Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-13
NOW FOR A VITAL ELIXIR.
Postponement of Death May Be
Twentieth-Century Discovery.
DR.. Loebs Experiments-To Apply the
Idea to Higher Animals With View
to Prolonging Their Lives
Some Observations.

II an elixir @. life is thing obtain
able. DIR. jacques Loeb of the Chicago
University seems to in fair way 20 pro-
uucc it, says Rene cache, His announce
mcnt that he has succeeded i'll indefinite
ly postponing the death Of sea urchihs
eggs by the use Ct potassium salts Is
merely preliminary, and already he is APP
plying the idea to higher animals. such as
uogs and rabbits with a view II asrrr-
tanning whether or not their lives can ne
prolonged by similar artificial means. IT
he is successful. his mex. experiments VIII
be tried on human beings
If the death of a human being or other
animal can be postponed for consd-
cradle time when dissolution threatens, ny
injecting chcmica al salts into the veins, DIR.
LCeb's discovery is enormously important
and valuable. But as a matter OF fact. it
should be realized that medical science
has possessed an inkling OF the truth in
this matter for u seed many years, mas
much as It has been known that common
salt dissolved in water ana introduced into
the circulation would sustain the action
of the heart and keep crson alive Whon
all other eXpedients failed. 1t is entirely
conceivable that potassium salts, or some
other chemical agent OF tho KIND, might,
ii given in small daily doses hypod"rmi-
oally, prolong life for years.
JJoeD II Is lOu1iu Nlltl IT lul Nv = 4A'''i -
after being removed from the body Of the
reptile, can be made to keep steadily IT
work for several days by supplying 1t with
a solution Of table salt III water. IL VIII
go on pumping the SAT- and water just
as If it were blood, incidentally affording
a frst-ratc opportunity for studying the
mode of action of the cardiac organ, a
frogs heart, it has been discovered, VIII
behave in exactly the same way under
like circumstances.
Now the sea urchins' eggs. with which
D1. Loeb has been eXperln enting bear
notable likeness to the red corpusclcs of
Hood. They are simple cells so also are
blood corpusces. The only dihercnc"
microsC ppe will show between them Is that
the blood "orpuscle is smaller. Like the
sea WchinS' eggs. the blood ccrpuscle alb
sorhs nourshment On its surface thus. If
YOU put either egg or corpuscle into a So
luton that affords nutrimcnt, the latter
will bc taken up ard assimilated.
Accordingly. it Is easy to see how and
why chemical solution that Indefinitely
rostpOneS thu 1eath of sea urchins eggs
would be likely to prolcns the life of hui
man blood corpuscles--or indeed vi The
billions of cells that go to make up the
structure of the human tody. The action
of a solution e common table salt upon
such eggs seems to be the same as upon
the red corpuSclCs of the blood. Just what
Tie nature Of the stimulation is nobody
knows as yet. 1t may be species of nu-
triton and nav he, not any vay the Of
fcct is ,odo,iahio
when - nry.. h,,rt etcr- boo,ir,, and
he ceases 70 hreathe tto nbvsiciar savs
th,t be &c dn.G Ae on orc,i ri,r, w. ie nm
Question MI. daf,,,,at innl,,,inh ~. ~, ,,,,
chine has stopped running forever But
,r,toI r, ~, lir, h'oe,o,'IL 80. 49,. .i,.,,.
Of his bodl.i q Tho r,ueclts ana ,,.r,.,.
arc nv NO NOME 1,ad ThnSo .is.,,n..
pil ror,,in .Ii,.o f., . r',,sijor.h,. .,,,,
,rr,,I actuaIlv starvfd ~ i,ath 40, f,il,,ro
Of Tho sunnlio, ~ n,,trin,,,,t With .I,,,ir,r
IN, ufotin,o of ,t, irdi,.id,,o1 ,r,, Lr,,,,,b,
To Them bv tho b,ocd
Dr Loeb has discrvred that , r,uscIo
taken from tho leg Of q FROG and r,t .rtn
ali, -