Ogden Evening Standard | 1910-12-15 | Page 8 | Study of Infantile Paralysis

STUDY OF INFANTILE PARALYSIS Dr. Simon Elexner, the learned Investigator In-vestigator of tho Rockefeller Institute, Insti-tute, New York City, who discovered a serum that greatly reduces mortal-, ity of cerebro-splnal meningitis. ha& been working to find a cure for Infantile In-fantile paralysis. So far he has been unsuccessful, though he has progressed progress-ed to the point of finding that the Infection is transmissible In monkeys. As in his experimentation with cerebro-splnal meningitis, so in tho study of Infantile paralysis, he Is using monkeys. He reproduces Infantile paralysis In monkeys by injecting macerated parts of spinal cords removed re-moved from human beings that have died of the disease. He has been able J to pans the virus through many generations gen-erations cf monkeys, tho material of one geneiation being used to infect the next. He also found that the naso pharyngeal membrane sometimes contains con-tains the irus. He has not yet been able to see the "infectious agent microscopically," mi-croscopically," though he is satisfied as to Its existence and transmission. The virus has been passed through a filter and afterward been found virulent vir-ulent for monkeys. Monkes that survive the disease are afterward Immune, and Dr. Elexner Elex-ner is looking for a serum that will not endanger life but will yet confer Immunity. So little is known about the means of transmitting infantile paralysis that he advises that all possible pos-sible measures of Isolation should he taken In sporadic cases as well as In epidemics. It is estimated there have been more than 20.000 cases of tbe disease In the United Slates this year. How short sightd It would be to follow fol-low the counsel of the radical anti-vivlsectionlsts anti-vivlsectionlsts who would stop such experimentation as has made possible the discovery of a successful treatment treat-ment of cerebrospinal meningitis and gives promise of a discovery of a successful suc-cessful treatment of infantile paralysis. paraly-sis. Tacoma Ledger.