First off – I will repeat something I had in my last Bulletin.  We need members to step forward to fill openings we have for scribes.  See Allan Ramsay or one of the scribes if you would be willing to give this a try.  Please, we need your help!!

Guests

Chris Rutty – Guest Speaker

Katheryn Rutty – guest of Dean and Chris (mother actually)

Shirley Molloy – Rotary Club of Dundas & partner of Mike

Juliette Gateau –exchange student from France

Arend Thompson – Rotary Club of Kingston Jamaica

Jules Vallanger –Sassa’s (exchange student from a few years ago) sister

Rochelle Edwards & Gregor – guest of Jamie Edwards

Announcements

Gerry Willard announced that the highway cleanup (Appleby & QEW) would take place Oct 25^th at 9 AM. Donate 1 2/2 hours of your time to help out – rain day next morning at same time.

Andrew Gaydon passed out cards that could be given to prospective rotary members to come and join us for a free breakfast and a look at us in action.  If you were absent for this meeting, ask Andrew for a (some) card(s).

 President Catherine announced that the Board had decided that rather than start a new fundraiser, we would attempt to increase funding from our current ones.  First target would be the Poinsettia fundraiser with a goal of increasing revenue by 30%.  This would be done by targeting nursing & retirement homes and being more aggressive with respect to commercial sales and sales by Rotarians. Also, more delivery dates will help sales.

Our exchange student, Julliette, reported on her activities.  Among them was an event held at her school whereby in a competition held at her school Friday night, her school won .  On Saturday, she went to Niagara Falls and ate at the top of that tower in Niagara Falls and got a beautiful view of the City and the falls.

Rene reported that the role of getting speakers is now been delegated to Mike Molloy.  Give any speaker ideas you have to Mike.

Catherine spoke about a Creativity Forum being held at the Art Gallery of Burlington (formerly Burlington Art Centre) on December 4^th.  This one day forum showcases thought leaders and practitioners from a wide area of sectors, all experienced in the infinite value of applying a creative process to their role, team & organization. For more information visit artgalleryofBurlington.com .

Speaker – Dr. Christopher Rutty – Ph. D

Roy Cooper introduced Chris who is a Medical Historian – Health Heritage Consultant. For a complete package on what Chris does and his area of endeavour in the medical field, you can go to http://healthheritageresearch.com/ .   In the meantime, here is the Coles Notes version in point form, which he presented to us.

• Because of Rotary’s involvement with polio Chris gave us a very good synopsis of the history behind the disease of polio and what has transpired up to the present time.
• Considered the middle class plaque.
• Causes weakness or paralysis of the muscles.
• 1890’s – first outbreak in North America.
• 1910 – Canada one of the hardest hit countries – 600 cases in Canada.
• 1937 – 4000 cases in Ontario.
• Convalescent serum was developed.
• Monkeys were the only animals susceptible to this disease.
• Various attempts for cure & relief.
• Most serious cases involved breathing & swallowing muscles.
• Iron lung was developed to help those with breathing problems –created negative pressure.
• In 1937 Hospital for Sick Kids only had one Iron Lung – they made 27 wooden ones.
• Managing crippling effects was one of the major challenges.
• Learned it was best to rest muscles to keep muscles in balance.
• 1921 -  Franklin D. Roosevelt stricken with polio while in New Brunswick on a visit.
• 1938  - he developed what is known now as March of Dimes organization.
• Paul Martin Sr. – Minister of National Health & Welfare had polio himself.
• Paul Martin Jr. contracted it in 1948.
• Disease of polio was driving force in directing Canada to a Medicare Program.
• 1951 – Neil Young had polio as did Joni Mitchell.
• Big epidemic in 1953 – Manitoba  hard hit – 72 Iron Lungs in Winnipeg
• Used Iron Lungs even to women with polio giving birth.

Chris gave us a review of Connaught Laboratories and how it developed.

• Started in 1913 as Connaught Medical Research Laboratory – part of U of Toronto.
• Concentrated on such diseases as diphtheria and the development of penicillin.
• 1940 – started to look at polio.
• Started growing polio viruses in test tubes where previously monkeys had been used.
• 1951 – developed Medium 199  which facilitated the development of the Salk vaccine.
• Salk vaccine developed by Jonas Salk but he found it difficult to produce large batches of vaccine.
• 1954 – Salk Vaccine Field Trial.
• April 12, 1955 field trial results announced.
• Big challenge to produce enough vaccine.
• 1957 – Connaught exported vaccine to U.K. and Czechoslovakia.
• 1959 – Connaught developed oral polio vaccine.
• 1994 – polio free in Canada.
• 1988 – epidemic throughout the world – reduced to 4 countries by 2012.
• Military conflicts and resulting non immunization threaten polio free countries.
• Resulting in new public health emergency.

Marie Cresswell thanked Chris for his wonderful background on this important topic to Rotary.