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In this respect the public funds were not sufficient. Polioforeningen (polio associa
tion), which had been founded a few years earlier, now intervened. It had rehabilita
tion clinics as well as skilled staff for this purpose.
Samfundet og Hjemmet for Vanføre (home for the disabled) too made their exper
tise and premises available for the polio patients, and this society also ran Hornbæk
Fysiurgisk Hospital.
For the patients with respiratory paresis Institutionen for Respirationslammede Po
liopatienter was founded. It supported the patients by supplying apparatus, manpower
and mcney.
A fter the epidemic a wider understanding o f the epidemiology o f polio was a-
chieved. It appears to be mostly infants with non-apparent or atypical slight attacks
o f polio who are the disease carriers.
The polio epidemic created now knowledge o f the respiratory physiology and re
sulted in technical progress in the fields o f anaesthesiology and clinical chemistry.
Social factors.
For centuries it has been evident that the social factors have a great influence on
the extension o f epidemic diseases. Different social classes were differently hit by epi
demics.
In 1 7 1 1 the inmates o f two institutions for the poor died out. It is not known ex
actly to which extent the plague hit the various classes, but from posthumous records
(Mule and Bötticher) it appears that the disease notably hit the poorest people. Also
the assistent personnel suffered great losses.
In 18 5 3 it is evident that the poor, especially widows and their children, were hit
more severely than others. The inmates o f the institutions suffered heavy losses too.
Also the personnel were exposed to enfection although it wasn’t as disastrous as in
1 7 1 1 .
In 19 5 2 there was no clearly defined difference between the social status o f the
sick and that o f the other inhabitans o f the town. During all three epidemics the
danger o f infection didn’t seem to be related to sexes, whereas the distribution o f
age groups was significant. The plague and the cholera mostly struck grown-up in
the prime o f life, - which may have caused the big gaps after the epidemics.
It is still mostly children and young people who get polio.
Naturally the conditions o f habitation and social status are closely bound up
with each other. The spreading o f both plague and cholera was particularly violent in
the densely populated poor quarters. Polio, on the other hand, was more frequent in
the new-established better quarters, perhaps because the population here consisted
o f young people with children.
The relief measures o f social services are always put to a severe test during epide
mics.
In 1 7 1 1 the poor and the sick could expect very little help. Some institutions had
small infirmaries, but they were mainly occupied by patients with chronic maladies.
During epidemics »plague-masters» were appointed, i.e. special medical officers who
were supposed to take care o f people o f limited means and to dispense free medicin.
Furthermore emergency hospitals were established, - probably to avoid having poor
people dying in the streets.
A fter the epidemic the public authorities took care o f those children who had lost
their parents. Other surviviors had to fend for themselves as before.
In 18 5 3 there were district medical officers for the poor, and there were two hos
pitals although not very suitable for epidemic patients. During and after the epidemic
help was organized for the families who were worst off: during the epidemic by estab
lishing temporary housing, free meal institutions and financial assistance.
After the epidemic »Lægeforeningens Boliger» were founded.
Orphans were placed in foster-homes and the foster-parents were supported eco-
nomicaly.
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