INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 24, 18 June 1914, Page 6

INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

IS IT IXEEOTIOL'S?

l!!l. YAUXTJNE'S VIKWS.

The infeetivity or otherwise of infantile paralysis became indirectly the subject of a. brief discussion at the meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board yesterday, when the position was put pretty clearly by Dr. Valintinme, Inspector-! iciicr.il of Hospitals. The question arose from a paragraph in the report of the Health Inspector (Air. F. (i. fielder) to the "fleet that he had disinfected the effects of a nurse who had bca in attendance at a ca°e of this disease at Stratford.

The Board requested somi- information as to wliy, if disinfection were required, it had been carried out in Stratford, before, as the chairman expressed it, she was allowed to travel on the train as a menace to 'tin' travelling public, The inspector explained that the nurse had arrived at the house after the .patient was dead, and had 'accordingly" returned immediately. She came to him with her effects packed in a canvas cover and placed inside a travelling bag. Probably the Stratford health authorities knew nothing of the matter. The nurse to'd him that she did not handle the patient and that she wore the doctor's over-all when in the room with the body. There was. he said, some difficulty in dealing with these case.-, as the medical profession was not unanimous in regarding infantile paralysis as an infectious disease, although the Health Department's instructions were definite.

I Dr. Valintine remarked that there was a lack of unanimity among medical men as to the infectivity of tlie disease. The information concerning it, though ■meagre, was to the effect that it was Infectious, and evidence of the epidemic in Dur.edin confirmed that idea. The instructions of the Department were to treat the disease as infectious, with "!'"f;s»( i <?!!3 similar f,q those- used in ! starlet fever cases. In any ease, Ihe f disease was serious enough to be treated J with caution, for though the mortality I was not great, .'till the paralysis rcj sultant on it (although not so great as * in the ease of other epidemics) was not inconsiderable. All cases of infantile paralysis should be notified, and anyone not complying with these instructions was liable to a penalty. Referring to the Stratford »ase. he =aid he thought that all precautions bad been taken. Dr. Paget had been specially to =ce him about the measures to b"'adopted. .Mr Maxwil. while agreeing that Dr. Paget had exercised every care, considered that, even if only to a = -uiv the public that the Board made due enquiry into these matters, lie should be asked to give bis views on the matter. There was no definite information as to whether the nurse hail bandied the patient or whether sleput any formaline with her effects in packing them. l)v. Val'mtine stated that he understood that special precautions had been taken in Stratford in connection with the burial . Tt was decided to write to Dr. Paget on the matter.