Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-10

micron, or a thousandth of a milli-
meter, in diameter-small enough to
escape between the particles of an
earthenware tube. Yet this is reason
to believe it is alive. One of the filter
able viruses, similar almost infinitely
minute forms of life, are believed re-
sponsible for measles, small pox, in
fantile paralysis and such animal dis
eases as pleural pneumonia in cattle
never has been seen under the highest
powered microscopes, although some of
these show particles Of less than a
micron diameter. Some recent 1nveSti-
gators, 1t was explained by DR.. George
w. Mccoy, director of the hygienic lab
oratory. have claimed to have seen I'M
der htgh-powered microscopes move
mentS in liquid which they believed due
to the motions of the minute living
things, but this is debatable.
Those that have been found act as
II they were alive. They are believed
to be, DR.. Mccoy said, extremely
minute types OF bacteria, probably less
than single cells. They are placed in
the plant rather than the animal king
dom Compared with them known, single
celled bacteria are gigantic creatures.
When obtaining filterable viruseS, it
was explained. the bacteriologist is 60
ing far into the area between the Or
ganic and the inorganic, or the living
and the dead.
Bacteria Lice" Found.
Only one step further ever has been
taken, DR.. Mccoy explained, and this
is highly debatable. Something has
been reported obtained through filters
which preyS upon bacteria much as the
bacteria themselves prey upon larger
forms Of life. This is the bacteriaphage
sometimes known as bacteria lice, -
which causes great epidemics among
the bacteria themselves. It has not
been definitely determined whether it
Is alive or chemical ferment, perhaps
q chemical compound similar to that
from which life itself arose in the be-
ginning. Some of this bacteriaphage
has been obtained from sewers at the
Hygienic Laboratory in the past.
The parrot fever investigation, 1t was
explained, is following three lines, none
OF which has yet yielded any success.
First, the strain itself, whatever its
nature, Is being kept alive by transfer
from parrot to parrot. 1t was while
handling these birds that Anderson
contracted the fatal malady. It has
been possible to pass along some form
OF sickness, but whether 1t is psittacosis
is not certainly known.
Secondly, the bacteriologists are
searching for a bacterium, a unicellu-
lar plant organism, similar to the
various para-typhoid organisms. Such
an organism, 1t is claimed, was isolated
IN France about 40 years ago when the
nrst outbreak took place. The Hy-
gIenlc laboratory workers have been
unable to flnd it.
Attempt to Obtain Virus,
The third line of research is to OBJ
tain, If possible, a filterable virus. This
also has failed to date.
A blood preparation Of an infected
olrd Is placed in the sealed porcelain
tube, which is inserted in an air-tight
glass flask which has been rendered
surety sterile; Gradually some of the
nquld SeepS through. Then a culture
Is made Of it. If it grows in culture
the experiment has been worthless be-
cause a fllterable virus will grow only
In an animal body. It means that
some tmpurtty has crept in. The next
step is to inoculate other parrots and
see II the disease appears.
The location of the organism, It was
pointed out, is practically necessary for
quick diagnosis of the malady and for
working out specific against it. At
helpless against psittacosis, apparently
strange combination of the diagnostic
pictures OF lobar pneumonia and typhoid
fever. y FO-N
The only hope thus far lies in a serum
which has been prepared by the Balti-
more City Health Department from the
Dlood OF persons conyaleScent from
psittacosiS in Maryland.
Such serums have proved beneficial
IN other diseases which are known to be
que 10 nlterable ViruseS. They rest on the
LneoIy tnat when such an organism in
VaoeS the body, somewhere in the sys-
tenn multttudes Of antibodies or hostile
organisms are formed which are poured
into the blood stream to attack the
invaders. When these become nuner-
Gus enough to repel the invading or
ganisms, the patient begins to recover.
NOW II they already have been formed
IN the blood Of one person, they can
pe transferred to the blood of another
exposed to it and perform the same
junction. Such convalescent seruns
nave proved especially beneficial in cases
OF mfantile paralysis. So far as parrot
leVer Is concerned, however, the use is
entirely theoretical.
Well Aware Of Danger.
hJolCldHO anu DdCCerlOI0glStS at the
Hygienic Laboratory are not mininiz-
ing these days the Importance of the
obscure malady which made its first ap-
pearance in Annapolis about a month
ago, and which since has broken out In
scattered areas, causing the death of is
persons and the serious illness of many
more. They know they are taking their
own lives in their hands when thev
handle the sick birds and experiment
with the various organisms found in
the blood.
Commenting on the death of Har-
rison, one Of the country's leading BAG
teriologists, who has spent the better
part Of his life fighting mysterious and
fatal diseases, said:
1T was terrible thing to have han
pen. When we first began work with
pslttacoSis we had no reason to believe
mat It was any more dangerous than
anything else. But now we know IL is
ABOUT as dangerous thing as there is"
DR.. Armstrong; condition is being
watched carefully from hour to hour at
the Naval Hospital, while his associates
a Few yards away, are taking more risks
he complained Saturday Of a sore
throat and Of feeling generally iii. Or
dinarily his condition might have been
IAA--