Abstract
The remarkable results of hyperpyrexia in various infectious diseases, particularly in gonorrheal infections, has turned the attention to its application in a great variety of disorders. The fact that the gonococcus can be destroyed in vivo as well as in vitro by temperatures compatible with life led me to the assumption that the same process may be effected in the treatment of virus diseases.
I concentrated my experiments on the treatment of poliomyelitis in monkeys and the object of this paper is to show that it is possible to prevent the development of poliomyelitis in monkeys completely or to affect the disease in such a way that the symptoms are only slight and disappear rapidly, if monkeys are treated immediately after inoculation, before symptoms have had time to appear.
The monkeys treated were inoculated by Dr. Maurice Brodie intracerebrally according to the technique and the system of infective doses worked out by him.
The hyperpyrexia was produced by a short wave apparatus operated by a spark gap and producing a wave of 16 meters. The electrodes consisted of 2 metal plates 6×8 inches placed side by side and covered with heavy cardboard. On this cardboard a cushion of sponge rubber was placed which assures an air space between the electrodes and the animal of about 3/4 of an inch. The electrical field passes from one electrode to the other through the body of the monkey which is lying on the rubber cushion. After various trials the best method was found to be to tie the monkey to a board on its back and placing the board on the electrodes. The amount of field energy was about 2,000 M.A.
The rectal temperature of the monkey rises from normal, that is 101° to 103.4° to 107° and 108° within half an hour.
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