The Treatment of Infantile Paralysis

1917

Truby King Collection WC555 LW55 1917

Philadelphia: P. Blakiston’s Son & Co.

Polio (more correctly Poliomyelitis) is a viral disease which may affect the spinal cord causing muscle weakness and paralysis. It was common in infants and young children, especially under conditions of poor hygiene. New Zealand experienced epidemics of polio in 1916, 1925, 1927, 1937, 1948–49, 1952–53 and 1955–56. Polio victims were treated with radiant heat in the early stages to deal with the pain before progressing to re-education of paralyzed muscles and hydrotherapy as the general condition allowed. Splints were also applied where necessary to prevent over-stretching of paralyzed muscles. Today the disease has been eliminated in all but three countries around the world. The deformities, secondary to muscle paralysis seen in patients with polio, were often extreme. Textbooks, such as Robert W. Lovett's The Treatment of Infantile Paralysis, were dedicated to the therapeutic management of these problems.