234 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIV. No. 1129 



friends without any formality. It will be ex- 

 tremely difficult to fill his place and the sense 

 of loss on account of his early death will be 

 very widespread. J. A. Paekhurst 



Yerkes Observatory 



REPORT ON INFANTILE PARALYSIS 



The conference committee of pathologists 

 which met in New York City on the invitation 

 of the city authorities has made the following 

 report to Dr. Haven Emerson, commissioner of 

 health. 



Having been called to New York at your 

 suggestion, and for the purpose of consulting 

 with you concerning the practical measures 

 employed in dealing with the present epidemic 

 of poliomyelitis, we offer the following state- 

 ment. 



"We have spent two days in studying the situ- 

 ation and investigating prevailing conditions. 

 On Thursday morning we went over with 

 you the history of the origin and spread of the 

 epidemic of this year. "We made a careful 

 study of your maps and diagrams showing the 

 number and distribution of eases in the dif- 

 ferent boroughs of the city. This was followed 

 by a discussion of the methods that have been 

 employed, both here and elsewhere, in attempts 

 to control the spread of the disease. 



In the afternoon of the same day we visited 

 "Willard Parker Hospital and made a careful 

 inspection of the treatment and care given by 

 the city to the children afflicted with this dis- 

 ease. 



Thursday evening we had a discussion con- 

 cerning the methods being employed and the 

 possibility of making these more efficient. 



On Priday morning we visited cases quaran- 

 tined in their own homes, and in this way were 

 able to compare the hospital care with the 

 home care of the sick. "We also made a survey 

 of certain crowded infected districts, and, with 

 a diagnostician, we visited certain homes in 

 which cases have been recently reported. 



Priday afternoon we gave to a more formal 

 discussion and the suggestion of definite rec- 

 ommendations. 



"We have given special attention to the meth- 

 ods now employed by you and your depart- 



ment, and we approve of the measures you 

 have taken. 



The weight of opinion favors the view that 

 infantile paralysis is mainly spread through 

 personal contact, and measures have been di- 

 rected chiefly from this point of view. Cog- 

 nizance, however, has been given to additional 

 methods of transmission, among which is the 

 bite of insects. For sanitary purposes it is 

 proper to consider that this disease is trans- 

 missible directly from the sick to susceptible 

 persons, or indirectly from the sick through 

 carriers. 



Even with our incomplete knowledge of the 

 dissemination of the disease, it is evident that, 

 in seeking to abate the epidemic, stress must 

 be especially laid upon two things, as is now 

 being done: 



1. The early recognition and notification of 

 the disease, and 



2. The immediate isolation of patients and 

 cases of suspicious illness. 



Furthermore, on account of incomplete 

 knowledge concerning the disease, measures 

 known to be effective in checking the spread 

 of other infections should be applied and these 

 are, particularly, personal hygiene, cleanliness 

 of person and surroundings, and care of food, 

 which should be thoroughly cooked. 



In order to secure the earliest possible recog- 

 nition and notification of cases and their 

 prompt isolation, we wish to direct particu- 

 lar attention to the appeals that have been 

 made by the department to the physicians of 

 the city and to the public generally that they 

 cooperate with the department in all these 

 measures. 



"We strongly recommend that you inaugu- 

 rate a house-to-house inspection of as large a 

 part of the city as is practicable, twice a week, 

 for the purpose of education and of securing 

 the early recognition, notification and isola- . 

 tion of the disease. 



We are of the opinion that satisfactory iso- 

 lation is secured only in hospitals. Moreover, 

 not only is more thorough protection secured 

 for the public by the hospitalization of pa- 

 tients, but it is also better for the individual 

 patient. 



