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PARALYSIS EPIDEMIC CHECKED BY SERUM, REPORT REVEALS "Experience Warrants Its Continued Use in Province" OTHER DISEASE CONTROL The annual report of the Ontario Department of Health, which has just been made public by Hon. D¢. J. M. Robb, reveals, officially, for the first time, the enormity of the in-- fantile paralysis cpidemic with which this Province had to battle last sum-- mer and last fall. Although 1929 saw an epidemic of 558 cases and 46 deaths, the year 1930, contrary to expectations, gave even a greater numbor of cases and deaths from this disease. All told, 661 cases and 61 geaths were re-- ported to the departmental offices at Queen's Park. M o & s u: hecint: <butit Arainb September was the high month for both years, and in 1930 the number of cases in August and October were equal. The last nine years in On-- tario have always shown the peak of the outbreak to occur in September. f "Results from the use of con-- ;valescent serum in the light of the 'experience gainsd in the epidemics |of 1929 and 1930 should," reads the | report, "warrant its continued use in | the Province." | As in previous years, the report | stresses, the early administration of | the serum gave by far the better re-- \sults. Although the number of cases | is small the results from serum given |after the fifth day would seem to 15how that serum had no effect in | preventing paralysis at that stage of the dissase. Whether or not the serum given at this late date acted 'in a measure by preventing exten-- sion of paralysis could not be ascer-- | tained, but was suggested in a few Highest Incidence As in previous years, males were more frequently attacked than fe-- males, the former being 63.3 per cent. and the latter, 36.7 per cent. of the total. As in 1929 there was a slightly higher percentage of urban cases than rural, the ratio being 52.7 per cent. to 47.3 per cent. respectively. A fur-- ther analysis shows the age group with the highest incidence as in 1929 to be that from 5 to 9 years. This age group accounted for more than one--third of the casos. There was a slightly lower percentage in the 0O--4 age group, with a corresponding in-- crease in cases over 15 years of age. With regard to distribution of the cases, the report states that only a few scattered cases developed in the area west of Lake Superior. Kirkland Lake had seven. Parry Sound dis-- trict had 15. and Muskoka "a sprink-- ling." Some counties reported _no cases, namely, Kent. Lambton, Ox-- ford, Lincoln, Pecl, Hastings, Leonnox and Addington, Lanark, Leeds, Gron-- ville, Dundas and Russell. The coun-- ties which bore the brunt of the out-- break were Dufferin, York, Ontario, Victoria, Peterborough, Northumber-- land and Durham. The City of To-- ronto suffered severely with 263 of the Province's total. Taking a total of 532 cases, Which were analyzed by the department as to result of serum therapy, and the ]40 deaths reported on data sheets, \ making a grand total of 572, there | was complete recovery without any | paralysis in 296 patients who received serum, regardless of what siage of 'the disease. This gives a recovery |rate of 69.2 per cent. The recovery |rate for cases treated on the 1929 | epidemic was 67.1 per cent. High Recovery _ With respect to other communicable disease control, the report, in part, further states: ts "The incidence of typhoid fever throughout the year was below the average for the previous six years. Only one outbreak (at Belleville) oc-- curred which assumed epidemic pro-- portions. "The number of cases of diphtheria throughout the year was very close to the averags for the previous six years. There was a slight increase in cases during November, but a re-- turn to the average in the following months. In -- municipalities where immunization campaigns had been carried out in the schools and among the pre--school children few cases and deaths were reported and those oc-- curring were found to be among the non--immunized groups. The use of toxoid over a period of six years in Ontario has well exemplified its ef-- ficiency and safety as a prophylaciic agent. With the majority of diph-- theria deaths occurring in the first few years of life its use is especially urgent among pre--school children. No Smallpox Epidemic. "Smallpox did not reach epidemic proportions at any time of the year, the incidence being within the limits of the endemic index of the disease. The groatest number of cases were reported from Sudbury and surround-- ing districts, and Ottawa and ad-- joining municipalities in -- Carleton County. "During the year there was &A marked increase in the number of casoes of scarlet fever, occurring °s-- pecially in the months of March, April and May. During the remain-- ing months of the year the incidence was commensurate with the average for the previous six years. In the larger citics this increase was par-- ticularly noticcable in Toronto and Ottawa. but there was also a general increass in many of the smaller mu-- nicipelities -- during _those . months. Despite ths increased incidence, the death rate romained dow, as in the previous year. * i "For the first soven -- months whocping cough -- was consistently lower than the average, with only a slight increase in later months of Oc-- tober. November and December." ;nh of 532 cases, which GRAINS FROM WEST SOUGHT FOR FEED OF ONTARIO GATTLE Governmerny, Appoints How-- ard Fraleigh to Make Inquiry Special Legislation Is Fore-- cast for Next Year MAY HIT U.S. PRODUCTS view of the fact that barley can be used to replacs corn,. that a great desal more grain should be handled. Western oats. similarly, it is argued, could be used here to a greater ex-- tent than obtains at the present time. Interviewed by The Globs yesterday, Mr. Fraleigh said: "There is no legiti-- mate reason why Ontario live stock should not be fed wholly upon Cana-- dian grains, except the reason of-- fered by feeders, that they do not care to risk pollution of their farms by Western stuff, in that it contains too great a quantity of weed seeds and wild oats. It is an accepted fact that farmers here would use Western grains in preference to American feeds were it possible to have them deliv-- ered in a condition whereby danger of seeding their farms with noxious weeds and wild oats would be elimi-- nated." With a view to replacing with Western Canada grains the feeds which Ontario is now importing from the United States, the Department of Agriculture, under Hon,. Thomas L. Kennedy, has launched a campaign of investigation that is likely to cul-- minate, at the 1932 session of the Legislature, in special legislation binding grain pools, elevators and feeders of this Province in a co--Ooper-- ative arrangement along the lines of the goal which the department now contemplates. _ _ : . Howard Fraleigh, Conservative member of the Legislature for Lamb-- ton East, has been asked by Colonel Kennedy to undertake the investiga-- tion, and he will, it is understood, commence his dutics immediately on the closse of the present session of the House. Ontario farmers, it was said, im-- ported some 6,000,000 bushels of corn from the United States in 1930. While it is true that a large quantity of grain comes into the Province each vear from the West, it is felt, in This elimination is one of the ques-- tions which Mr. Fraleigh will study during the interim, and he is confi-- dent that it can be accomplished.