Infantile Paralysis

From Fort Worth, Texas, and from Georgetown, Ky., public health officials reported local epidemics of infantile paralysis. About Fort Worth the disease has been a menace the past two months; Georgetown had 13 cases last week. In southern Ohio were sporadic cases.

Dr. Leon Herbert Martin, public health director at Fort Worth, en couraged doctors by reporting success with a serum treatment for infantile paralysis. The treatment consisted of injecting serum from a patient recently recovered from the disease into the bloodstream of a new case. In five cases treated, paralysis was stopped. But, because paralysis may develop long after a patient seems cured, the certainty of Dr. Martin's serum treatment cannot be yet affirmed.

Doctors include infantile paralysis (poliomyelitis) among the respira tory diseases. So far as is known, the disease only occurs in man and he is the sole source of infection (monkeys have been infected in clinics). Transmission may occur through insects and other animal carriers, but there is no definite evidence. No organism has been isolated which has been proved to be the cause of the disease.

Paralytic manifestations appear sometimes early, sometimes late. Recovery may be complete, or partial or complete disability develop. The central nervous system is attacked, sometimes involving the brain, always the spine.

Although prevalent all over the world, infantile paralysis especially attacks those living in the colder climates. It occurs usually during the dry, hot months, from May to November.

One attack apparently confers an immunity of high degree but doctors know of second attacks.

Since the cause and mode of transmission have not been definitely established, efforts to control the disease and prevent it have been along general lines. Disinfection is essential; antiseptic gargles are of questionable value, even probably harmful. After-treatment is of the greatest importance. If properly treated, deformities may, to a large extent, be prevented. During the acute stage, massage and exercise should not be resorted to, but the paralyzed part kept in its normal position through splints. To such orthodox treatment, Dr. Martin's serum is an experimental adjunct.

Hearing of the apparently successful serum treatments in Texas, Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York, onetime (1913-20) Assistant Sec retary of the Navy and Democratic candidate for vice president in 1920, who contracted infantile paralysis in the epidemic of 1922, but regained the use of his legs through warm mineral water treatments, revealed the formation of a Georgia Warm Springs Foundation which, with a fund of $75,000, has organized a special hospital at Warm Springs, Ga.

Mr. Roosevelt, on behalf of hiss fellow trustees on this Foundation (George Foster Peabody of Saratoga Springs, N. Y.; Henry Pope of Chicago; James T. Whitehead of Detroit; Herbert N. Straus of Manhattan) invited Public Health Director Martin to take ten of the Fort Worth patients to Warm Springs for free treatment until each patient should be improved, "even if it takes three or four years."