Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-31
SCIENCE OPENS new
FIELD FOR RADIO.
Short Waves Have Power to
Cut viruIence of Diph.
iberia Poison.
nv tne Associated Press.


Science opened a hitherto unknown
opportunity for shcrt-wave radio to-
day--a newly found power to cut the
virulence OF diphtheria poison.
In one sentence this discovery was
summarized to the Society of American
Psychologists by Waclaw T. SZyma-
nowskd and Robert Alan Hicks of West
ern Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh.
Highly potent diphtheria toxin. y
they stated, as found to be diminished
in strength by the action CT short cleo
trio waves, ly9 and 3.76 meters, at a
frequency, respectively, of approximate
ly 15S,o00,000 and 100000 cycles per
second"
Diphtheria toxin is the poison which
causes the disease and is produced by
diphtheria bacteria. The radio waves
nounced in Boston about year ago
as producing artificial fever in human
beings.
Scientists have been quietly expert
menting with them in a number of
American laboratories, and t3day's re-
port is one of the tirst disclosing re-
suits.
The Pittsburgh method points at
possible method of immuni2ation, rath-
er than use of radio upon diphtheria
patients. The Pittsburgh hactericlogists
said they have not investigated the
iSnmunizing properties of the attenuat-
ed toxin"
Battery Made From Bacteria.
An electric battery made of living bac-
terra at Johns Hopkins University was
described yesterday.
The battery was made by Dr. Bar
nett Cohen of the Medical School to
illustrate the existence and effects of
Self-produced electrical currents in the
growth of bacteria.
Each cell" of the battery is made
of a little more than two teaspoonfuls
(two cubic cefltimeters) Of bacteria cul-
ture material coupled with sterile con-
troll Through 800 ohms of resistance
this cell discharged about 1-100,000th
of an sfnpere minute.
With such cells Dr. Cohen made a
battery furnishing current OF about
2-1,00O6tS OF an ampere at 35 volts.
To obtain electrical results of such
magnitude the bacteria were first treat
ed with certain chemicals. Their nor
NAL electrical output is less, but it ex-
lists and is connected with the energy
production IN growth.
Current Output Low.
"The bacterial culture during the
process of energy conversion" said DR..
Cohen, lis in sense a primary cleo
trical half cell, and as such should con-
ceivabiy be able to perform work It's
greatest deficiency lies, however in the
fact that its current output is ordi-
narily very low "a millionth to a ten
millionth OF an ampere) and it is very
quickly discharged"
Experiments to learn whether per-
fectlly dry bacteria can live indefinitely
were reported by c. N. Stark ana B. L.
Harrington of Cornell University. Some
scientists hold that life is impossible
in complete absence of water.
THE facts probably can never be
definitely determined" the Comedians
stated. Those who believe that really
dry bacteria will live forever can always
maintain that death occurred as a re-
suit of the method of drying the bac-
terra. rather than from dryness itself.
Similarly, 1t can be held by others that
failure of the bacteria to die was due
to incomplete drying"
BY special drying methods Stark and
Harrington found that two thirds OF
the streptococci originally present grew
readily again after 81 days dry exist
ence. But only or 8 per cent of
certain other kinds of bacteria sur
vived that long.
Disease Germs in Dust.
Widespread presence of disease germs
in dust of homes, Offices, hotels, hos
PlboAcs oIAAOOto, dlJdEIilGIlbS, ana
dormitorteS was established in a report
by Murray p. Norwood of the Massa-
chusettS Institute of Technology The
samples came mostly from metropolitan
Boston, with a few from New York.
Philadelphia and Toledo.
He found streptococci. which cause
some Of the serious types of infection;
hemolytic types, which cause serious
blood poisoning If they get into the
blood, and staphylococchi, which cause
q different category of ills.
Tubercle bacilli were found, but when
inoculated into guinea pigs, failed to
produce positive evidences Of tubercu-
losis
Some Of the dust was less than three
days old, but the remainder ranged
from three 70 six weeks in age.
Hans ZinSSer Of Harvard, one of
Americas leading psychologists, re-
ported promising method for immun-
tty against typhus fever.
He has found how to obtain large
quantities of an immunizing substance
hitherto scarce. In tests upon animals
this vaccine produced either complete
immunity or distinctly milder attack.
ZinsSer reported his findings to the
Society of American Psychologists in
joint paper with M. Ruiz Castaneda
of Harvard
The tremendous mortality of typhus
in famine times gave them the key
to the store Of if1munizing agent, which
Is made of "Rickettsia Bodies of Moo
SER" the bacteria credited with causing
typhus and generally transmitted to
man by bites OF lice.
Experimental on Rats.
zinsser tried scientific type of
famine upon rats and guinea pigs.
which he was obtaining insufficient
quantities Of rickettsia. He fed them
on vitsmin-free diets until they were
in poor condition, much like residents
Of famine areas.
When inoculated in that condition
with typhus virus the animals, said
Zinsser ''have invariably yielded con-
siderably increased numbers and sltri-
button Of rickettsia and In some OF them
enormous amounts The practical pur-
pose was to obtain sufficient numbers of
rickettsia material for vaccine pur-
poses"
This vaccine was made by killing the
rickettsia with formalin.
We report Also the paper states.
"upon a series Of experiments which,
though not 100 per cent successful,
demonstrate unambiguously that active
immunization with formol-killed rick
ettsia material will sometimes immunize
completely and when it does not do this
will modify the disease distinctly in the
direction of greater mildneSs." 2
What sort of overcoats bacteria
manufacture for themselves In cold
weather is not known exactly. but the
fact they may develop some means of
cold protection was reported by Samuel
c. Prescott of Massachusetts, Institute
of Technology and p. K. Bates OF the
meteorological department, Frigidaire
Corporation.
Certain types Of food-spoiling organ
tht,ns - thav efoAad thdant Themselves