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DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD; DAKOTA CITY, NEBRASKA.
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INFANTILE PARALYSIS HAS LONG
BEEN A PUZZLE TO SCIENTISTS
Disease Which Has Collected Awful Toll of Children Is Caused by
Minute Organism That Attacks the Spinal Cord and May
Turn a Healthy Baby Into a Cripple Over Night Picks
; Strong and Well Children in Preference to
' the Weak.
New York. Tho condition known ns
Infantile paralysis Is tlu result of an
attack by un organism or minute para
site on tho contents of tho spinal cord,
Into which It makes Us way. The
spinal cord becomes lllled with blood
and the sensory and motor cells, as
they are called, become disorganized
and broken. A healthy baby may be
turned into a cripple over night by the
disease, which for a long tlmo battled
the most expert skill In therapeutics.
Dr. Simon Flexner, head of the
Rockefeller Institute, and the man
whoso discoveries In connection with
tho disease have given him an Inter
national reputation, declares, reports
tho New York Times, that, according
to all records, Infantile paralysis
seems "to pick the stroug and well
children In preference to the weak.
Vigorous health seems to be no pro
tection against the disease."
"The Infectious ngent enters the
body eltlelly, If not exclusively, through
tho mucous membranes of the nose
mid throat," he says. "Poliomyelitis,
or Infantile paralysis, affects chiefly,
but not exclusively, young persons; It
may nnd not Infrequently docs affect
adults and no ago Is absolutely free of
danger of Infection."
Doctor Flexner appeared before a
meeting of physicians in Brooklyn and
explained to them how the disease
could be contracted.
"Tho virus of Infantile paralysis ex
ists In the secretions of the nose and
throat and in the intestines," he said.
"Jlenee the mode of spread may bo
l)y kissing, coughing, and sneezing,
which carry tho secretions of tho nose
and throat from one person who may
be infected ta other persons.
"Since the disease attacks by prefer
ence young children and Infants whose
nasal and mouth secretions are wiped
away by mother or nurse, the fingers
of these persons readily become con
taminated. The care of other children
by persons with contaminated fingers
may. therefore, lead to tho conveying
of the Infectious micro-organism Indi
rectly from tho sick to tho henlthy.
This danger also exists In connection
with vendors of food which Is eaten
uncooked. Tho existence of enses of
infantile paralysis In the homes of ven
dors of food is, therefore, a perpetual
source of danger. Dissemination can
be made by means of house flies.
As to Treatment.
"Treatment involves Isolation of the
acutely 111, proper care and destruction
of contaminated discharges, supervi
sion of persons In contact with tho ill
nnd of all vendors of food, exclusion
of all files, and general sanltnry con
trol of tho personnel and habitations of
families In which the disease exists.
"No ago is absolutely free of danger
of infection, although Infantile paraly
' sis affects chiefly young persons. It
not infrequently nffects adults. More
over, as indicated, the disease Is one
that can be communicated by healthy
persons who have been In contact with
tho sick, but who aro themselves well."
iieports of clinical cases indicate
that the on&et of the disease Is likely
to be insidious. Parents paying little
heed to slight spasms In their children
are in due tlmo shocked by the slow
withering of limbs and the beginning of
n state which in many Instances Is In
distinguishable from physical helpless
ness. Then, when It is too late, the
question of contagion Is raised. On
this last point. Doctor Flexner has
written:
Of Infectious Origin.
Tho idea of contagion In respect to epl,
cleima poliomyelitis Is i.ot a now one, but
appeared In the literature of inoro than u
quarter of a contury uko, and of late has
been frequently Invoked The clinical
course of tho dlseaso Indicated an Infec
tious orlsln, but up to very recont times no
convincing Hiiowledgo conormlng tho na
ture of tliu agent causing Infantile para
lysis existed The opidemlc V)f 1907 In this
country, In Ftanco and In Germany led to
a renewed study of the nature of tho In
fection In tho course of which the more
subtle nnd iccent methods of bacteriology
wore employed.
Those methods led almost slmultaneous,
ly, In the United States, by Doctor Lewis
nnd myself, and In Franco, by L,anrtsteln
or and Ixivadltl, to tho discovery that the
Infectious agent was an extremely minute
micro-organism that readily passed
through tho pores of earthenware filters
Vnd constituted, therefore, an example of
the so-called filterable viruses, of which at
the present time several examples are
Known to cuise Infectious diseases In
man and the lower nnlmala. The filterable
nature of the virus has now boen con
Jlrmed Uiorovor the subject has been ac
curately Investigated On acquisition of
the fact of the nature of this virus, and
of tho further fact, on widen the discov
ery of the nature of the virus actually
depends, that both tho higher and lower
monkeys aro subject to the experimental
IUeii.se, rest tho recent groat advances
which have been made In the Investigation
of Infantllo paralysis.
Proved by Experiments.
Experiments with monkeys conduct
ed with extreme enro proved that In
fantile paralysis could bo transmitted
from one putlent to another. Tho di
sease, moreover, Is caused by a most
minute organism or germ, as the popu
lar phraso hns come to be.
"It Is, so far as wo can now Judge,
one of tho most minute organisms
known to cause disease." says Doctor
Flexner. "This conclusion fotlous
from tho fact that In aqueous suspen
sion, such as Is secured through pre
paring an emulsion of tho spinal cord
in distilled water, It passes with great
readiness and llttlo or no loss of po
tency through the pores of tho densest
uud flnofct porccluln Alters, uamely,
the so-called Chamberland filter. It
passes with even greater caso through
tho somewhat less dense Bcrkefold
filter. It Is extremely doubtful wheth
er tho virus has actually been seen.
On staining film preparations of tho
illtrnto with mordanting dyes, prepa
rations are secured which under tho
highest powers of tho microscope ex
hibit minute points, circular or slightly
oval In form, which possibly, although
not certainly, represent the stained
parasite.
Filtrates Highly Potent.
"When tho filtrates aro examined
under tho durkMnlcroscope, Innumer
able bright dauclng points, devoid of
definite size and form, and not truly
motile, can bo discerned. That these
particles represent the micro-organism
of poliomyelitis ennnot bo nllirmed,
since slmllnr particles are present in
flltrntes obtained from nervous nnd
other tissues which can bo viewed
also ns consisting of simple protein
matter.
"The flltrntes ore highly potent.
Quantities ns small as ono one-thousandth
to ono one-hundredth of a cubic
centimeter sufllco,to cnuso tho disease
In monkeys after tho usual Incubation
period, when Injected Into' the brain.
The virus is highly resistant to cxter-
MaaiiaMwHaamwini
Dr. Simon Flexner.
mil agencies nnd conditions. It with
stands glycerlnatlon for weeks or
months, :ery much as the virus of vac
cinia or rabies does. It withstands dry
ing over caustic potash for weeks with
out any'or mnrked reduction In poten
cy, showing n greater degree of resis
tance than the virus of rabies."
Doctor Flexner lias discussed the di
sease before numerous medical socie
ties, both In this country nnd Europe,
and the following paragraphs are tak
en from some of his papers :
A Living Organism.
That the virus Is a living organism must
be concluded from the fact that such ml
nuto quantities of It sunico to carry Infec
tion through an Indennlto serlos of anl
mals. Wo have propagated tho virus now
through 25 generations, representing 25
beparate series of monkeys, and as many
removes frqm tho original human material
supplying it, and .the activity of the virus
for the monkeys has Increased rather
than diminished In the course and as the
result of tho successive transplantations.
Whether the virus has been or is to be
IMPROVISED WELL IN MEXICO
An impioWhCd well near field headquurters at the American Ijumj camp in
Mexico. The UniU'd States soldier Is versatile. He can get himself out ol
almost any predicament with only tho natural resources of the couutry at Ida
commnnd. Tho water secured from the wells Is of hotter qu'jli'y tlmo thai
found In the waterliclcs and rivers.
cultivated outside of tho body Is stilt tin
undecided question. I
Tho spinal cord of n paralyzed monkey
always contains tho virus we are consid
ering. If a camera hair pencil or pledget
of cotton Is covered with some of tho
broken up tissue of such a cord and
painted upon tho mucous membrane of
tnonkevs thoso animals will develop In due
tlpio tho paralysis and othor symptoms
of poliomyelitis.
The chief terror of tho disease lies In
Its appalling power to produco deformities
When death does occur It Is not tho re
sult, ni lit many Infections, of a process
of poisoning that robs tho patient of
strength and consciousness beforo Its Im
minence but Is cnuscd solely by paralysis
of the respiratory function, sometimes
with merciful suddenness, but often with
painful slowness, without In any degree
obscuring the consciousness of tho suffo
cating victim until Just before tho end Is
reached. No moro terrible tragedy can
bo witnessed.
Tho employment for treatment of the
Immune serum, taken from monkeys or
from human beings, exercises a definite If
not very strong proteetlvo action upon In
oculated monkeys. Klthor tho disease Is
provonted altogether, or Us evolution Is
modified In such a manner ns to diminish
Its severity. When the virus used for In
oculation Is highly adapted to tho monkey
and thus vory virulent, It Is moro difficult
to control tho result than when It departs
less from tho original typo and Is less ac
tive. How It Acts.
Tho lmmuno scrum has thus far acted
best when It was Injected Into the sub
dural space on several succosslvo days.
This is In conformity with tho fact thnt
however Introduced Into tho body the
virus establishes lts61f In communication
with tho cerebrospinal liquid whore It
propagates for a tlmo. loiter tho virus
localizes In tho nervous tissue Itself and
becomes accessible not from this liquid
only but, probably, from the general blood
also.
Tho serum Introduced into tho subdural
space soon escapes Into the blood; and
thus a double action Is secured; on th
ono hand It reaches tho nervous tissue di
rectly from tho cerebrospinal liquid, and
on the othor Indirectly with the blood. An
lmmuno horso serum at first gave disap
pointing results, but latterly Its employ
ment by Intramuscular Injection has given
moro promise. '
Tho point of departuro which wo have
adopted Is the drug hoxamethylonamln,
(urotropln,) which possesses a degree of
antlsoptlo action In tho body and Is known
to bo secreted Into tho cerebrospinal
liquid. When the drug Is administrated
by mouth It can bo detected by chemical
tests In tho liquid In a short tlmo. When
Inoculation of virus and administration
of tho drug aro begun together and the
administration continued for some days
aftcrwurd, tho development of the para
lysis is sometimes but not always averted,
llexamethylenamln londs Itself to modi
ncntlons by tho addition of still other
antiseptic groups to Its molecule. Wo have
tested n, largo numbor of such modifica
tions nnd have found certain ones to ex
ceed tho orlginnl compound In protective
power, and others to promoto tho onset
of paralysis. Nono is wholly without some
degree of Injurious action upon tho sen
sitive and vital organs of tho body. But
manipulative skill 1ms already succeeded
In eliminating tho objectionable, and im
proving tho valuable features of certain
drugs so that they exert action but little
upon the organs and severely upon the
paraslto, when thoy become useful thera
peutic agents.
Power May Return.
In tho less severe cases of Infantile
pnialysls only a group of muscles un
dergo complete paralysis and atrophy,
and there Is alwnys hope of some re
turn of power In a paralyzed limb. As
sociated with tho withered condition of
the limb due to the muscular atrophy
Is an enfeebled circulation, rendering
tho limb cold, blue and livid; tho nu
trition of the bones and other parts is
Involved, so thnt a limb paralyzed In
early Infancy does not grow and Is
shorter than Its fellow.
In Scandinavian countries the dl
seaso is prevalent and sometimes as
sumes nn epidemic form, whereby ono
Is led to believe that it is duo to an
Infectivo organism.
Beginning in 1007, or thereabout, n
pandemic of tho disease arose. Tho
United States, Austria, Germany, and
latterly Franco have certainly hnd epi
demic outbreaks. It Is considered a
matter of significance that tho original
foci of tho epidemic dlseaso in tho
United States, occurring In the summer
nlno years ago, wero umohg tho At
lantic seaboard states, and thnt tho
two centers of population most seri
ously affected wero Greater New York
and Boston. The particular point of
Importance In this respect arises from
the fact that thoso two centers of pop
ulation receive first nnd in a most con
centrated way tle tmmlgrant popula
tions from northern and eastern Europe.
THINKS INDIANS REAL
JZAKAGER&LlJXL'tGrmr
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There Is at least one manager In the American league who doesn't believe
the Cleveland Indians arc going to "blow" nnd he Is "BUI" Donovnn. Tho
Indians have Impressed tho Yankee lender as being ono of tho strongest clubs
that ever represented that city nnd Donovan says It Is tho most dangerous team
In the league.
When It comes to bnttlng In runs the other members of the Indians must
"kow-tow" to the hard-hitting right fielder, Elmer Uobert Smlth-ltoth or ltobert
Elmer ltoth-Smlth, whichever wny you prefer, the combination right gardener
having driven in -12 runs for tho Indians this senson, which Is only one-third
gone nt this writing. The Smith half of the linn has sent 20 runs across, whllo
tho Both half has accounted for 28.
"Chic" Gnndll, however, Is tho Individual leader, having driven In 30 runs.
"Trls" Speuker, though, is giving him a merry battle, having chased HI of his
team mates ncross the rubber. "This," however, is batting some 100 points
better than "Chic." After passing by the right field firm, we find "Jack" Graney
has driven In 2-lmen, an unusually large number for a lead-off man, who In
forced to follow weak batters. In fact, nil the Indians tire hitting and this com
bined with the splendid pitching they have had to date has kept them well on
lop.
BA5EBAL
Outfielder "Greasy" Neale Is playing
sensationally for Cincinnati.
Tho Itcd Sox don't miss Speaker
any more than an auto would miss u
bpurk plug.
Ping llodlef with an average of .305,
Is leading the Pacific Coast league bat
ters In hitting.
Chicago newspapers have learned
that Tinker would like to get Johnny
Evers from the Braves.
McGraw has decided to make a
pitcher out of George Kelly, tho Giants'
extra first baseman nnd outfielder.
Speaking of encouragement, there Is
the headline : "Brooklyn Hooters Won-
derlug Whether Team Will Crack."
Gllhooley of tho New Yorks, Is be
ginning to hit as he did In the Interna
tional league. He Is u capital lead-off
man.
,
According to importers, Ivory is
hrowlng scarce, but you'd never be
lieve It ufter attending a few baseball
games.
Brick Owens Is doing sterling work
as umpire In the American league,
dno thing about Brick he's on tho
square.
Thoy are saying that Danny Sliuy,
who once played short for tho Cardi
nals, Is liable to get let out as mana
ger of Kansas City.
Pitcher Bill Hurrlngton, formerly a
big card In tho New England league,
has Joined Lynn, thnt club satisfying
the Denver claim to him.
The Boston Braves have another
outllelder. Ho Is Fred Bnlley. Mike
Knhoe dug him up for Stalllngs out
of Washington nnd Lee university.
Manager McCredle of Portland, Ore.,
makes his players walk to all parks
at which they play ball. This Is n
means of keeping tho men In condition.
An umpire In Llttlo Itock has been
sentenced to two yenrs in prison for
bootlegging. Which same oughta get
more than u passing guffaw out of
Johnny Evers,
And sjienklng of whiskers, there was
a time In the early days of baseball
when big leaguers pet formed on tho
diamond adorned with facial fringe
and got away with It.
Al Demareo has only won seven out
of eight games from the Giants since
McGrnw gave him tho gate. This
merely proves that pitchers cast upon
tho water return la tho form of tor
pedoes. Oscar Ilorstmnn has taken tho place
of "Speed" Martin as tho pitching
youngster of the Pacific Coast circuit,
(Iorgtmnu is the kind of a twirler thnt
lives on hard work and gets better
with each performance.
STORES
FLAG CONTENDERS I
-- CSP v I JBosiBynxxrff XJ&3
JT CWCXGMW, - 0
PATIENCE OF BILL SULLIVAN
Incident Illustrating Determination
and Tcnnclousness of Veteran
Tiger Coach.
A little story Is told of the patience
and determination of Billy Sullivan,
the veteran catcher and Tigers' coach.
The Tigers wero In San Antonio,
Tex., this spring for a couplo of ex
hibition games. The morning of the
first day Sullivan started to clean an
old pipe. lie shoved n mntch In tho
stem, and the wood was caught In the
curve of tho amber, whero It stuck.
Sullivan worked on tho pipe all morn
ing. He used half u dozen strips of
wire In a vain attempt to force tho
match on through. Hu' fulled, how-
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Bill Sulllvnn.
over, and was still working on It when
the call camoto go to tho park. Sulll-
van put tho plpo tiway. Thut night ho
worked again, nnd tho next morning
ho was out In front of tho hotel still
workluic on the pipe. Along about
noon ho started to grin, and persons
Interested knew tho end was near. A
few minutes lutcr tho broken match
was driven put and Sullivan, taking
the stem between his teeth, blow long
and vigorously.
"That must bo a valuable pipe," re
nmrked a bystander.
"Nope; It cost 50 cenfs," replied Sul
livan. "Why didn't you go nnd buy an
other? It wasn't worth whllo to work
that long on n C0-ccnt pipe."
"Muybe not, but I'm not going to let
any CO-cent plpo get me down. I start
ed to get that out of I ho stem nnd I
Intended getting It out If It took me
a week or a month."
The Incident Illustrates tho patience,
the determination and tenaclousuess of
the man.
Fohl Signs Two Pitchers.
Loo Fohl lias ndded two moro pitch
ers to his staff In Dana Fllllglm, tho
star hurler of the South Atlantic
leaguo, and John Ferguson, said to bo
the best in the Ohio Stntu league.
Fohl certainly will need moro pitchers
If ho Intends to keep his team up at
tho top of tho list.
Tamsett Returns to Game.
Jimmy Tamsett, who announced
somo time ago that he hnd retired
from baseball, has consented to piny
somo semlprofesshlonul games In
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:J ALTROCK IS A FAVORITE $
Charles Comlskoy, owner of
the Chicago Whito Sox, hns n
high regard for AUrock, "He's
always n favorite here," re
marked Commy. "Ho did some
great work for us. I remember
thnt post-season tie wo had with
tho Cubs many years ago the
ono which was never settled.
"The West slders thought wo
wore through us regnrds pitch
ers for the fourteenth game. I
went down to the bench nnd
rt8kctl ltoy Patterson how he felt.
Before ltoy could answer, Nick
chimed In nnd nsked If he
couldn't work.
"I took hint up on Ids proposi
tion nnd let him go In. On tho
first ball pitched Jimmy Slnglo
cracked n terrific slnglo to cen
ter. Then Altrock wound up nnd
threw the ball over to first,
catching Single asleep by several
feet.
" 'It's all off,' I said to myself,
ns I stood behind tho screen un
der tho stnnd. 'We'll win now.'
t
t
And we did win. Yes, I've nl- J
wnys liked Alt rock and am glad
whenever he comes to town."
teMr'W"M'H"W"
HOLD REINS SEVERAL YEARS
McQraw and Mack Have Piloted Re-
spectlve Teams Longer Than Any
Other Leaders.
During tho Inst ten years In bnsc
ball every team In tho National nntl
American leagues, with tho exception
of tho Philadelphia Athletics nnd tho
Now York Giants, hnvo hud two or
John McGraw.
more mnnngors. Ten yenrs ago John
McGraw was niannglng tho Giants and
Connie Mack was leading tho Athletics.
Thoso two men nro still piloting thoso
teams and bid fair to do so for many,
years to come.
McGraw started his career with tho
Giants In 1009. Under him tho Now
Yorkers won tho Nntlonnl leaguo pen
nants in 1001 nnd 1005, nnd tho world's
title in 1905. They lost the Nntloual
league championship in 1008 becnusq
of Morkle's famous "boner" and fin
ished third In 1009. In 1010 tho Gi
ants finished second, and wero first la
1011, 1012 and 1013. Tho Ginnts lost
the world's series with tho Athletics
In 1011, nnd In 1013 wero ngalu beaten
by tho Athletics for the big honors'.
In 1014 the Giants wero nosed out la
tho pennant light by tho Braves, after
tho latter had mndo a whirlwind fin-
?wBm&22S
Connie Mack.
Ish. In 1015, for the llrbt tlmo In
McG raw's management, they finished
In tho cellar.
Connie Mack organized tho Athletics
In 1001. They won the American
leaguo championship in 1002, 1005,
1010, 1011, 1013 and 1014. They also
captured tho world's title in 1010 from
tho Cubs, and from tho Ginnts In 1011
nnd 1013. Last year they finished last,
for tho first time In their enreer.
Another Pltchir Flaherty.
There's another pitcher Flaherty In
tho American leaguo. ' Ho is.u young
bter from Dean academy takou on by
Hugh Jennings. Ills first immo Ik Ed
ward. The nowcomer, by the way,
n nophew of Pat.
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