The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-08-23

VI course other tests are being made
1t is being found that injections Of
serums prepared from the blood of
convalescent cases is not harmful, but
is also Of very little help. DR.. w.
sis commission of Harvard university,
believes that heredity is an important
factor and is making experiments to
determine the truth of his assumption.
Symptoms often Unrecognized.
Infantile paralysis in locality
where there is no epidemic is often I'M
recognized until actual paralysis
sets in. At first it looks like any one
Of number of other infectious dis
eases. There is headache, vomiting,
drowsiness, irritability, fever, flushing,
congestion of the throat and great
sweating at night. Usually early symp-
toms are stiffness of the back and
neck. Since the Inflammation reaches
the nervous 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 movement 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 diseases such as menin-
gifts, which affect the spinal cord. He
will probably inject a needle into the
spinal cord and draw off some of the
fluid to examine it.
In the early, or preparalytie stages,
the disease may resemble a severe
summer cold and is indeed upon in
stance without more harmful per-
manent effect than a cold. Early and
correct diagnosis is of great impor-
lance.
The victim is Immediately put to bed
and given absolute rest. Perhaps the
doctor will administer a convalescent
blood serum or vaccine, the useful
ness of neither of which is certain.
The patient is kept away from all con-
tact with others. And that is about
all that can be done at that point.
Six or eight weeks may be the pc
Rod during which all movement or ex-
ertion is highly dangerous.
The apparent helplessness Of the
physician during this period sometimes
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 tenderness
is gone can even the simplest of mus
1cle exercises begin. Fatigue must be
avoided. Relaxation and ease must be
encouraged. Swimming pools and I'M
derwater treatment are desirable in
most cases. This method was discov-
cred in Chicago hospital. The de-
velopment of the Warm Springs, Ca,
pool under the patronage of it's most dis
guished visitor and patient, President
Franklin d. Roosevelt, and using his
name for its natural publicity value,
has encouraged many cities to main
tain pools for the underwater treat
ment of infantile paralysis.
Much of the rebuilding process de-
ponds upon the patient himself and the
attitude of the persons with whom he
comes in contact during convalescence.
1t is the tendency of many families
to pamper and pity the child who has
some physical defect such as that
which may be brought on by paralysis,
and the child too often for his own
good takes advantage of the situation.
While such a child should not be
spoiled, he should be entertained, en-
couraged and treated as a perfectly
normal member of the family insofar
as possible, according to authorities.
Slowly but certainly, mankind is go
ing to learn how to beat poliomyelitis,
just as it has other diseases. One of
the most important steps will be the
experiments now being conducted in
North Carolina and Virginia.
Meanwhile. parents whose children
have been afflicted need only to ex-
anime history to take heart. To men,
ton only two, there are men who have
attained great heights a|tnnEsh vic
tins of infantile paralysf Wal
ter Scott was struck ddW ~ the
disease when hardly more thaflM baby,
yet lived to become immortal in the
world of letters; Franklin d. Roosevelt
did not contract it until he was a
fully grown man. yet he is today Pres
ident of the United States and one of
the most tireless dynamos of energy
in all history.
The moral is: Take heart-and
don't give upl
q western Newspaper Union.