Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-08
VICTIM OF TYPHUS
GIVES BLOOD TO AID
EXPERIMENTS HERE
Julian Morris, Is, of SudIers-
vile, Md, Volunteers As
sistance in Disease Study.
SCIENTISTS MAKE SERUM
AT INSTITUTE OF HEALTH
Common Ticks Used in Effort to
Ascertain How Dread Malady
Is Spread.

In their hazardous scientific battle
with the dread typhus. for which there
Is no known cure, research experts CT
the new National Institute of Health
here have received a precious gift In the
form of blood from a 13-year-old boy,
Julian Morris, of Sudlersville, Md, who
was stricken with the mysterious NAL
adv but recovered.
This boy, who was i'll for about two
weeks. with what was found to be genu-
Inc typhus, came to the Capital recent
" and gave some of his blood to science.
From his blood two specialists, DR.. r. E.
Dyer and DR.. L. F.. Badger, who are
riSking their lives every day in the
laboratory studying the disease, have
made "convalescent serum" an amber
colored liquid which is believed to con-
tain elements which will help protect
the scientists should they become in
fected accidentally in their daily con-
tact with the illness.
The convaIescent serum from young
Morris blood is kept in glass containers
at the proper temperature and is now
available to be used Immediately should
O hypodermic needle break or some
other accident serve to infect the doc
tors with typhus. The exact nature OF
the elements in the serum are not
known, but the principles of science
have proven in the past that conva-
lescent serum made from the blood of
persons or animals which have recov-
cred from disease is effective in attack
ing the cause of that disease In another
person.
No Cure Has Been Found.
No cure for typhus ever has been
found. according to DR.. George w. Nc
Coy, director of the National Institute
of Health, which was formerly known
as the HYGIENE Laboratory Of the
United States.
"These doctors who are carrying for
ward research work on typhus are risk
ing their lives every day. There have
been several deaths from laboratory
experimentation in .typhus in various
parts of the world" according to DR..
Mccoy. One laboratory worker in the
old Hygienic Laboratory worker in the
disease about a year ago, but fortu-
hospital He was given careful nursing,
but, as DR.. Mccoy explained, he
was not cured-he merely got well"
There is a distinction, DR.. Mccoy ex-
planned
Experiments are being conducted to
determine whether typhus is transmitted
by means of the tick. Some Of the ticks
are allowed to bite guinea pigs which
are i'll with typhus. and then are al
lowed to bite guinea pigs which do not
have the typhus in an effort to deter
mine the means Of transmission Of the
disease.
Young Morris was first found to be
Ill of typhus by DR.. C. H. Metcalf of
Sudlersville. Md, who diagnosed his
case. The diagnosis was confirmed by
DIR. r. G. Beachley, Maryland district
health officer, at Chestertown, Md,
who in turn notified the State health
authorities From there the report came
TO Washington.
Experiment With Ticks.
Since the European typhus has been
found to be spread by lice, American
scientists here are strongly suspecting
the common tick of carrying the dis
ease here. The louise has not been so
strongly suspected here, as patients
have not been In touch with lice. The
common tick, however, which lives
largely on ground hogs, cattle, horses,
and particularly on dogs, Is possible
carrier of the disease here, they be-
lieve There are plenty of ticks availa-
BILE the doctors point out They have
no trouble in getting a supply from a
pack Of dogs almost anywhere on near
by farms
The ticks are taken to q new room
I'm the National Institute Of Health
which has been fitted up as a tick
laboratory. There the ticks are bred
and fed and infected with typhus in
various experiments to determine the
activity of the disease. The ticks grow
through several stages, taking about
two years to grow from one adult to
the next generation adult.
People who are attacked by typhus,
the doctors explained. come down with
a sudden severe headache. They have
severe pains and high fever. They
break out in a rash, and in extreme
cases go into delirum. and death. The
disease has no connection with typhoid
fever In this country it is more preva-
lent in its endempic form, but In
Europe and Asia it is more virulent
and the mortality higher. Here the
mortality now is estimated TO be about
per cent.