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Source: http://www.galesburg.com/columnists/x640864453/Poliomyelitis-outbreak-affected-Galesburg-area
Poliomyelitis outbreak affected Galesburg area
By AARON FREY
GateHouse News Service
Posted Aug 14, 2009 @ 10:29 PM
ABINGDON ?
The first recorded evidence of poliomyelitis, known more commonly as polio, can be traced back to 1789 Britain. It was described as ?debility of the lower extremities? by British physician Michael Underwood. The first major polio epidemic reported in the United States occurred in Vermont during 1894 when 132 cases occurred, mostly to small children.
During 1916 there was a large outbreak of polio in the United States, with more than 9,000 cases reported in New York City alone. Attempts at controlling the outbreak by use of isolation and quarantine proved unsuccessful. In 1921 future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted the disease and was left with severe paralysis.
For what appears to be unexplained reasons, the various outbreaks in the United States throughout the 1900s occurred in selected states from time to time. In 1934 a major outbreak affected Los Angeles with more than 2,500 cases treated.
Shortly after the end of World War II, again for unexplained reasons, reportable cases of polio started to jump as more than 200,000 cases occurred in the United States from 1945 through 1948.
It was the Galesburg area?s turn to deal with the debilitating disease beginning in late July 1949.
The first reportable case in Knox County affected a Maquon young man who initially thought his illness was a reoccurrence of malaria that he had contracted while serving in the Navy. On July 28, 1949, it was reported that a 20-year-old Elmwood man had died from the disease in a Peoria hospital. Shortly thereafter an 18-year-old boy who had graduated from Galesburg High School in the spring contacted polio and succumbed at a Moline hospital.
As the number of cases progressed in the area city health officials and doctors speculated that a growing infestation of flies were spreading the disease. Another major concern were the methods of disposing of garbage. As a hoped for preventive measure, Sunday school classes were cancelled, all swimming facilities were closed and Camp Shaubena activities were shut down. The entire Galesburg downtown area and the city dump were sprayed nightly.
By mid-August it was revealed that there 21 cases of polio being treated within the city limits of Galesburg and an additional 22 in the county outside of Galesburg. By Aug. 11, four Galesburg residents had died and five others in the county had succumbed to the illness.
Another mystery was the fact that Victoria with a population of only 400 had 14 residents diagnosed with the disease. The seemingly out-of-whack numbers prompted the National Polio Foundation to conduct a special study in Knox County. The local Red Cross announced that two specially trained nurses were flown in from Miami to give assistance to Cottage and St. Mary?s hospitals.
On Aug. 24 Galesburg health officials reported the fifth death in the city, a 7-year-old girl. The Burlington Railroad had rushed an iron lung to Cottage Hospital from Omaha, Neb., to aid her hoped-for recovery. As of Sept. 1 there had been 44 cases of polio contracted by Galesburg residents and an additional 58 in the remainder of the county.
Although the number of reported polio cases began to drop off significantly during September, a decision was made to delay the start of school for at least one week. The polio epidemic swept into the Galesburg area unexpected in late July 1949 and virtually exited in less than two months. Unfortunately, left in its tracks were 12 area deaths and more than 100 persons attempting to recover and lead a normal lifestyle.
A group of local citizens and organizations, led by Robert Frudeger of WGIL Radio, launched a fund drive to aid area citizens that were affected by the polio outbreak. As part of the fund drive, the Junior Chamber of Commerce played host for a public auction on the Public Square that included donated merchandise ranging from cocktail shakers to pianos.
In Monday?s Tracking History sports column we will outline how the polio epidemic affected the local sports scene.
Tom Wilson is a local historian. Write to him at wilsont29@comcast.net or at The Register-Mail, 140 S. Prairie St., Galesburg, IL 61401.
Poliomyelitis outbreak affected Galesburg area
By AARON FREY
GateHouse News Service
Posted Aug 14, 2009 @ 10:29 PM
ABINGDON ?
The first recorded evidence of poliomyelitis, known more commonly as polio, can be traced back to 1789 Britain. It was described as ?debility of the lower extremities? by British physician Michael Underwood. The first major polio epidemic reported in the United States occurred in Vermont during 1894 when 132 cases occurred, mostly to small children.
During 1916 there was a large outbreak of polio in the United States, with more than 9,000 cases reported in New York City alone. Attempts at controlling the outbreak by use of isolation and quarantine proved unsuccessful. In 1921 future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted the disease and was left with severe paralysis.
For what appears to be unexplained reasons, the various outbreaks in the United States throughout the 1900s occurred in selected states from time to time. In 1934 a major outbreak affected Los Angeles with more than 2,500 cases treated.
Shortly after the end of World War II, again for unexplained reasons, reportable cases of polio started to jump as more than 200,000 cases occurred in the United States from 1945 through 1948.
It was the Galesburg area?s turn to deal with the debilitating disease beginning in late July 1949.
The first reportable case in Knox County affected a Maquon young man who initially thought his illness was a reoccurrence of malaria that he had contracted while serving in the Navy. On July 28, 1949, it was reported that a 20-year-old Elmwood man had died from the disease in a Peoria hospital. Shortly thereafter an 18-year-old boy who had graduated from Galesburg High School in the spring contacted polio and succumbed at a Moline hospital.
As the number of cases progressed in the area city health officials and doctors speculated that a growing infestation of flies were spreading the disease. Another major concern were the methods of disposing of garbage. As a hoped for preventive measure, Sunday school classes were cancelled, all swimming facilities were closed and Camp Shaubena activities were shut down. The entire Galesburg downtown area and the city dump were sprayed nightly.
By mid-August it was revealed that there 21 cases of polio being treated within the city limits of Galesburg and an additional 22 in the county outside of Galesburg. By Aug. 11, four Galesburg residents had died and five others in the county had succumbed to the illness.
Another mystery was the fact that Victoria with a population of only 400 had 14 residents diagnosed with the disease. The seemingly out-of-whack numbers prompted the National Polio Foundation to conduct a special study in Knox County. The local Red Cross announced that two specially trained nurses were flown in from Miami to give assistance to Cottage and St. Mary?s hospitals.
On Aug. 24 Galesburg health officials reported the fifth death in the city, a 7-year-old girl. The Burlington Railroad had rushed an iron lung to Cottage Hospital from Omaha, Neb., to aid her hoped-for recovery. As of Sept. 1 there had been 44 cases of polio contracted by Galesburg residents and an additional 58 in the remainder of the county.
Although the number of reported polio cases began to drop off significantly during September, a decision was made to delay the start of school for at least one week. The polio epidemic swept into the Galesburg area unexpected in late July 1949 and virtually exited in less than two months. Unfortunately, left in its tracks were 12 area deaths and more than 100 persons attempting to recover and lead a normal lifestyle.
A group of local citizens and organizations, led by Robert Frudeger of WGIL Radio, launched a fund drive to aid area citizens that were affected by the polio outbreak. As part of the fund drive, the Junior Chamber of Commerce played host for a public auction on the Public Square that included donated merchandise ranging from cocktail shakers to pianos.
In Monday?s Tracking History sports column we will outline how the polio epidemic affected the local sports scene.
Tom Wilson is a local historian. Write to him at wilsont29@comcast.net or at The Register-Mail, 140 S. Prairie St., Galesburg, IL 61401.