Evening star., 1944-08-29
Polio Strikes 3
More and Lifts
Total 10 1877
Child Dies From
Meningitis After
Incorrect Diagnosis

Eight new victims of infantile
paralysis brought to District hos
pitals in the past "a hours increased
the total number of cases for the
Metropolitan Area to 1877 since the
outbreak of the disease July /
There are "a cases from the District
and So from nearby communities.
Children's Hospital reported the
following new cases to Health De-
partment authorities: A 13-year- ole
boy from the Southeast section OF
the city, 4-year-old boy from the
Northwest area, a 5-year-old girI
from Chevy Chase, Md, an 8-year-
old girl from Hyattsville, Md. ar
8-year-old boy from Prince Georges
County. Md, and an 8-year-old boy
from Northeast. The cases of a
l0-year- girl from the Southwest
section and a 13-year-old boy from
the Northwest area were reported
at Gallinger Hospital.
A 3-year-old boy from the North
west section of the city, who was
earlier diagnosed as an infahtile
paralysis victim, died last night at
Childrens Hospital of tuberculal
meningitis. Diagnosis of the case
reduced yesterdays total of infantile
paralysis cases from the Washing
ton area to 129.
Meanwhile DR.. George C. Rutland
District health officer, said Sister
Elizabeth Kenny. Australian-born
nurse who founded the Kenny
method for treating infantile pa
rarlysis more than 80 years ago,
will leave Minneapolis by plane
for Washington Thursday night.
She is expected to arrive Friday.
DR.. Rutland said that hospital au-
thorities and District and public
health officials will participate in
conferences with Sister Kenny. In
vitations also will be extended to
health officers in nearby States.
Among those who will be asked
to attend are Dr. Huntington Will
liams, Baltimore health officer; DR..
I. C. Riggin, State health officer of
Virginia: Dr. Robert Reilly, State
health officer of Maryland: DR.. VAL
entine Ellicott, Montgomery County
health officer. and DR.. Ralph Beach
ley. city health officer of Alexandria.
DR.. Rutland said that Sister
Kenny plans to demonstrate some
early diagnostic methods. These
demonstrations. he pointed out, will
depend upon the availability of suit
able clinical material at the local
hospitals. The place of the confer
ences has not been designated.
Commenting on reports that a
Kenny clinic for the treatment Of
poliomyelitis may result from Sister
Kenny's visit here, DR.. Rutland ex-
pressed the hope that physical
housing for such a clinic may even
tuate" but said he personally favors
merging such clinic with the pro-
posed medical center now under
discussion for the District.
An Associated Press dispatch from
Virginia yesterday disclosed that
public school openings in Lynch
burg would be postponed from Sep
tember 6 to September 18 because
of poliomyelitis.
The postponement was the first to
be reported in any of the larger
Virginia cities, although the matter
is under discussion at various places.
With IA new cases of polio reported
yesterday the total number in the
State since June l was 349.
Omer Carmichael. superintendent
of Lynchburg schools. said the post
ponement was not based on requests
or advice from city or State health
authorities, but was approved by
the city's school board members.
1t was the unanimous judgment
of child specialists in Lynchburg
that a September opening would
be imprudent, Mr.. Carmichael said
A total of 164 cases since jan
uary l has been reported to the
Maryland Health Department, the
Associated Press reported Fourteen
deaths have been recorded in that
State during 1914.
Officials of the Office OF Price
Administration said, in response to
an inquiry today, that no consid-
Grafton had been given to the pos
sibility of allowing extra gasoline
rations to parents who may want
to move their children out of polio
areas without using public trans
porta ton facilities.
They added that the question
probably would not be considered
formally unless health officials in
an affected area made a recon-
naenda tinfl that children be raaued