The Nome daily nugget., 1935-12-03

federal men have the names of the recipients on file and the recipients themselves under observation. The idea, of course, is to observe wheth- CT fewer cases develop among the vaccinated group than among the control group.
 Of course other tests are being made. It is being found that in- jections of serums prepared from the blood of convalescent cases is not harmful, but Is also of very little help. Dr. w. Lloyd Aycock, of the infantile paralysis commis- sion of Harvard university believes that heredity Is an important fac tor and is making experiments to determine the truth of his assump- ton.
 Symptoms Often Unrecognlzed.
 Infantile paralysis in locality where there is no epidemic is oft en unrecognized until actual paraly- sis sets in. At first it looks like any one of number of other in- fectious diseases. There Is head ache, vomiting, drowsiness, irrita- bility, fever, flushing. congestion of the throat and great sweating at night. Usually early symptoms are stiffness of the back and neck. Since the inflammation reaches the nerv- ous system, there may be pain in the muscles and joints, tenderness of the skin and pain in moving any of the joints This latter pain may be so intense that any slight move ment will be almost unbearable.
 As soon as the doctor suspects polio, he will probably want to make certain laboratory tests to make sure, for there are other dis eases, such as meningitis, which affect the spinal cord. He will prob ably inject needle into the spinal cord and draw off some of the fluid to examine it.
 In the early, or preparalytic stages, the disease may resemble a severe summer cold and is indeed upon instance without more harm- full permanent effect than cold. Early and correct diagnosis is of great importance.
 The victim is immediately put to bed and given absolute rest Per haps the doctor will administer convalescent blood serum or vac cine, the usefulness of neither of which is certain. The patient Is kept away from all contact with others. And that Is about all that can be done at that point.
 Six or eight weeks may be the period during which all movement or exertion Is highly dangerous.
 The apparent helplessness of the physician during this period some times drives frightened parents to accept the remedies of so-called natural healers" and other quacks which often destroy the patients chances for survival.
 Exercise Must Be Gradual.
 Not until every trace of tender ness is gone can even the simplest of muscle exercises begin Fatigue must be avoided. Relaxation and ease must be encouraged. Swimming pools and underwater treatment are desirable in most cases. This meth- cd was discovered in a Chicago hospital. The development of the Warm Springs, Ga., pool under the patronage of Its most distinguished visitor and patient, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and using his name for its natural publicity value, has encouraged many cities to maintain pools for the underwa- ter treatment of infantile paraly- sis.
 Slowly but certainly, mankind Is going to learn how to beat polio myelitis, just as 1t has other dis eases. One of the most important steps will be the experiments now being conducted in North Carolina and Virginia.
 Meanwhile, parents whose chill dren have been afflicted need only to examine history to take heart. To mention only two, there are men who have attained great heights although victims of infan- tile paralysis. Sir Walter Scott was struck down by the disease when hardly more than a baby, yet lived to become immortal in the world of letters; Franklin D. Roosevelt did not contract it until he was fully grown man. yet he is today Presi- dent of the United States and one of the most tireless dynamos of energy in all history.
 The moral is: Take heart-apd don't give up!
 @ Western Newspaper Union.