INFANTILE PARALYSIS

Nelson Evening Mail, 31 March 1916, Page 4

INFANTILE PARALYSIS

THIRD CASE AT RIWAKA. - Yesterday another, the .thiird, case of infantile paralysis, was reported from • Riwaka. . The Health Inspector (Mr H. k - is now in Rdwaka, malting- iavestiga-r * ■tions. , „ , ' Beyond tlie fact that the last case is, in another 3iouse cno particulars ■ are available. >- , j SOLAR ACTION". AN' INTERESTING' THEORY.

A .highly interesting theory of the possible connection between , the action of the sun .and the outbreak of infan--lilc paralysis is raised by Mr J. T. Ward, honorary director •of *tli© Wanganui Observatory, in the course oJ an- interview recently published in. the .Wan- , | ganui Herald. have to bear in mind that the human body is a highly organised chemi- , cal laboratory, into which, raw material is entering and being made up into l substances of great complexity,,, substances which may easily be -disturbed in. 1 * their, distributive effects by too much o." too little of a certain kind of sun-. t \ I light, or sunheat," said Mr Ward. | "There are, for instance, the coloured ~ » t pigments so important to our welfare'; . tlie red colouring matter of the blood, , lor the green enlorophyll of the plant, without which either must soon dwindle - and diepfor they absorb the light energy t 1 of the sun, and the future chemical .. changes in both would stop' \vithout the solar constituent. . Another - point \ye m'aj- -bear in mind is that ceVtain liglit ' { and heat rays, .and those only, favour V L the production of minute organisms,V. that- attack other life in various other i, ; ways. If an abnormal quantity of these rays enter into' the daily x supply of sun- ! '' light, large quantities ■of tlie offensive' .- •' bacteria are and the mischief "' *"■». is 'in the air.' It is well known tha* our people in India wear be- '* 1 cause this colour stops the entry to'-the ■ body of certain quantities of tlie sunlight injurious to the body of a 'Euro- ' pean. Again,' there are certain disfeaseis —measles and stnallpox, _ etc. —which ■. have been found -to yield more readily ■' t when the influence of red light has beenbrought to bear upon . them, tho light waves' of the order admitted being apparently unfavourable to the bacteria of. those and kindred diseases. For the, last few" weeks the sun has 1 been unusually active. Many large spots, and great 'streams,' as are termed those long areas of disturbed ,solar territory winch are-, generally arranged in the •direction- of the sun's rotation. Very large 1 fields of the brilliant markings known as faculae - •*' have been present." ■ 1 "This intimate connection and sympa-, thetic responsiveness' between the sun' - and fie earth being established," said Mr Ward', "the most important point, ' , requiring, the clearest evidence, is that '• 1 of the variation- in, the chfemical nature of the siin's light. Efforts have been. „ ""made to connect conditions .ofthe sun, when much 'spotted,' with plentiful harvests, and a few -noted astronomers have contended that cheap food and many, sunspots were 'almost inseparable companions. If the sun were directly responsible for the paralysis we should logically expect it to be prevalent all . ( over tlie southern hemisphere, where the sun, during the last month or two/ has

been most potent, and particularly at the bathing centres" of all countries in this hemisphere, for it is at -those places that children, especially, and many adults, go with very i little covering against the effect of sunlight. Then, . again, the effect on the bodies of children would be much greater, one would ' expect, iir "a. given time, -than, upon adults.-- How easily may a* person get affected, even by exposing the upper, • part of the feet, when paddling on the. beach at midsummer! I recall m'ariy cases of the kind when , the feet'became . greatly- enlargod, and remained 'so fdr about, a week, and high,fever prevailed for tlio first or second day following. •HV-ing these points into account," ' - said .Mr Ward in conclusion, "ho would bo a bold man who -would say that the . ' sun is not accountable for tho mischief, for, as it has already been shown, the' sun may, get to work mor.e directly-on.- • the chemistry of the body, as the, hiotchemist of to-day knows, or it may in a slightly more indirect way bring ,it , about , through those micro-organisms ..of .• • which Nature makes such lavish, uso to '' accomplish her ends."