Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-06-03
POL|0MYEL|T|S PATIENTS
MAKING GOOD PROGRESS.
Clinics Held Throughout the
State During Month of May
Show Results of Six Years.
Work in Prevention and After
Care of Dreaded Disease

Under the direction of the Vermont
State Board of Health the seventh year of
work in the prevention and after-care
! Of the disease known as poiomyeltis,
sometimes called infantilc paralysis. is
| Just getting under way. During the
month of May. clinics have been held in
| some Of the leading cities throughout the
state by Miss Bertha f. Weisbrod who
has been for the last year in charge of
the a!ter-care work in poliomyelitis In
Vermont, Miss Wiesbrod was assisted
by Miss Marjorie Bickok of this city.
who Joined The department the first of
May.
! 1t was the purpose OF these clinics to
reach the patients who had already been
treated during the last year or two. to
see how they were getting along. and
also to give any patients who have not
| received treatment an opportunity to be
treated. Tho clinics were held in Bur-
lngtor. Rutland. Montpelier, St. Johns
bury. Barton and st. Adams. The at
! tendance at the clinics was gratifying
to the workers. VINO feel that the people
of the State are gaining confidence in
| this work and arc more willing tc make
use Of the heip which the State is try
/ ing to give them.
Very little can be done in this work
| during the winter, because it Is so hand
for the people TO get to the clinics But
! the patients are given instructions to fol-
low and many. with tho help of their
| relatives and friends, are able to i'm
prove greatly by following these instruc-
| tons. Then, when they come to the elm
| les in the summer, they are examined and
! given further aid and advice.
| sometimes during the SIMMER. further
clinics will be held at which a specialist
in polionyelitis, DR.. Frank Ober of Bos-
/ ton will he present and aseist in the
! work. DR.. Oher is the man who perform
ed most of the operations last summer
upon Vermont children who were afflicted
| with poiomyeltis. and these operations
| have all proved highly successful It
| is expected that Dr. Ober viii be in the
! State for clinics during the latter part
of July or the early part of August.
! When he comes, due notice will be given
/ to all patients so that they will have
the opportunity to see him. Dr. Robert
| w. Lovett. also a polio expert from
Boston. who has been coming to Yer
| mont in connection with this work ever
since it was started in the State, will
not be able to come here this summer.
Dr. Ober is his associate in the work.
The clinics held in the various parts
| of the State during the month Of May
were most interesting. as we'll as bene-
| fetal. Parents and guardians were in
structed and advised how to take care
of the children crippled with poliomyel-
tits. so that the children might grow up
as strong and as straight. as useful and
as happy possible. Tho patients who
came. however. were not all children,
| II years of age.
To one attending these clinics for the
first time. it might seem remarkable that
| a patient who looked much encountered
by two braces. and was obliged to use
crutches in order to walk, looked like
one or the happiest persons in the world
But possibly that child was one who
could not walk at all last year. and had
not walked for three or four years. until
! operated upon and given braces and
! crutches.
! Six Vermont children were taken out
of wheel chairs this last year by having
their crooked limbs operated upon. braces
htted to them to make them stable, and
given crutches. If one has not walked
for years, or has never walked. 1t is quite
a joy to get about, even with braces and
'crutches. though it may seem a poor way
to those who have never had to sit all
day in chair. crawl on hands and
knees
! One little lady of five years, who had
never walked until this spring. but who,
after some months in Boston last win
ter, is gradually learning how to walk
remarked that ITS fun to get around
like the other kids
Another kind of operation that has been
of wonderful benefit. especially to de-
for ~, -
tendons of good muscles to help take
the place of paralysed ones. Muscles are
very much like rubber at tension-if
no muscles are paralyzcd. the balance Of
pull around joint is equal. If, however
as is so often the case in poliomyeltis,
the muscles on one side of the foot are
paralyzed, and those on the other are
strong, the foot is pulled toward the
side of the good muscles. and the child
walks either on the inside or outside Of
his ankle, depending on which side the
paralysis has occurred A foot of this
sort, especially as the child grows up. is
not only a handicap and ugly. but is very
uncomfortable.
quite a number Of patients at these
clinics were ones on whom this tendon
transportation operation had been done.
and the excellent results proved that
the operation was worth while. When
the paralysis has been so severe that
} there are not enough muscles left to
hold the bones in place. then it is neces-
sary to use braces. in order that the
chld's bones may grow as normally as
possible. If child is allowed to grow
up crooked in body ii will be as difficult
. to make him straight as in the case OF
, a large tree that has been twisted and
bent when ii was little.
| Moro encouraging. however. than even
the interesting and successful operations,
| were the results shown in some cases
| where the parents had untiringlY and in
tclligently carried out Dr. Lovetts in
istructions as to how to bring back all
possible muscle strength and prevent de-
formity. Many of these parents have
said that to come to the clinics and see
what unhappy conditions lack OF proper
care have caused. gave them new i'm
pulse and fuller determination to continue
n rather tedious treatment and continual
, watchfulness, because. wherever deformi-
ty has ever been. II is apt to recur