Milford chronicle., 1948-09-24
DR.. Y. d. WdShBurn
Makes Report To
People About Polio
CONTINUED from nrst page,

Z
/ dents Of Wilmington, AZ were of
New Castle county, outside of Will
mingtOn, were of Kent county,
and II were of Sussex cOunty-7O
were males and 38 were females.
The age range was from go
months to SO years. There were 8
patients under "a months, 60 were
between 2 and II years of age, 20
were between IL and 18 years, and
20 were over Is years.
In Wilmington 2 of the homes of
the patients visited by our nurses
were reported as being substand-
ard, 3 were reported as being dirty.
4 as fair, II as clean and 18 were
spOtless.
In only instances did more
than / patient come from the same
home. There was one instance of
a father and son, another of a
father and daughter; there was
one instance where two adults
came from the same home and an
other where two children came
from the same home.
Of the As Wilmington cases, 18
had visited various nearby beaches
and 13 of these 18 had gone in
bathing; others had made use of
swimming pools and one had been
swimming in the Brandywine. Five
tots had been padding in tubs
placed in their backyards, and one
had visited a wading pool.
Now, the fact that 500 of the
Wilmington polio patients had
been in swimming proves precise
ly nothing. Many thousands have
been in swimming this summer
under all sorts of conditions who
did not develop polio.
Students of polio and public
health officials do not know how to
prevent the spread of polio. 1t is
because there is so much about
polio which we do not know that
there are such sharp differences of
opinion among presumed authori-
ties in this field.
Witness the. statement made by
group of authorities in attend
ance at the meeting of the First
international POliOmyelitis Con-
ference, sponsored by the National
Foundation for Infantile PARALYSIS.
in New York City, on July Is, 1948:
Eleven experts agreed unanimous
ly that public swimming pools may
be a source of infantile paralysis
infection and should be closed
down during an epidemic of the
disease. u. p. dispatch, July 13.
l948, Wilmington Morning News.
Contrast that with the state
ment made at RehobOth on Tues
day of this week, by DIR. Hart f.
Van Riper, medical director of the
National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis, that the foundation had
never recommended the closing of
swimming pools because no virus
mad ever been recovered from
them" If children contract polio
in them it is because of the con-
gested area. Closing pools Just
drives them to the unsanitary old
swimming hole or to a cOngested
moving picture place."
Since June 26th, we have ad-
hered to a program which called
for:
A-prOmpt disqualification and
diagnosis of each case by two or
more competent physicians.
B-prOvisiOn and facilities for
the care of an overflow of patients
if the resources at the Doris Me-
mortal were found insufficient.
C-adequate housing and medi-
cal fOllOw-up, and supervision of
polio patients after they are dis
charged from the Doris Memorial
D-the Withholding of the names
and addresses of patients under OBJ
servatiOn or treatment for polio.
This program has required and
received full cooperation from
press and radio, as we'll as faith
and confidence on the part of Our
people.
have reported each day the
facts as they have come to me
from the Wilmington General Hos
pital. The absence of terror and
hysteria has enabled our doctors
to hOspitalize only those patients
where hospital observation an
peared to be clearly called for.
| believe that our policy has jus
titled itself and that the com
munity has been saved many thou
sands of dollars in hospital ex-
penses.
believe that the greatest good
to the greatest number will come
when every family will call the
doctor promptly when symptoms of
illness appear and every doctor
will be on the alert for the possible
presence of polio. In other words.
| seek control of polio on a plat
form of education and understand
ing on the part of the public and
the cooperation of an alert and
competent medical profession.
pending that time when medical
science has effective measures for
the prevention of polio.