Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-11
SERUM IMPROVES
PSITTACOSIS CASE
Dr.. Armstrong Better After
InjeCtionS-BaItimore Bac-
ferioIogiSt Dies.

arg INST hopeful step apparently ha!
been taken in the conquest of parro
1ever.
Serum from the blood of convalescent
Patients in Baltimore, administered yes.
tsraay 10 Dr. Charles Armstrong of the
Eiygtenic Lablratory staff, who is seri.
CuSiy III Of the mysterious malady at the
naval Hospital. seemed to have brought
99-It nctabls improvement this morn
Jlg.
While WORRY ever the condition of DR.
--.HStrOng. who contracted the disease
Nht1 trying 20 isolate the organism
'sSponslble for it, was somewhat abated
Allew causes OF cocce--. we're brought tc
a ne attention % TIE Public yeolt!,
Servics.
First was tS.e .eqo~t .. Sz:5!!:c yea!t..::
service investigator confirming TIE
opinion OF the Virginia State Health
Department that two new cases OF
pSltta costs IN Newport News were not
contracted from parrots at all, but from
c2narieS. This, added TO the recent
diagnosis in Kansas City of case ap-
parently transmitted by a love bird,
leads to the suspicion that the organism
can be transmitted from parrot to any
ether bird and from any bird to a hui
man being.
Baltimore Victim Dies.
The canaries believed responsible for
fhs outbreak in Newport News were
recently purchased from a pet shop
rSlere, it is believed, they had come
a contact with other sick birds. This,
. was pointed out at the Public Health
service, probably would make it adj
'sa5-s % suspect any pet bird which
~au.c possibly have come in contact
with Ire disease.
~ the same time that DR.. Armstrong
was reported improved came word Of
the ceatE IN Baltimore of Dr. William
12oya. stokes. bacteriologist of the city
health department, after a number Of
improvements and relapSes. He also
contracted the disease while trying to
4ln6 the organism responsible for it.
The precious "convaleScent serum"
which however doubtful, is the only
remedy The medical profession knows
anything about, is almost impossible to
obtain and today is probably worth
far more than It's weight in gold.
Z can be obtained only from the blood
q persons who are recovering. So far
IS laaown nobody has entirely recovered
This means that blood must be taken
from personS who are still weak and
sick. The dose administered to DR..
Armstrong yesterday was obtained from
Lalci1nore only with great difficulty.
Lungs Not Affected Yet.
Today, it was learned, a Public Health
Service physician is again in Baltimore
literally begging for a little blood with
vhicn the treatment of DR.. Armstrong
Gan be continued. For the bacteria
logtGt. despite his encouraging improve
1aert and his OWL cheerful attitude, still
IS f5ir rom out of danger. The 'pneu-
I1ouia" phase CT the malady has not
started. II is when the lungs begin to
hs seriously affected that the real fight
against The malay Starts.
Knowing nothing Of the organism re-
.spCrsible for the nlalady, use of the
fcrnvaleScent ser;im" is based almost
entirely on theory, supported by obser-
ystlorS OF the progress of other 1nfec-
1iCus Diseases and especially those due
TO 6itsrable v.russS. When a patient
STARTS 20 recover it means that some
thing has happened in the blood stream
10 OFFSET the attacks Of the invading
organisms. This, it was explained,
probably means that defending organ
Sins have been recruited somewhere in
the body and poured in great numbers
INTO the blood, ike vast armies Of re-
Crttits marching 20 a battle front TO
attack and roCo the invaders.
Use OF the serum is like transferring
s1rls OF these new troops to another
frc1t. Put IN the body of another vic
tin they reinforce the personal normal
powers Of resistance. This probably is
what has happened in the case of Or.
armstrong, although, Public Health
Service physicians pointed out, it is too
early 70 MAKE definite predictions.
Given Three Injections.
Or. Armstrong was given a dose Of
- loi IN fhroa
.ectiors, Two INTO the muscles and one
into tbs blood.
Armstrong IS one of the most skiIlful
hSac-ericIog-st IN the Public Health
Service ard probably was better ac-
CuaTloed than any one else with the
nature Of tie parrot fever, yet all his
precautions were fruitless, and when he
complained ~ feeling i'll Saturday he
vss taken at once to the Naval Hos
rital, where MS case was diagnosed as
psiJtacests ate yesterday. Meanwhile,
Ms fellow bacteriologist at the Hy-
. eric Laboratory, not knowing how to
protest themselves against the fatal
tropical fever, are continuing the work,
)lJ all are watching themselves care
GtJliy for any sign of illness.
The organism itself, possibly one of
ol-e extremely minute "fllterable viruSes,"
-enained today rs mysterious as ever,
but every possible device Of the bac-
Je-iolog.st IS beng used to isolate it.
Regarding The likelihood that the or
rzglisn MAY be transmitted to human
e 91ngS %rcr1 canaries, the Public Health
Service does not want to start any
lIysterlcal fear ot these common house
-aold pets, and points out that If they
have not been exposed there is no rea-
son for any apprehension concerning
mem. BE5 E newly-purchaSed or sick
canary as a possible source Of infection
cannot he considered lightly.