@media scholar - really interesting details, although not necessarily to change my mind re: the possibility of lead arsenate (toxic metals) interacting w/microbes to increase the severity of a body's reactions.
1. The difference in FDR & his children's symptoms could have been in the fire fumes. Obviously his children were not fighting a fire. Who knows what the fire area had been treated with as far as chemicals?
2. The fact that FDR had been in the area before and had fought fire there before, and took a dip afterward, still doesn't address whether the burnt areas had been chemically treated, and when, if any, chemical treatment had started, and whether areas where he had previously fought fires had been treated.
3. If lead arsenate could possibly interact w/polio virus and make it much worse, is there the possibility that it could have a similar exacerbating effect on other microbes, for instance one that could causing G.B. syndrome? And if so, whether G.B. or polio was FDRs downfall becomes a moot point. It's all about the underlying causative combination of microbes and toxins, in various combinations, and whether the complete immune system is strong enough to deal with it. Just recently from a research trial up from UofM and Duke, they exposed folks to the flu virus. Some of them showed classic flu-like symptoms. The others did not. But upon testing, all participants' immune systems showed activation to the exposure. The asymptomatic responders had a much more "tightly" regulated response. If that is possible w/the flu, why wouldn't it be possible for other infections?

http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1002234

What's more, I think the implications of this research are astounding and under - reported considering it flies in the face of the premise that we need such high uptake in vaccinations.

In 2003, a study in The Journal of Medical Biography proposed Roosevelt actually had Guillain–Barré syndrome, not poliomyelitis.[ii] While interesting, the evidence for such a diagnosis is not strong.
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Unfortunately, the link provided with this third part does not work.

Here's one that does.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/25009888/What-Was-the-Cause-of-Franklin-Delano

Please read the entire study as it indicates the STRONG likelihood that FDR, in fact, was more likely to have contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome and not Polio as Mark and Dan seem to suggest.

Summary: In 1921, when he was 39 years of age, Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted an illness characterized by: fever; protracted symmetric, ascending paralysis; facial paralysis; bladder and bowel dysfunction; numbness; and dysaesthesia. The symptoms gradually resolved except for paralysis of the lower extremities. The diagnosis at the onset of the illness and thereafter was paralytic poliomyelitis. Yet his age and many features of the illness are more consistent with a diagnosis of Guillain–Barre´ syndrome, an autoimmune polyneuritis. The likelihoods (posterior probabilities) of poliomyelitis and Guillain–Barre´ syndrome were investigated by Bayesian analysis. Posterior probabilities were calculated by multiplying the prior probability (disease incidence in Roosevelt’s age group) by the symptom probability (likelihood of a symptom occurring in a disease). Six of eight posterior probabilities strongly favoured Guillain–Barre´ syndrome.

Some of the key findings of the study:

"...The diagnosis of poliomyelitis in FDR’s case was never questioned. Indeed, it seemed fitting, because poliomyelitis was epidemic in the north- eastern United States where FDR lived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. At the time, poliomyelitis was one of the few recognized causes of flaccid paralysis. ..."

Against this, Mark and Dan poo-poo GBS because the Roosevelt children had stuffy noses, slight fever, and neck cramping?

That is not extraordinary for firefighters, smoke-jumpers or simple campers. Musty tents or cabins, possible smoky campfires or ill-ventilated fireplace fires, or even chicken feather pillows can be triggers for a stuffy nose. Slight fever? Anybody for seasonal allergies here? Allergies typically carry a slight fever with them. The nose runs to flush out something taken in via the air.

Stiff necks? Well, they are Roosevelt's...(two, three, four bah boom),but seriously with Eleanor harping "it's Polio, it's Polio", the changes in sleep posture, or the stress itself triggered by the "vacation from hell" a natural sense for kids may likely to have been to exhibit a whole-body let-down triggered by fear, or perhaps sympathy pains for their dad, who they hurt for.

"...Most symptomatic cases of poliomyelitis occurred in young children and were characterized by a mild, brief febrile illness. In a much smaller number, a second phase appeared that was marked by fever, headache, meningeal irritation, muscle soreness in the neck and back, and a flaccid, usually asymmetric paralysis. The preponderance of the disease in children was demonstrated during one of the peak epidemics (1916) in New York City, when 1469 per 100,000 children aged one to four years and only 2.3 per 100,000 adults aged 35 to 44 years developed paralytic poliomyelitis. ..."

None of the Roosevelt children were paralysed as a result of the vacation.

"...To summarize, FDR’s paralytic illness was marked by: an ascending, symmetric paralysis that progressed for about 10 to 13 days, facial paralysis in the absence of other cranial nerve abnormalities; prolonged bladder and bowel dysfunction; numbness and protracted dys- aesthesia; fever at the onset of the paralysis; a slow and symmetric partial resolution of the paralysis in a descending fashion; and permanent, nearly symmetrical paralysis of the lower extremities. Few adults who contracted paralytic poliomyelitis in the first part of the twentieth century were older than 30 years. Fever, permanent paralysis and transitory bladder dysfunction are common but fever usually begins before the paralysis in poliomyelitis and the bladder dysfunction rarely lasts for more than a few days. Furthermore, ascending, symmetric paralysis, facial paralysis in the absence of other cranial nerve abnormalities, obstipation, numbness and dysaesthesia are unusual or absent in paralytic poliomyelitis. In that regard we found only one report of ascending, symmetric paralysis in poliomyelitis. ..."

"...In contrast, all of FDR’s neurological abnormal- ities commonly occur in GBS. His paralysis was briefly unilateral but that is not unusual in the early stages of GBS. Minor degrees of asymme- trical paralysis, as found in FDR’s case, are also common in GBS. Fever is uncommon in GBS but has occasionally appeared at the start of the neuritis.

Few features of FDR’s illness were consistent with other causes of flaccid paralysis. The pure motor axonal form of acute polyneuropathy was excluded because of sensory abnormalities in FDR’s disease.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy was unlikely because the progression of the disease was not long enough in FDR’s case. The Miller–Fisher variant of GBS was unlikely because of the lack of other distinguishing features, such as ataxia and ophthalmoplegia. Botulism was ruled out because there was no evidence that others in thefamily were exposed to food contaminated with the causative agent. Furthermore, the paralysis due toClostridium botulinum is typically descending, and sensory abnormalities are uncommon. Diphtheritic polyneuritis seemed improbable because of the absence of a membranous pharyngitis within two or three months before the paralysis, the lack of palatal palsy, and the lack of the toxic appearance associated with that disease. ..."

Here's more:

"...The inconsistencies in the diagnosis of polio- myelitis are as follows. Paralysis due to poliomyel- itis is rarely symmetric or ascending and usually progresses for only three to five days. Facial paralysis is uncommon inpoliomyelitis when other cranial nerves are not involved. Fever in paralytic poliomyelitis usually precedes the paralysis. Meningismus is common in paralytic poliomyelitis and was lacking in FDR’s case.

Numbness is very rare in poliomyelitis. Pain in poliomyelitis is due to myalgia rather than dysaesthesia, which was found in FDR’s case. A descending, symmetric recovery from paralysis, as FDR experienced, is rare in poliomyelitis.

Another reason to question the diagnosis is the epidemiological pattern of paralytic poliomyelitis in the United States during the early twentieth century. At that time, almost all cases of the disease were in infants and children of pre-school age. During the 1920s, schoolchildren were also prone to the infection but adults were at much lower risk. In 1921, few adults older than 30 years contracted paralytic poliomyelitis. ..."

"...The disease that most closely resembled FDR’s illness was GBS, an immune-mediated attack on peripheral nerves due to molecular mimicry between foreign microbial antigens and self-antigens that is particularly common in adults. In that respect, certain infections, including Campylobacter jejuni, cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, often occur several days before the onset of GBS. Cross-reactivity of IgG antibodies to C. jejuniwith GM1gangliosides on nerve fibres may be the commonest cause of GBS.

Each neurological feature of FDR’s illness was consistent with GBS. Landry’s ascending paralysis is frequent in GBS. A symmetric pattern of paralysis is usual but seldom absolute.

Moreover, meningismus, though common in paralytic poliomyelitis, was not found in FDR’s case and is rare in GBS. The aching discomfort (‘‘lumbago’’) that FDR felt on the first day of his illness is common in GBS, and poliomyelitis. Numbness occurs commonly in GBS and not in poliomyelitis. Furthermore, dysaesthesia occurs in about 47% of patients with GBS, but is rare in poliomyelitis. ..."

GBS, GBS, GBS. This study concludes that Polio can not be ruled out, but it strongly suggests by scientific analysis FDR was crippled by Guillain-Barre Syndrome contrary to popular knowledge.

When the League of Nations formed up in 1919 a Health Organization featuring three bodies was established. Among their goal-oriented objectives was mass vaccination policy for the entire world.

Of interest, Canada was a member of the League of Nations in 1919. The United States was never a member.

Centuries before Canadian lore includes frontiersmen making "blood brothers" of each other. This included arm to arm variolation (deliberate infection with Small Pox).

Time later it only makes practical sense that Canada was foremost on the cutting edge of League of Nation mandates for mass vaccinations. Finding out what FDR's recent shot records just prior to the vacations would be nice.

It's an educated guess with high probability of correctness to suggest that the Roosevelt's had vaccines for the whole family before they ventured north of the border. The family reaction to FDR's affliction after his illness is indicative of strong believe in vaccination.

The "moth theory" doesn't make good sense. FDR grew up in the exact period this series describes, yet was 39 when moth illness theory struck. How many years prior did FDR and the family do the exact same thing upon their visit to Campobello Island yet no Polio each and every prior visit?

FDR said the authorized dip he took after fighting the fire didn't envigorate him as in the past. That means they'd been there before.

Eleanor was a very powerful, strong-willed lady. Let's not forget she was given away into marriage with FDR by the President of the United States.

Events leading to FDR and his relationship to Eleanor led him to become glow in the dark "radioactive" in her eyes. Lucy Mercer comes to mind.

Is it a far-flung idea that Eleanor might have been smart enough or behind the scenes knowledgible to figure out what was causing the Polio epidemics? Did she quietly purchase a bottle of gypsy moth killer ahead of the family trip and try to poison FDR from the waist down?

In contrast, the evaluation of FDR's medical records suggest that FDR had Polio is a bit of a myth.

It doesn't exactly point a finger at vaccines, but we all know that Guillain-Barre Syndrome is synonymous vaccine injury.

I'm just sayin'......

Great investigative writing!

Were the fires he fought in an agricultural area which had been treated w/lead arsanate, which he would then have been breathing in, in addition to ingesting it if he was eating fresh fruit?
Vitamin D3 levels, which are very important for the immune system, are known to drop significantly after surgery (trauma) to the body.
Fevers above a certain temperature are believed to help a body clear infections. Could his body have become too cold from falling in water to effectively clear the infection. Possibly, but I can't imagine all polio victims experienced sudden timely cold. Maybe could have been a minor role, if any.

I have attended many patients over the years who contracted mild cases of poliomyelitis in early childhood. Interestingly, many of them report a traumatic injury, such as a moderate-to-serious fall or crash, just prior to the onset of clinical sequelae. Such injuries are known to tax the immune response, often overloading an already-delicate system.