The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-05-02

I'D d disease, and
diphtheria and typhoid We're scourges
MS late Ms twenty years ago.
But medical science has conquered
these and number of other infectious
diseases. and we were beginning to
think that when we had conquered the
common cold and other respiratory dis
eases the heart and kidney ailments.
rheumatism and cancer and npsets of
the intestinal and nervous systems, we
should have the human race pretty
well on the road to health.
And then along came two completely
new diseases, infantile paralysis and
sleeping sickness. These are diseases
OF the brain and spinal cord. They are
our Twentieth century diseases. So far
they have US completely baffled.
For all the work we have done on
them. we still know very little con-
corning them.
Infantile paralysis made It's appear
ance in the ninNies Of the last century
and became epidemic after 1910. Sleep
Ing sickness was first observed In the
postwar period It followed the in
fuenza wave of 1918 and 1910. Then
came new type of sleeping sickness,
encephalitis. not nearly SO fatal nor
so disabling rs the other type. En-
cephaItis made It's first appearance In
,y1 nrfe In, = bn
mer Of 1922. then IN st. Louis and west
ern Illinois In 1923. and again In ILL
nois In the summer Of 1924.
The first thing scientist does In
animal Is susceptible to that disease.
and then to determine whether the dis
ease Is caused by germs that can be
seen with microscope or by germs so
scope vet made Is powerful enough to
reveal them-this second type Of germ
Is called Il virus. Medical laboratories
throughout the country have been try
Ing to lnoculate all kinds OF animals
H.ith infantile paralysis and sleeping
sickness. but So far 1t Is only the nom
key that has proved susceptible. And
since monkeys are expensive animals.
there are only few research centers
that have the funds to carry on this
experimentation.
The scientists working on these two
new diseases have been able to deter
mine that they are caused by two In
visible virnses, but more than that we
don't know. We also believe that the
common cold and Influenza. and small
pox. chckennnx. measles and mnmps
are caused by viruses hut whether
there Is any family connection" be-
tween all these virus diseases. we
haven't yet determined.
Psychologists are now beginning to
speak Of virus flora" They think That
the people of various sections Of the
world and Of country have virus
fora In their noses and rhroats that
Is as different from the virus flora In
another section OF the world as the
'.plant fora" of one section Is different
from the plant life of another section.
For instance. the virus flora In the
noses and Threats Of the people of Eng
land would he MS distinctive as is their
plant life. and the virus flora IN the
noses and throats of the people of the
United Sfates would likewise be as dis
tinctive as our plant fora Is distlnc-
tive. And the same would bold true
for Australia and Germany and India
and France and every other geograph-
lcal boundary.
Now we each get used to our
own particular virus fora, and when
we are well we are quite happy with
it. 1t is when we have breakdown in
health that our own virus flora can give
us trouble.
Also we get used to living with the
virus flora of our nelghbors uhen they
are well. 1t is when they are sick that
we are liable to get too much of their
cold virus or their measles virus for
our own good.
During the World war several mil
lions Of young and adult men were
| collected from the four corners Of the
| earth and transported to western Eli
rope. Here they lived In intimate CON
| tact with each other In crowded quar-
tiers; they were subjected to extreme
| and grneling mental and physical
| strain. There could not help but be
an exchange of individual virus flora
| by coughing, sneezing, handshaking,
| etc. Nothing like such an exchange
| had ever happened In the history of the
world before. The universal influenza
wave Of 1918 and 1919 was a result OF
| this Kaleidoscope mixing 1t was incuA
| hated, ripened and spread from western
| Europe. Since sleeping sickness made
| Its appearance after this influenza
wave, scientists are asking If there
| might not be some connection.
One good thing about the Twentieth
century diseases Is that they do not
seem to be contagious In the same
sense as diphtheria, scarlet fever and
| typhoid fever There is seldom Il sec
/ ond case In the same household.
@. Western Newspaper Union.