Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-29
PARALY S|S Center
. FOUND IN GOTHAM
InfantiIe Disease Epidemic
Feared by Health Chiefs
/ as Cases Increase.

Ynfantile paralysis again HIS broken
cut In the land.
special conference OF Public Health
Service physicians and State heaitn
ofIicers Of a dozen States was held IN
New York yesterday to discuss means OF
combating this dreaded disease, wnlcn
has made its appearance this year In
an especially sensational fashion.
It has struck New York City-more
specifically the Brooklyn area-and at
the end of the week approximately 70
new cases. mostly of children. were
being reported every day. The in
crease has been cumulative during July.
The Public Health Service Is complet-
ing a Geographic survey OF all the
neiehboring States, including all OF
New England and Ohio, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey and Maryland, and thus
far no alaI<.lng reports have been re-
ceived except from Brooklyn. But the
fear of their spreading Is in the mlnos
Of public health officers, who remember
the local concentrations OF the begin
nings of other poliomyletis epidemics
Situation Undetermined.
Thus far, it was stated yesterday,
It has been impossible to determine
Just what has happened in Brooklyn.
The situation Is complicated by the
fact that early this Summer the New
York City Health Department issued
report every case Of this disease. 1t
may be, it was explained. that cases
are being reported which ordinarily
would not come to the attention of the
authorities, rather than that there Is
o sensational number of cases.
On the walls of the surgeon generals
office is graphic chart Of poliomyelitis
prevalence throughout the year. The
line representing this Is like a picture
Of serpent raising its head to strike
every August after its long sleep. Some
times it barely lifts its head and then
drops back to sleep again. Other years,
as in 1926, 1t is wide awake and strikes
wildly in every direction.
Public health officials were unable to
make any predictions today on the
basis of the New York reports. They
pointed out that the yearly outbreak
generally is first recognized In a re-
stricted locality. 1t may not break
loose.
Victims Often Crippled.
Drs. C. E. Waller and w. T. Harrison
of the Public Health Service attended
the New York conference and plan to
obtain cultures of the Brooklyn cases
for examination at the National In
Stitute Of Health laboratory. Poliomye-
litis, 1t was explained, Is another Of the
mysterious filterable virus diseases of
which the specific organism never has
been isolated. It is generally treated
with serum prepared from the blood
OF convalescent patients, which appears
to reduce greatly its Nrulence. It Is
being studied constantly at the National
Institute and some progress has been
made, due largely to the fact that it
is possible to infect monkeys with the
filterable virus
The virus seems to attack specifically
the motor nerve trunks and the effect
Is most noticeable in the lower ex-
tremities. Arm or trunk paralysis sell
dom is experienced. but the victim often
Is left a cripple for life Unlike the
closely related encephalitis, it does not
seem to act on the brain. While the
majority Of victims are children, the
disease strikes persons of any age.