The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-08-09
THE INFANrILE PARALYSIS SCARE

Somewhere or other there is almost always a
 poliomyelitis scare, I infer from the lnqulrles coming in from anxious parents | We have good reason to believe, though we
 do not vet know definitely that this disease
 is respiratory infection, that is, the germ or
 virus of the disease is usually carried rom one person to another in the secretions rom
 mouth nose throat of the patient or a
 healthy carrier, just as dipther1a or measles or
 whooping cough is spread
 | It may do no good but it does no harm any
 how, to use simple solution of a heaping | Iteaspoonful of boric acid in the pint or poneo water as a mouth wash or gargle or nasal spray three or more times a day. if there is a local
 outbreak of infantile paralysis. l don't know
 whether this will prevent catching the disease, but do know that such a solution Is as eHl- cent as any known antiseptic preparation one 1 can for such a purpose.
 The attack of poliomyelitis (infantile paral- ysis) begins very much like ordinary acute sorethroat. grippe coryza or other cr (com- mon respiratory infection). After a few days of such mildly feverish illness the patient
 complains of pain or tenderness or neaviness
 or weakness in some particular muscle group usually in one limb, and the limb gradually becomes weak paralyzed. though generally
 only partly powerless, that is it is not entirely immovable.
 The disease is infectious or communicable only during the feversh stage, say the hrst
 week or ten days of the illness. Alter that tne paralysis remains for weeks or months, put the condition is no longer infectious and the
 patient is not a menace to anybody The paral, ysis paress (weakening) or the aHecteu muscle group is merely the aftermath or result
 of the illness and is not in any sense an illness
 in itself.
 Whether the victim fully recovers the use of the affected muscles or only partly regalns con- trol or fails to show any improvement, there is no reason in the world why the general physical and mental health should not be quite as sound as though no attack of lnfantlle paralysis had occurred.
 The great remedy in the stage of invasion Is rest. Most intelligent folk now know that
 day in bed is the best first aid treatment for
 most acute illnesses. Well if the illness hap pens to be acute ilmyitelisetaoinshdrluj--
 pens to be acute poliomyeltiis. then the first
 day in bed is more potent for preventing paral- ysis or for dimiting it to mild or a temporary paresis than is any serum or other remedy as yet discovered.
 I hope all parents who have appealed to me for advice about this will heed the advice give. Here it is: At all tnies, even if there is no immediate poliomyelitis scare, give your child the benefit of the doubt-send him to bed and keep him there for at least twenty four hours whenever he manifests any symp- toms of cri, or if you're mulish about it, then Ia Tcold". You never can tell neither can a doctor, and not even a nurse doubling in the role of little tin doctor, what such an illness will turn out to be.
 If you are still in doubt whether the child is i'll after he has remained in bed for "A hours, then a good parent you must CD either keep him in bed another 24 hours or CD call
 in your physician at once.