later, in 1910. there were number of
cases in the State. and the big epidemic
in Vermont came In 1914, when there
were hundreds Of cases. As result Of
this epidemic, there are at present be-
tween 800 and 400 cases which are being
treated for the after-cure. the work
which Miss Weisbrod is to take up