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Show Dimes Goal: Rebuild Lives Making new lives for polio victims is a major goal of the March of Dimes now in the second week of its drive for $64,000,fJ00 in polio-fighting funds, according to Dr. Hart E. Van Riper, medical director of the NationalFoundation for Infantile Paralysis. "From the time a polio patient is first diagnosed, skilled hands and wise heads are at his bedside to save a life and return the patient to normal living," Dr. Van Riper said. "For this, most patients need financial aid from the March of Dimes. ' National Foundation research and professional education programs constantly provide AVERAGE I mmmmmmmmmllimmm, , CASES N M . PER YEAR l J ) 39,438 A. ! f ) YEARS 1944-1948 3 1954-1958 TOTAL CASES FOR 96,904 197,190 & 5-YEAR PERIOD 'iTKEfrrARCH Of -PlllES JAN 3 TO 31 new knowledge and trained personnel, he explained. The eventual conquest of paralytic paraly-tic polio is the goal and much progress has been made, but polio still cripples, he said. More Getting Rehabilitation "New treatment techniques, involving physical therapy and orthopedic surgery, plus improved im-proved self-help devices can give mobility to many paralyzed arms and legs," he declared. A survey of 34,377 polio patients pa-tients admitted or re-admitted to hospitals in 1953 showed that 6,298 of them had come back for this purpose, he added. Reports Re-ports of admissions and re-admissions to hospitals during the first nine months of 1954 list 5,577 patients in this category out Of a total of 25,097 admissions admis-sions more than one out of five. Parallel Efforts Describing the goals of the National Foundation, Dr. Van Eiper said: "While the prevention preven-tion of polio is our final objective, objec-tive, provision of the best available avail-able care and treatment must parallel our efforts to control it. "We must provide the kind of treatment that will allow polio patients to return to their homes prepared and able to take an active part in the life of their community. You might say we must treat the whole person, not just the disease." March of Dimes aid is essential, essen-tial, he declared. More dimes are vitally needed now to help thousands of polio patients realize re-alize their potentialities. The campaign will continue until Jan. 31. -i |