53 March Of Dimes Drive Opens After Worst Polio Y Year ea eaI of Dimes The 1953 March of Dimes was launched launch launch- I ed in Summit county by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis toda today I as volunteer workers prepared to to wipe out the debt incurred by last years year I record polio epidemic and to gird against the expected financial demands of the coming months With more persons stricken with infantile in infantile infantile in- in paralysis in 1952 than ever before before be be- be fore and with the prospect of a staggering staggering stagger stagger- ing patient care bill the county chapters of or the March of Dimes organization ration were preparing today to match the record polio onslaught with a record 1953 March of Dimes In 1952 Ed J. J county campaign campaign campaign cam cam- director said today the National Foundation had 1 Supplied more iron lungs and other lifesaving equipment than In the previous three years combined 2 2 l Iet Met the costs of transportation salaries s and maintenance for hundreds of recruited polio nurses 3 spent 3 Spent for patient care a figure over more than was ever expended for this purpose In any anyone anyone anyone one year 4 Allocated 4 Allocated vast sums to scientific I I research 5 Awarded Awarded more than scholarships scholarships scholarships scholar scholar- ships and fellowships in Its professional education program Mr said This means that the Summit County March of Dimes like the drive in every other county must enlist more campaign workers to collect more in contributions than ever before in March of Dimes history In addition to assisting four tOUl out of five rive of the record number of polio pati pati- patients patients patients reported in 1952 we continued to aid tid patients stricken in previous years the campaign director added And all of this at a time when science is poised on the threshold of epoch epoch- making raking discoveries in the field of the prevention of paralytic polio I The campaign director said the National Foundation had allocated huge sums in March of Dimes funds to finance field trials in three epidemic areas to test the effectiveness of gamma globulin as a possible preventive of paralytic polio Our hopes were realized and this blood Mood fraction was shown to give marked protection protection in temporarily immunizing humans against paralysis even though the he real Job the Job the development of a vaccine vac vac- cine still isle still remains It Is imperative therefore that the 1953 March of Dimes Dunes exceed all past records For we must m t press our gains In inI I research while at the same time coping with the surging pattern of polio polio polio-a a pattern that exceeds anything previous previous- previously ly y experienced The campaign will continue through January 31