INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16484, 25 February 1914, Page 2

INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

TO BE DECLARED A NOTIFIABLE DISEASE. ' STATEMENT BY THE HON . R. H. RHODES. The Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes, Minister of Public Health, informed a “Lyttelton Times” reporter yesterday that with the view of getting authentic information as 1 to the number of. cases of infantile paralvsis (pyhomyelitis) in the dominion, and so to help to prevent its spreading, he had derided to make the disease a notifiable one. A notification to that effect would be published in this week’s “ Gazette.” DESCRIPTION OF THE DISEASE. YOUNG CHILDREN MOST' FRE- ' - QUENTLY AFFECTED. VIEWS OF A CHRISTCHURCH MEDICAL MAN. A Christchurch medical man, dis- • cussing the fact that the disease had • bean declared notifiable, said yesterday , tiiat he knew of seven cases in Christchurch, and that, all doctors would approve of the action taken by the Department. It was specially necessary i to be alert, he added, because the medical profession knew nothing of the I origin of the disease, and very little ! of the proper treatment. It some,j times took the form of an epidemic, i There had been several epidemics in I older countries. The great Swedish ' epidemic of 1911 began in the early spring. In July there were 179 cases, [ in August 893, in September .1067, in i October 483, in November 235, out of i a total of 3840 cases; and the epidemic j had not ceased to spread early in 1912. | Town and country' were equally afi fected. No common source of infection could be found, and an authority believed that the origin' of this epidemic ultimately was connected with, and to be sought for, in the previous epidemic of 1905, when 1000 cases were reported. According to ono authority, he I said;' the most striking feature of the disease was the frequency with which it ’ affected young. children. It occurred six times more frequently in the 'first ten years than in the remainder of f lifel It had been attributed to cold and to“ falls, but there were many facts t in favour of its being of an infective nature. It had occurred during convalescence from acute diseases, immediately after attacks believed to be in- ■ fluenza. EARLY SYMPTOMS. The onset of the illness often was -sudden, but the paralysis was not genSerally noticed for one, two or three | days. The early symptoms consisted jof feverishness, or convulsions, or severe pains, either general or localised Ito the limb or limbs that were afterwards paralysed. Both pains and .'feverishness often were present together, and the pain might persist Boine days. The‘ way in which the paralysis itself began also was very variable; it might show itself in ono limb, and within two or three days affect others; on the other hand, sometimes three or four limbs were paralysed 1 at first;, and recovery rapidly took place in one or two, leaving the other permanently affected; finally, in other cases, certain limbs were affected, from the first, and remained so. A child', aged four years and a half, was sick orib day, feverish with headache' the next two days, and became paralysed in all four limbs on the

fourth day. Three months later, paralysis of both arms and weakness of the right leg remained. Another child, fifteen months old,'was taken rather suddenly ill one day, and appeared to have something with the hip. She was feverish • for three days, and then the left leg was found to be painful and paralysed. The pain subsided in ten days, but the paralysis persisted. ,

TREATMENT OF THE DISEASE. The same authority, dealing with treatment, . stated that in the early stage, before the paralysis had developed, attempts might be made to reduce the fever, but the treatment must be mainly expectant.. When the paralysis had declared itself, the patient, already in bed, might be placed in the prone or lateral position and ice bags might be aplied to the spine. Ergotm in doses of l-6tli to $ a grain for children and from one to two grains for adults, twice daily and belladonna, in doses of l-20th to l-6th grain to the extract, according to the age of the child, had been recommended. The patient would be generally benefited after the first few weeks, by the use of tonics, such as iron iodide and phosphate small doses of arsenic or strychina and codliver oil. At this time also the local treatment of the atrophied muscles become important arid electricity to those muscles which were st ; 11 susceptible to it, and galvinism to others, should be applied. Massage was also important in promoting the circulation of the limb. . , _ Deformities in the affected limbs must be prevented, as far as possible, by position and . passive movement. Mechanical supports and in sopie cases the division of tendons might be necessary. A paralysed muscle which was unduly stretched by the weight of the limb, or by over-action of its antagonists, might be aided by fixing the limb for long periods of time in order to prevent that. Some. assistance also had been gained by dividing the tendon of a paralysed muscle and grafting it on to the adjacent tendon of a healthy muscle. The most distressing cases .were those which came under the notice of the physician six, eight or twelve months after the onset of tho paralysis, when one leg or one arm or both legs were placid and had little or no motion. If in a case in which the paralysis had lasted for six or eight months no observable improvement took place in the next six months with thorough and systematic treatment, little or no hope could be entertained of further change.