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Show Lungs' Meant Life or Death For 6,000 Stricken by Polio ' Life or death for more than 6,000 of the 40,000 polio victims stricken in 1334 depended on iron lungs and other breathing aids, according to a preliminary report from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. The report showed that approximately 1" per cent of all polio victims needed mechanical breatlrng aids to stay alive in H).4. The National Foundation said it had been :?;? to move a:most 2,000 March of Dimes j respirators into eDidemic , i THE MABCH OP DIMES- MSB 1JK I PHIN3IN3 NEW HOPE ANO M m m W h J I KE-P TO POLIO VICTIMS-WAS 4 " 1 1 -V V, 3S (2) PoUO IS CAUSED BY IHTI 1 ' - A AN BACTERIA I Cf BAD TEETH VIRU9 INSECT vVL-3i (3) For CARE Of POLIO VICTIMS ALONE, THE MARCH OF DIMES IN l?54- PAIP OUT 1,300,000 ,500,00O 2,6OO,000 26,&00,000 (J) The number or- children who actually received folio VACCINE DURING THE I95f NATIONWIDE FIELD TRIALS WAS A? TOT iwfe hmmyj 110,000 215,000 4lo,ooo eoo.ooo" (D The number of polio- patients who will need continuing HELP FROM THE MARCH OF DIMLS AT THE START CF 1955 IS ABOUT 3,000 40,000 70,000 90,000 ooo'oi5) ooo'obt ooo'ooo'oz snait ei6ifl) areas to save lives in 1954. In addition, over 600 rocking beds were supplied to patients. pa-tients. Every effort Is made to get patients out of their iron lungs as soon as possible, the National Foundation said. But about 900 of those stricken in 1954 still are in tank respirators all or part of the time. They have joined another 1,000 patients from previous pre-vious years whose horizons still are limited to the mirrors at the head of their machines. More Need Help Today "The March of Dimes goal is to free as many as possible," declares de-clares Dr. Hart E. Van Riper, medical director of the National Foundation. "Recent increases in the percentage of patients with severe paralysis, wno depend on breathing aids to stay alive, make it imperative that more facilities for weaning such patients pa-tients from iron lungs be pro-rided. pro-rided. "Fortunately, improved treatment treat-ment techniques have been developed de-veloped largely through March of Dimes grants to JS regional respirator centers that offer real hope of freeing the majority of such patients." Patients Help Each Other In 1950, the March of Dimes provided initial funds for two pioneer respirator centers to bring small groups of iron lung patients together for treatment. New equipment had to be devised de-vised and special personnel trained. Results began to be seen almost at once. A few patients freed from iron lungs and able to go home encouraged others. By the end of 1954, twelve of these centers were in operation, witli a 13th about to open. Total rapacity of all centers Is 40(1 respirator patients and 1U0 using no mechanical hreathing aids. For the latter, Improved physical and occupational therapy ther-apy enahle them to gain self respect and the chance to Metallic Me-tallic self supporting. Since the first center opened, over 1,000 respirator patient;; have been admitted, witli almost 700 liberated from their regulation regula-tion iron lungs. "Thiii is a program that pay;: olT ilk tiuiuuu us well us no nornic values," said Dr. Van Itiper, "but March of Dimes funds ure vital for its operation." opera-tion." The IDS 5 March of Dimes is now going on and will end Jan. 3L |