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Show New Methods in War Against 'Polio' Paralysis Propose Sodium Alum or Tannic Acid Nasal Spray NEW YORK. A chemical method of protecting against infantile paralysis, recommended recommend-ed for trial in the next epidemic of this dread disease, was reported re-ported by Drs. A. B. Sabin, P. K. Olitsky and II. R. Cox of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Medi-cal Research. The method consists In dropplnu or spraying Into the nose solutions of either sodium alum or tannic acid in suitable strength. The chemicals chem-icals seem to act ns a shield against the disease, by keeping the causative causa-tive virus from entering the body and reaching the nerve cells In brain and spinal cord. "Experimentally there Is now sufficient suf-ficient basis for a trial In man of these chemicals In the prevention of poliomyelitis during epidemics," the Investigators stated. Where Treatment Originated. Tannic acid was first suggested as a suitable chemical for this purpose by Doctors Olitsky and Cox. Sodium Sodi-um was advocated as a result of studies by Drs. Charles Armstrong and W. T. Harrison. Most of the studies were made with monkeys. However, a number of human volunteers were given nasal treatment with 4 per cent sodium so-dium alum solution. They suffered no untoward symptoms other than slight local Irritation and nasal discharge dis-charge for a few hours, indicating that the treatment is safe. Effective on Monkeys. It seems very effective In protect- j Ing monkeys against the disease. "Typical poliomyelitis (Infantile paralysis) pa-ralysis) was Induced In 26 of 34 untreated monkeys by the Instillation Instilla-tion on two occasions, 48 hours apart, of 1 cc. of a 10 per cent suspension sus-pension of poiiomyelitic cords Into each nostril," It was reported. "The majority of monkeys treated with either sodium alum or tannic acid for a number of days prior to the Instillation of virus were distinctly resistant to poliomyelitis. Only two of 20 monkeys treated In that manner man-ner with 4 per cent sodium alum developed the disease, and these were In a group which apparently received more than the average amount of virus. Most of the monkeys monk-eys treated with 3 per cent alum also proved resistant, while 0.5 per cent and 2 per cent had no effect. Four per cent tannic acid, although used in a smaller series, was also effective, while 0.4 per cent and 0.8 per cent were not. "Treatment with alum for at least a few days prior to infection was necessary to induce resistance. The resistance could be maintained over a period of several weeks by one daily Instillation of the chemical ; omitting the treatment for 48 hours diminished the number of monkeys that were resistant." |
