The Winslow mail., 1926-04-09

closely for the alienation of suf-
fering; the chief aim of chemistry
in those days was the providing
of medicinals for the use of the
| physician. Then for while,
the chemist and the physician sep
arated each turning his attention
in different directions. Later the
physician turned back somewhat
to his former aid, and found
some useful substances awaiting
him. For instance, ether had
been discovered in the thirteenth
century, but its value as an an
aesthetic was not definitely recog-
nized until 1916. During the in
tervening five or six hundred
wears, untold suffering resulted
from lack of knowledge of its ap-
plication in producing insensitive-
ness to pain. Thus was the case
in so many instances.
There has been a return to the
earlier views as TO the relation of
chemistry to medicine. Each hu-
man body is now recognized to
be chemical factory in which
the most complicated chemical
and physical changes are contin-
ually taking place. When these
reactions are normal from dav to
day, we are in good health.
When they are not normal, dis
ease is the direct result.
It is not surprising that lead
ing medical schools are increas-
ing two and three fold the pre-
paration in these fundamental
sciences and especially in chemis-
try, demanded in students for ad-
mission to their classes; it is not
surprising that pioneer medical
men, engaged in research, are
returning in numbers to the uni
versities to study more chemistry
and physics as they find them
absolutely essential to the proper
development Of their investiga-
tions. 1t is simply the recogni-
tion Of the fact that life has it's
abode in a highly complex labor
atory, controlled by chemistry
and physics.
Let us now turn to the way in
which chemistry tackles the prob
lem of disease. There are three
lines of attack. First, the pre-
paration of the specific medica-
ment for the cure or relief of the
specific disease. Secondly, the
isolation, study, and if necessary,
the artificial preparation of pure
organic principles of secretions
of the body organs, of which
deficiency or excess would cause
disease. And thirdly, the COM
plete analysis of the constituents
of our body cells, together with
the analysis of the components of
our foods, so that we may have
complete knowledge of the body
in health and of what it needs to
preserve health.
Now we shall turn to the pro-
mise contained in many substanc-
es discovered by the scientist.
Take for instance cocaine, white
crystalline substance like salt or
solution on the tongue, eyelid, or
injected undeS the skin, was
found to suppress locally all SEN
sation of pain. But it has three
defects; its rareness, the difficult
ty in sterilizing it andd the fact
that it is deadly poison. Several
fatalities resulted fir m the use of
cocaine, whereupon the chemist
began to analyze it to determine
the specific content of a mole
cule Of cocaine. He found that
cnly third of the molecule of
cocaine was effective, whereupon
he set to work to improve on ma
ture. AS a result we have
number of artificial local anaes-
thetics such as procaine, beta-en-
caine, apothesine, ETC., all better
tan cocaine, because they are
less poisonous. The extent to
which they are being used in sur
gerry is growing very rapidly, and
they hold out to man the possibil-
ity of some of the greatest adj
vances in the future of this field,
even to their use in major oper-
ations. We have here, real tri-
umph in the chemical world. AL
ready this successful effort has
been the greatest blessing to
thousands OF sufferers.
Another rather recent, and in
many respects a, most important
instance of this kind, is the spe-
cific remedy used with much sue
cess in the treatment of leprosy.
This remedy is derived from
chaulmoogra oil, which is an ir-
ritating nauseating natural pro-
duct, used for perhaps sixty years
in India in the treatment of lep-
rosy. Even in those days of un-
certain quality and uncertain
method of administration the oil
proved its usefulness, but a pos
tive advance in the successful
treatment of the disease was made
chemistry from the nauseating ma
tural product of clean, pure acids
which were combined with ethyl
alcohol, and thus formed a new
drug which could be used hypo-
dermically. In recent publica-
ton, seventy-eight cases of ap-
parent cure by this improved
drug have been reported. While