The Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1916. INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1598, 15 August 1916, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1916. INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

NO fresh cases of infantile paralysis have been reported in (lie Do,minion for some lime past, ami to that extent the position must he regarded as satisfactory. On the oilier hand, it has to bu home in mind that while the epidemic lasted something like 1,000 eases were reported, so (hat the subject is still a matter of very great public interest. Daring the height of the epidemic the Minister of Public Health (lion. (!. W. Russell) engaged the services #f Nurse Devilaqna, of Adelaide, an exponent of the system instituted by Dr Mackenzie, of Melbourne, of dealing with Ibis terrible disease. She was engaged* for six weeks for the purpose of giving instruction in the operation ot the system. The six weeks have run into fourteen Creeks, during which time she has given instruction and practical demonstrations at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch. Timarn, Dunedin, and Invercargill. She is now in, Wellington, and a Post reporter hail an interesting' talk with her on the subject. Her central idea, sin l said, was (o stimulate the interest of patients and the public generally on a subject which is of supreme importance. To begin with, it bad to be borne in mind that massage and battery treatment arc of no value in such cases. The system aims at I lie education of (be muscle affected, by putting it in n position of absolute rest, (hi the other hand, massage and battery treatment will have the same effect, as Dr. Mackenzie said, of Mwbipping a tired horse whim yon waul him to get up a bill." Unless the paralysed limb was put and kept in a proper position, deformity was bound to ensue, and with all llm cases I bat bad come under her notice a start bad to be made with overcoming tin* deformity bid ore anv progress could be commenced. Nurse P.cvibi(|im rulated many remarkable instances of progress under (he system, but she emphasised

Ibis point. The treatment must be

ejiericd out for, say, about two vears, or until the patient reaches :i normal condition. The real trouble arise- from the fact that people think that a Might improvement is

sullieienl. H I he treatment is enrrictl nil practically :md ebnlinuoiisly there is no reason -jvliy (ho !> ; 1 1 Sent sliuiild not entirely recover. It will lake about n your to find out definitely the j'osulls of the system ns applied in New Zealand, hut it cnii lie safely stated Unit, wherever j| is used hy an intelligent operator improvement, has been most marked, and, in any ease, if it is continued the result mast be .satisfactory. An operator should have a thorough knowledge of anatomy, and then, j after acquiring the system, she would lie able to instruct a mother so that she could carry on the work under supervision. “Any mother of ordinary intelligence can do the work and get good results,” said . Nurse Bevilaqua. She added that it is most important that every parent

or guardian of an afflicted child should consult a doctor, and the doctors, by conferring with the Health Department, could ascertain the names of competent workers. It, had to he particularly remembered that no good results could be obtained unless the work was carried out in its entirety.