Try this instead: 
$ perl -wle'print "infantile paralysis" + 0'
Argument "infantile paralysis" isn't numeric in addition (+) at -e lin
+e 1.
inf

[download]
or even: 
$ perl -le'use warnings "FATAL"=>"numeric"; print "infantile paralysis
+" + 0'

[download]
I guess I'd like to know more about where you are finding this problematic. I don't quite get why you'd be taking arbitrary strings and numericizing them.
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In reply to Re^7: nans, infs, and vomit by ysth
in thread nans, infs, and vomit by syphilis

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