INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1916, Page 6

INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

To the Editor. Sir,—l wrote 011 the subject of infantile paralysis in the Daily News of -May 1 of this year, and a reference to this epidemic in a weekly paper recalls the vital importance of leaving no means untried to stimulate public interest—to rouse -people from their apparent indifference, and induce them to make greater effort to stamp out this dreadful disease. I have already expressed a conviction that infantile paralysis and the cattle plague known as blackleg are practically one and the same ailment. In the present hurriedly written letter there is no time to indulge in discursive amirnent 011 the subject, but a recapitulation ol a few of the most noticeable common characteristics of these diseases is necessary. In each the. patient suffers from paralysis, which a fleets t'lie limbs, and. in more severe attacks, the entire frame of the sufferer, but, judging from the unimpaired brightness of the eye, the mental organs retain their normal vigor until the final stages approach, A very noticeable after result ..of each is the withering and subsequent uselessness of at least one limb. There are other symptoms indicating a common origin and showing a peculiar affinity between these dreadful diseases; for example, each undoubtedly attacks the young and healthy animals, and rarely, if' ever, molests the old or weak. ICach has also a dormant and active season. These coincidences 'have been referred to in former letters, and I do not purpose" to dwell on them at the present moment. In t'lie Encyclopaedia we read that all forms of anthrax (blackleg is one of them) can be readily transmitted from one infected animal to any other animal, of the same species or otherwise, by inoculation or through the digestive organs, This also lias been previously mentioned and will be again referred to in this letter. On now turning to the dictionary, we read that anthrax is "the first infectious disease proved to be due to the presence of microscopic vegetable organisms." If the bacilli of this disease have vegetable origin this may explain why blackleg, originating from vegetable bacilli, becomes aggressively active in t'lie spring and makes it most deadly attacks during the warm months, when all forms of vegetable life awake from dormancy and bestir themselves to the exercise of their capabilities for doing good or evil, as the case may be. Again, at this time of year (early spring), we have the coincidence of a resurrection of infantile paralysis, which is gradually gaining ground despite the assurances last autumn of some of the doctors that it had been, probably, effectively stamped out. The reappearance of the disease may incline us to think that the rigor of the winter weather had more to do with the temporary immunity from trouble than had the "stamping out" methods of the medical men.

Passing briefly over infection from inoculation, which is likely to occur simply through abrasions of the skin or other similar accidents favorable to such results, we require to give more lengthy consideration to the other previously stated cause of infection, "through the digestive organs." It has been objected that a great liumGer of eases of infantile paralysis originate, and liave fre-' quently fatal results, in the larger towns, where the sufferers have apparently had 110 direct intercourse with the neighboring country districts, and it lias been asked, ''How does that agree with the theory?" The explanation is simple. In these present times, when so many healthy, robust women delegate the most responsible part of their maternal duties to that humble animal, the milk cow, we need not waste time searching for avenue of infection, especially when we recall to mind that infection is "readily transmitted through the digestive organs." As at least a partial safeguard, the pasteurisation of milk should be stringently enforced and results noted. Milk as a medium of infection had not occurred to me when I last wrote on this subject, but the analogy 'between the digestive organs and milk draws the mind naturally to regard them as part and parcel of the same "outfit," as the Americans say, and there can be no doubt that the origin of the trouble is in view. The only real preventive is inoculation, and let us pray that some clever medico may be invested with the mantle of the late Louis Pasteur and give us cause in the immediate future to bless his name. Failing successful inoculation, the pasteurisation of milk should be (riven as fair a trial as possible, for I am afraid it can 'be only partially given effect to. Massage as a preventive measure was suggested by me in a southern paper in April last, but since then I have become convinced that other means must be adopted and should be put in active operation without delay. Meantime it would he interesting to -know whether children reared naturally have,been less liable to infection than those fed artificially. In any ease, the subject is too important to be ignored. The declining birtliratfe is causing consternation in Britain, and havoc is being wrought among our young men on the western front. If in rflldition to these troubles the army of little men and women everywhere around us (engaged in various stages of "tumbling up" the ladder of life, and being daily reinforced) are to be threatened with annihilation, then,' surely, the bitterest dregs of the cup shall have yet to be swallowed.— 1 am .etc., J. R. STEWAJiT. i'amwa, September 16.