Evening star., 1938-05-01
Monkeys and PoliomyeHtis
Some Protests Possibly Based on misunderstanding.

by Mr.. Roosevelt, and which can
be carried on at present in many o6 its
aspects only by the use of monkeys.
It so happens that all animals, except
man and his immediate relatives, the great
apes and monkeys, are immune to poliomye-
litis virus. Even African and South Amer
lean monkeys are immune.
DR.. Walls statement was made before
on . dog protection bill held
during the last week in January before
the subcommittee on health, hospitals
and charities of the House District Com
mittee at which much opposition was
voiced to experimentation with dogs at local
hospitals.
The Georgetown professor, as q parting
remark, reminded Representative Virginia
Jenkes who had been absent part Of the
day working on arrangements for the
forthcoming birthday balls that the greater
part Of the funs raised would go for the
purchase Of animals.
Deluged With "Fan Mall
Every since DR.. Wall has been deluged
with what he calls his "fan mail" bundles
Of letters from all over the United States
essentially identical in wording with those
received by the Star. The statement. while
essentially true, was made off-hand and Is
somewhat misleading
In the past the proceeds Of the birth
day balls were divided on 1880 basis
between the local communities and tie
Warm Springs Foundation.
Last year Mr.. Roosevelt placed the mat
ter on much broader basis, appointing
committee of "a to serve as trustees Of
q new National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis. He intended it to lead, direct
and unity the fight against every phase Of
this sickness He expressed the hope
that within the next five years fund Of
from 100000 to $4,000, 900 would be
raised with which the foundation would
make every effort to ensure that every
responsible research agency in this country
Is adequately financed to carry on investi-
cations into the cause Of infantile paralysis
and the methods by which 1t may be pre-
vented"
The foundation also aims, according to
an announcement in the Journal Of the
American Medical Society, to develop
means of enabling those already crippled
by the disease to become economically in
dependent in their own communities.
Funds Went to Foundation.
This year all the funds raised at the
balls on January 40 went to this founda-
ton. Nothing went to Warm Springs or
to the local communities. The chief bene-
ficiary in Washington in the past has been
Children's Hospital. This year it received
nothing and for time there was some feel
ing among local physicians over the matter.
The object is to accumulate large endow-
ment from whose proceeds research may
be financed instead of spending the money
In the year 1t Is raised. regardless Of how
worthy the immediate purpose
The foundation proposes to support re-
sponsible research Of any sort bearing
upon the infantile paralysis problem. Each
project will be passed upon by Medical
Advisory Committee, now headed by Dr.
George w. Mccoy, former head Of the Ma
tional Institute Of Health. Monkeys are
essential for most projects at present deal
ing directly with the behavior Of the virus
Of this disease in the body. Purchase and
care of these animals rhesus mon
keys-will necessarily constitute . major
expense.
The plans Of the proposed foundation as
laid down by Mr.. Roosevelt, however, open
the way for much broader program, In
cluding chemical investigations, studies of
immunity to virus diseases in general and
especially nerve-attacking viruses and sta
tistical studies. This Is entirely aside from
the social projects made possible. So far
as present plans go the Foundation will
not set up an institution Of its own, but will
carry on its work through medical schools,
colleges, hospitals and like institutions
with equipment and personnel already
available for the work.
Projects Judged On Merits.
Thus it is unlikely that much Of the
fund will go for the payment Of salaries
although some may go for necessary wages
of caretakers, technicians, etc. Nobody at
present can tell what the money will be
| spent for or how much will be available.
Each project submitted to the committee
| will be judged on its merits and some in
ulFlOudl Oaico may SCcul IdI dltciu IIum
direct bearing on infantile paralysis, al
though any one of them may contain the
key which will unlock the whole secret.
Returns from the birthday balls still
are coming in. In Washington approxi-
mately $4,000 was raised, but money is
still trickling in to the Office of Commits
sioner Allen, who served as executive chair
man, and this amount may be swelled con-
siderably before the books are closed.
| Typical experimental work with monkeys
now Is being carried on at the National
Institute Of Health. Although 1t might be
described technically as vivisection, It is
far from the picture often associated with
this practice. There is no surgery on the
living animals. They are injected with the
virus or 1t is merely placed in their noses.
Nazi Music Instruments
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