Evening star., 1944-08-20

~~OS~>~
crease in the number of new cases
for the week in North Carolina after
several weeks of decline, but declared
that on the whole the disease might
be expected to decline from now on
in the Southern States.
(There is evidence, however, OF
increases in the East-North- Central
section of the country, particularly
in New York State, where the num-
ber of new cases for the week ended
August IL was 1856, compared with
311 for the previous week. One hun
dred and eight of the new cases
reported were in New York City.
All the high hopes of cures of
former years have faded, one by one,
although, since 1916 more and more
effort has been directed toward
finding a cure.
The first high hopes were for con-
valescent serum, the protective anti
bodies of those who recently had
the disease. But after thousands
had been treated, 1t was found that
those with no serum had just as
IlSIl d ICtONCly AdVC eAiS oeAiSA" !"
Vaccines Abandoned.
Next came vaccines. One from the
New York City Health Department
was made of the killed virus of in
fantile paralysis. When 10000 vac
cinations were of record. there was
brief time when success was con-
fidently predicted. Afterward 1t
was abandoned as useless.
Then came a second vaccine, this
time of live but attenuated virus.
While first results looked good, after
a summers trial it was declared too
dangerous.
The third great hope was nasal
sprays, alum, picric acid and zinc
Sprays were founded on the belief
that polio was contracted only
through the nose, in the nerves OF
smell. But it was found that polio
also can be contracted via the di-
gestive tract.
Since the spray debacle there have
been both medicines and vaccines
that did we'll for laboratory animals
but none that have raised real hopes
of prevention or cure.
New Hope Rises.
Currently. there is one glimmer
on the medical horizon. That Is
new vaccine, based on the singular
fact that sometimes the method OF
killing micro-organisms makes
difference in their protective or vac
cination value.
The New York vaccine was made
by killing the virus with formal
dehyde. The new method this sum-
mer uses ultraviolet light. In the
laboratory such vaccine seems to be
protecting animals.
Physicians know that human
carriers probably spread polio; they
know that the virus Is found IN
sewage and in flies, and that ap-
parently a fly doesn't carry 1t more
than a couple of days. They know
that in laboratory it can be made
to spread from animal to animal
through the air. They know it can
be carried by mosquitoes-in labo-
ratories.
Rate declining.
That is about all, and it sums
up to the appalling fact that there
isn't any protection against infan-
tile paralysis, except to keep away
from infection. That involves the
impossible thing of keeping away
from every other human, and from
. lot of unknowns in nature besides
On the bright side, the polio death
rate has been falling for years. The
mortality was Is per cent in New
York City in the great 1916 epi-
demic. Now rates are between S
and 10 per cent, and sometimes
lower, even to a fraction of l per
cent.
Another bright side: Statistics are
piling up to show that half and
probably more than half of those
stricken will recover without par
salysis.
SO Per Cent Recover.
Miss Kenny claims that 88 per
cent Of those taking her treatment
recover without paralysis. This is
the highest rate, but not greatly in
excess Of other treatments. In 1884,
before she came to the United
States, among 1900 cases in Los
Angeles, 80 per cent had complete
recovery in one year.
In last years epidemic a record
nearly as good was made with 10
children in Chicago who had no
treatment except rest in bed under
nursing care. DR.. Mary S. Sherman,
reporting on these in last Mays
journal OF the American Medical