1934 Los Angeles atypical polio outbreak

The 1934 Los Angeles County Hospital epidemic is the first known recorded cluster outbreak resulting in what is now known as myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Between May 1934 and December 15, 1935, one hundred ninety-eight (198) employees of Los Angeles County Hospital came down with a neurological illness, including about 10.7% of the nurses and 5.4% of the physicians. As poliomyelitis was a common communicable infection at this time, the first impression of the medical community was that the illness was polio. In short time though, striking deviations from polio began to emerge.

Publications

 * Epidemiological Study Of An Epidemic, Diagnosed As Poliomyelitis, Occurring Among The Personnel Of The Los Angeles County General Hospital During The Summer Of 1934 - ''Public Health Bulletin no.231-240 1936-1938 By: A.G. Gilliam
 * Observations On The Epidemic Of Polio-Encephalitis In Los Angeles, 1934* - California And Western Medicine By: E.C. Rosenow, MD; F.R. Heilman, M.D.; and C.H. Pettet, M.D.
 * Poliomyelitis-The Los Angeles Epidemic of 1934* - Western Journal of Medicine By: R.W. Meals, MD; Vernon F. Hauser, MD; and Albert G. Bower, MD
 * Use of Serum and the Routine and Experimental Laboratory Findings in the 1934 Poliomyelitis Epidemic* - American Public Health Association By: John F. Kessel, Anson S. Hoyt and Roy T. Fisk

Newspaper articles

 * Los Angeles Polio Epidemic Decreases - Madera Tribune, Number 55, 6 July 1934
 * Infantile Paralysis Development Shown - Madera Tribune, Number 58, 10 July 1934  Editor's Note:  This article reveals that persons over the age of 20 were being described as having "Infantile Paralysis".
 * Infantile Paralysis Outbreak Not Serious - Madera Tribune, Number 55, 6 July 1934
 * Infantile Paralysis Peak Reported Passed - Madera Tribune, Number 56, 7 July 1934
 * Real Heros of Paralysis Epidemic - Healdburg Tribune, Number 290, 11 October 1934    Editor's Note:  GREAT PHOTOGRAPH OF SICK NURSES!

Learn more

 * Los Angeles County Hospital, Wikipedia