Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-17

The question as to whether ethyl
gas. the fuel that abollshes the
knock" in gasoline engines, Is so
dangerous that its manufacture and
use by the general public should be
restricted or prohibited is to be con-
sidered at nationwide conference
to be held in Washington. beginning
May 30 and continuing for several
days.
Surg. Gen. Hugh s. Cumming of
the Federal Bureau of Public Health
called the conference as a result of
the controversy that arose following
the sudden deaths of several workmen
in Eastern manufacturing or expert
mental plants.
Pending the conclusions formulated
at this gathering sale of. the gas has
been stopped voluntarily by the man
ufacturers. This action was an
nounced in a statement in which it
was said that as controversy has
arisen among scientists as to the ulti-
mate effects on the public health of
the general use of this fuel, and the
surgeon general of the United States
has issued an invitation for con-
ference at which all available informa-
ton will he considered. the directors of
the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation have
decided to discontinue distribution. AT
this conference the corporation hopes
that a constructive program of in
vestigation may be worked out"
A Representative Conference.
The conference will include repre-
sentatives of the manufacturers, head.
ed by DIR. w. Gilman Thompson of
New York City. chairman of the med
ical advisory board of the industry;
representatives of the Federal Bureau
of Public Health and of the health
services of all the States and the four
largest cities in the. country, and rep
resentafives of the National Research
Council. the National Safety Council
and the American Federation of
Labor.
There will also be present and par
ticipating various experts from or
CARNATIONS and institutions such as
the Bureau of Mines, the Chemical
Warfare Service and Columbia Uni
versity, which have done a great deal
of research work in connection with
poisonous gases, and number of
scientists of national reputation. in
Guiding DR.. David Edsall. dean of the
Harvard School of Public Health; DR..
Alice Hamilton of the Harvard School
of Industrial Hygiene. who Is rec.
ings: DIR. Cecil Drinker and DIR. Reed
Hunt. also of Harvard DIR. c. E. A.
Winslow. professor of public health
at Yale: Prof. Randall Henderson of
Yale. an expert on poisonous gases.
and DR.. William Howell and DR.. Mar.
shall of Johns Hopkins University.
A Great Discovery.
Ethyl gas is made by adding to
ordinary gasoline fluid of which
tetraethyl lead is the active con-
stituent The discovery that very
small quantity Of this fluid per gallon
will do away with the knock that is
especially troublesome in high com.
preston motors. or when a mixture
Of kerosene and gasoline Is used in
ordinary motors. was hailed as one
of the great achievements of modern
industrial chemistry. Scientists
claim that it made possible the build.
ing and operation of high com
pression motor that would double, the
gasoline.
developed by the General Motors Re.
search Corporation after seven years
| of experimental work at Dayton. Ohio
The scientists of the country officially
recognized this as one of the greatest
accomplishments of the year in chem
| zeal engineering by awarding the
Nichols medal to Thomas Midgely of
the General Motors organization.
During 1924 ethyl fiuid was dis
trfbuted to the consuming public at