Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-25
WAR OFFICERS IN
LIFE SAVER ROLES
United States May Go Into Ger
miCide Business to Preserve
Its Fighting Men
[speclaI to The IIerald1

WASHINGTON. Dec. 24.-The war
department has. for the time being,
turned it's attention from armament,
steel plates and explosives to the pur-
pose of doing something in the way of
conserving the lives of the army and
navy units by making an Investigation
of a new discovery which many of the
officers lcel quite certain will have the
effect of making the camp, barracks
and tented field healthful places to
live in.
1t is no new thing for the war de-
partment to be investigating the work
of scientific men who have improved
upon some means of taking life, but
now it has taken a step in the other
direction.
1t is claimed that the heads of the
department urged the proper executive
machinery to secure for the govern
ment the sole information and owner
ship of the chemical discovery Of Prof.
II. c. Carel of the University of Mime
sofa, which is listed in the investiga-
tions as Benetol. This, it is claimed,
is the first time any of the department
experts have ever recommended that
the government take over for its own
ership any discovery outside of those
of armament, plate or defense. An
emissary is being sent to Professor
Garel to enter into negotiations, and
lbI lle uISL time IN llS IlSlOlJ INC
United States government may go into
the germicide business.
The first information of the value of
BenetOl as Il germicide came from the
Ieper colony at Honolulu, where
demand came for a quantity. 1t ap-
pears that one of the minor officials
there was a friend of Professor Carel,
the discoverer, and had been sent a
small quantity for a test on leprosy
and had reported marvellous results.
OTHERS GET GOOD RESULTS
Shortly aftervard came a very strong
communication from Major George
Thorpe, United States marines, who
had secured a quantity of Benetol
through a Minneapolis friend, and who
had it tested on the L. S. S. Connecti-
cut with results which caused him to
enthuse.
f. NJ. Shook, pathologist at the
United States Medical school at wash
ington, was asked to make investiga-
ton, and secured a quantity of Benetol
from the New York United States Ma
rine hospital The interior department
| became active. and a number of its
surgeons began making tests upon the
Indians with such wonderful results
that the officials became interested.
When, finally, reports began to come
in from some of the western barracks,
showing that it was comparatively
easy to ward off typhoid fever by the
use of the new discovery, the depart
ment got ready to act, and hence the
emissasry who will go to the Minnesota
discoverer bearing gifts and a plan
for having the government take over
the discovery, because of its remark
ably beneficial effects upon humanity
! in making it possible for the health Of
ficials and physicians to break up any
germ scOurge.
typhoid alone" said one of the of
| ficials, takes more lives in our army
in war and peace than the bullets of
the enemy. If, therefore, this Benetol
will prevent that one germ disease
only, as some of our fort officers say it
will, the government should control it.
especially since, as I am informed. it
! can be manufactured very cheaply.
Such a powerful germ killer, which I
am told can be sent into the human
stomach in large doses, is certainly a
revelation which is better worth con-
trolling than some new explosive or
gun barrel"