San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-08-09

r VERYONE has marveled at and
perhaps envied the ability Of some
animals to hibernate during the cold
and disagreeable Winter. Hibernation is
one of the most economical and practical
ideas Nature ever had, but how is it done?
DR.. Adolph Koelsch, German biologist,
has just announced the answer which he
thinks may some day make ii possible to
hibernate all living creatures, including
human beings. Apparently it is all a
question of certain little glands in the
body, chiefly the thyroid.
In the Winter time, when we look from
the windows of our warm railroad train
we see lifeless expanse Of frozen land.
Except for few birds which, like our
selves, have to hustle for a precarious
living, all last Summers forms of active
life are seemingly dead and gone Then
Spring rings up the curtain and, like the
chorus in theatre, on they come again,
with their songs and dances and the show
begins.
Who gave them their cues to come on
and who next Fall, will give them ''the
hook to get off? We took it for granted
that it was temperature. A Marian, look
ing down his telescope might suppose that
is why human beings sleep during the
cooler nights. Prof, Koelseh has shown
that cold helps, just as darkness and
quiet are aids to sleep, but it is not the
cause.
Along in the Fall, regardless of the
fact that the weather may still be warm,
marked changes begin in certain glands
of alternating animals. The thyroid
commences 70 shrink in size, which means
that the secretions it pours into the blood
are reduced and possibly changed. 1t is
well known that the thyroid is sort of
boss gland, controlling the behavior of
other glands and organs.
The heat centre, in the brain, which has
the job of keeping US just at the right
temperature, is under the domination of
this gland. Cretins, persons who have
underdeveloped thyroids, suffer among
other things from insufficient bodily heat.
A dose of thyroid extract promptly warns
them up. A alternating, warm-blooded
animal in the depths Of his Winter sleep,
If given hypodermic injection of thyroid
extract will sit right up and take notice,
no matter how cold il may be and stay
wide awake for an hour or two until the
effects have worn off. Then back he goes
again into his trance.
There seems to be a sort Of bodily
calendar in the alternating animals and
they go by this rather than the weather or
food supply. After warm-bloOded bear
has been awake and fsttening himself up
for a certain number Of days, his thyroid
and some OF his other glands begin to
shirk their work. Slowly a lack Of ambi-
ton afiicts the big animal who only a
month before was glad to dig down six
feet to earn himself little measly ground
squirrel.
He now has that tired feeling, no APP
petite; gets up late IN the morning and
goes TO bed early, loafs around and
neglects business In spite of his thick
fur overcoat and the warm weather he
feels a chill in his bones
These symptoms grow worse until one
day he gives up TO them, digs a buTrow
under a fallen tree, climbs in, buries
himself and calmly goes to sleep. The
thyroid now secretes only very little Of
its fluid into the sluggish bloOdstream and
the bears whole machinery slows down IN
I'll it is just barely running II his motor
were turning oven any slower il would
stall The heat centre allows the tempcra-
tUre of the body TO drop until il is almost
like that of a cold blOOded animal, just
enough TO keep his pipes from freezing.
There is nobody home but earctaker.
Down in the cold mud are turtles and
frogs and in the frozen ground and under
the bark Of trees are insect Rip Van
Wrinkles, all dead to the world, but ready
for resurrection as soon az Gabriel
Thyroid blows his trumpet in their
systems.
When q certain number Of days have
passed, nc matter how cold it is, the
calendar Of the unconscious animal calls
upon the thyroid 10 get busy and slowly
It responds, increasing its secretions day