Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-13
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.

I New pages in a dramatic chapter OF
the story of mans age-long fight against
death are being written in low brick
dwelling house in Southwest Wash
ington.
1t is chapter the recounting Of which
generally Is confined to the medical lee
ture roon1-the story of the conversion
of one of the lowest and most loathsome
of living creatures into an angel OF
healing.
In this row-house, converted into an
chronological laboratory, two specialists
are at work studying the habits, life
history and physico-chemical makeup
of lucilia sericata. Already they have
made notable progress on a method OF
producing in abundance asceptic larvae
of this hitherto despised creature Of the
backyard garbage can-which saves the
lives of children and of soldiers.
Lucilia Sericata is the visiting card
name of the green blow fly. It's larvae
generally are known under the less
euphonious name of ''maggots." They
are tiny, squirming, white worms. Until
a few years ago nobody had good word
to say for them. but now they have be-
come OF great importance in surgery.
Discovered During War.
It all started during the World war in
al dGCAQCLldl N4SGONEIY VI LII.
S. Baer Of Johns Hopkins University,
at that time an Army surgeon. He saw
two badly wounded soldiers who had
lain for seven days on the battlefield
before the Stretcher bearers found them.
They we're brought in with their wounds
literally swarming with the fly larvae.
BY all rules the men should have been
beyond hope. but. in fact, they were in
fairly good condition. The wounds were
in no worse shape than those of soldiers
who had been treated within few
hours.
Returning to the United States. Dr..
Baer became a specialist in the treat
ment of ostiomyelitis, an Inflammation
of the bone, fairly common among chill
dren, which results in open sores. 1t
is very difficult to cure and not infre-
quently is fatal.
All the time the surgeon was ponder
ing over what he had seen in the war.
He could not convince himself that the
good condition of the wounds and the
blow fly larvae were not in some way
connected. Finally he brought himself
to the point OF placing some of the little
white worms in the open wounds of
children who we're in such bad condi-
ton that nothing could make them
worse Within few weeks the children
we're well.
Cure Was Effected.
Since then more than 800 patients
have been treated. In every case Of
ostioinyelitis among children cure was
effected The treatment also was used
with excellent results in the treatment
of deep wounds and bone injuries.
What happens is one of the things the
Department of Agriculture specialists
are trying to find out. The little worms
cannot endure light and hustle to get
inside the wound There they begin to
feed on tissue. Some believe that they
eat away the tissue as soon as 1t be-
comes infected, and others that they
secrete something from their bodies
which acts as an antiseptic. One OF
the Department Of Agriculture special
lists is trying to determine the nature Of
this secretion, If it exists.
Use of the blow fly maggots still is
attended with considerable technical diff
flculties There is the possibility that
they will introduce injurious bacteria
into the wounds which they have picked
up from the meat on which the eggs