Woman's World

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 219, 16 March 1914, Page 6

Woman's World

INFANTILE PARALYSIS. DESCRIPTION OF Tllli DISI'IASK. A Christehurch medical man, discussing the fact tliat the disease luid been declared notifiable, said that he knew of seven cases in Christehurch. and that all doctors would approve of the action taken by the Department. It was specially necessary to he alert, he added, because the medical profession knew nothing of the origin of the disease, and .very little of the proper treatment. It sometimes took the form of an epidemic. There had been several epidemics in older countries. The gnat Swedish epidemic of 1011 began in the early spring. In July there were 17!) cases, in August 81)3, in September 1007, in October 48U. in November 285, out of a total of .'lB-10 cases; and the epidemic had not ceased to spread early in 11)12. Town and country were equally affected. 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 IIKIS, when 1000 cases were reported. According to one authority, he said, the most striking feature of the disease was the frequency with which it all'ected young children. Tt occurred six times more frequently in the first ten yearn than in the remainder of life. It had been attributed to cold and to fall, hut there were many facts in favor of its being of an infective nature. It had occurred during convalescence from acute diseases, immediately after attacks believed -to be influenza. KAKLY SYMPTOMS.

The onset of the illness often was sudden, but the paralysis was not generally noticed for one. two or three days. The early symptoms consisted of feverishness, or convulsions, or severe pains, either general or localised to the limb or limbs that were afterwards paralysed. Both pains and feverishness often were present together, and the pain might persist some days. The way in which the paralysis itself began also was very variable; it might show itself in one limb, and within two or three days after others; on the other hand, sometimes three or four limbs were paralysed 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 one 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 wrong 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. Tiie same authority, dealing with tlic treatment stated that in the early stage, before the paralysis had developed, attempts he made to reduce the fever, but the treatment must be mainlv expectant. When the paralysis had declared itself, the patient, already in bed, might be placed in the prone position and ice hags might be applied to the spine. Ergotin in doses of l-lith to a >/ 2 grain for children and from one to two grains for adults, twice daily and belladonna, in doses of l-20th to 16th 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 arsenior strychina and cod-liver oil. At this time also the local treatment of the atrophied muscles became important and electricity to those muscles whicis were still 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, Tiy position and passive movement. Mechanical supports and in some 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.

Tin l most distressing cases were those which came under the notice of the physic-inn six, eight or twelve, months after the onset of the paralysis, when the leg or one arm of both legs were placid and had little or no motion. If in a ease in which the paralysis had lasted for six 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.

WHITE SLAVERY XO OR(IAXJSEI) EFFORT HERE. Police-Commissioner Cullcn was waited on the other day by a Dominion reporter with regard to the alleged existence in New Zealand of an organised white slave traffic, inferred from the speech of Mrs. Field, at the W.C.T.U. Conference, at tiisborne. The Commissioner, who keeps in close touch witli every police district in New Zealand, stated that he was sure there was no organised white slavery existent at the present time in Xew Zealand. That sort of thing could not'go on for long in a small country like this without detection, and he was quite contident that there was no organised effort to decoy girls into leading a life of ill-fam». There was a case about five or six years ago wfien a Wellington girl was said to have been lured to London by a man who made a business of that sort of thing. That man had been subsequently arrested as one of three responsible for the importation into Auckland of some French women. These women used to cloak their infamous trado by taking little confectionery or tobacconist shops in various parts of the city. Finally one of the women got into trouble with the police, and the whole truth came out. Originally the girls were. lured away from their homes in France by men who only sought to make money out of them. They were persuaded to leave by a promise of beautiful dresses, a trip to other countries, and the prospect of linally making- good matches. First they were taken to some of the Continental cities and afterwards they visited Eio de Janeiro, Sydney, and Auckland, but were not in the latter city long before their business was discovered and they were rooted out.

Other police officials were questioned on the same subject, but one and all pave the opinion that so far as their knowledge went there was no organised white slave traffic going on in New Zealand.