Cerebral Involvement in Acute Anterior Poliomyelitis

The existence of polioencephalitis has been doubted, and its definition has varied from Strümpell's1original description of cases entirely cerebral in character to that of encephalospinal or even bulbar forms of the disease. Wickman,2Peabody, Draper and Dochez,3Rothman4and others who have discussed the subject did not restrict the term entirely to an encephalitic syndrome but also included cases showing mainly cerebral manifestations or combined lesions of the upper and lower motor neurons and thought to be due to the virus of poliomyelitis. Wickman2cited cases of combined spastic and flaccid paralysis in the same person as possible examples of cerebral poliomyelitis, and Peabody, Draper and Dochez3stated: It will often, however, be hard to draw a hard and fast line between what shall be called spinal and what cerebral cases. Clinically as well as pathologically, the types must merge. It would seem