Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-24
OYSTERSSEEN
( CURE FOR ANEM|CS
Or. Paul Bartsch Believes
Copper h MoIluSks VIM
Form Remedy.
BY THOMAS n. HENRY.

BY THOMAS u. HENMNs
Raw oysters should have much the
same effect as liver In treatment OF the
perniciouS anemias, according TO DR..
Paul Bartsch, the Smithsonian 1nstitu-
tons world authority on molhsks ana
ington University
Recent indications, Dr. Bartsch says.
are that the potent principle In liver
which builds up red blood corpuscleS II
closely allied to organic copper salts
The ordinary oyster contains more cop
per in a form which will be taken up
by the human body tissues than any
other food product in nature. NOW
science is trying to devise methode OF
getting copper in a digestible form into
milk by means of absorption from cop
per plates.
Many years ago DR. Bartsch said. It
was a common practice OF physicians
to prescribe oysters in large quantities
for patients in a rundown and anemic
condition. This was the result OF
purely Empirical observations that there
was something in the mollusk which
improved the blood. 1t was before the
davs when the pernicious anemias were
generally recognized as distinct dis
eases. This dietary prescription gradu-
ally dropped out of medical practice
since there was no exact check on re-
SulbS anu AlObOAy Mic" jaw "N-N ~-~E
pened in the blood stream.
Oyster Came Into Disrepute.
little later, DR.. Bartsch said, the
oyster began to be condemned by many
musicians because it was found to con-
tain considerable copper, then consld-
cred as a body poison. Special warn
ings were issued against greenish- col
ored oysters, which were supposed 20
contain unusual amounts Of the DREADED
element. So by the time the Anemics
began to be a vital problem for medi-
cine the oyster was somewhat In as
repute.
Then the pernicious anemias were
recognized as almost incurable blood
diseases, and took thousands OF lives
before the discovery about six years ago
that many cases could be cured, or ~
least held in an arrested state, through
large additions of liver to the diet. This
was followed by the development OF
liver extracts.
one result has been that liver. which
butchers used to sell for few cents
pound. has greatly advanced In price.
THE extracts, prepared by an elabofate
process. always have been expensive. De-
sides, for many persons, liver Is about
the most disagreeable material that
lean be prescribed, and some even have
tSpecific antipathieS which makes 1t inn
ipossible for them. An intensive search
has gone on for the specific thing In
the liver which sets or the mechanism
responsible for building the red cor
puscles The same thing has been
demonstrated to exist in smaller guam
titles in kidneys and brains. The
search has begun to concentrate on
copper.
Urges Experimental Study.
An oyster bed. DR.. Bartsch says. Is
literally mine of organic copper. APP
parently little can be accomplished with
metallic copper, which will not pc taken
I'D by the body Oysters are cheap and
abundant, compared with liver, and wiz
be far more palatable to many aneEnic
victims DIR. Bartsch said today that
he merely wished to call the attention
of the medical profession to the enor-
nous possibilities of the mollucks and
. urge experimental verincation OF his
belief that they Will arrest the anemias
AS an example Of the immense
amount of organic copper contained in
the oyster, DR.. Bartsch said, q former
governor of New Jersey. interested IN
biology, once plated a silver dollar with
the copper from the liver Of . single
one of these mollusks.
The connection was suggested 70 MIN
this Summer, DR.. Bartsch said, when
controversy arose over the possibility
of killing the enormous swarmS Of sea
nettles which were infesting the Middle
Atlantic bathing beaches. Fear was ex-
pressed that If copper sulphate was
used 1t also would poison the oyster
beds, but he was convinced that the
.Rnethod was safe because Of the oysters
.aIxtraordinary capacity for absorbing
copper salts.
Later, he said, when he read Of ex-
periments to produce absorption Of cop
per in milk he was impressed still more
with the fact that II the human system
needs copper the oyster Is the answer
TO the quest. Besides, the oyster con-
tains much glycogen, or liver sugar,
which is the fundamental fuel OF the
human body.
Also Contains Iodine.
The oyster also contains, Dr. Bartsch
Aoointed out, small quantities of iodine,
Traces of which in the diet now are
sgecognized as essential for the preven-
&tion Of thyroid gland complaints
sClams are much richer in this ele-
knent. It is noteworthy, DR.. BartSch
said, that not many years ago the oys-
Eter was condemned also because Of this
k1odine content, then considered very
poisonous.
During recent years spectroscopic
hhnalysis Of the content Of human body
Haissues a method so delicate that 1t can
Adetect one part in millions, has shown
Hthat the body contains numerous min
Neral elements, of which iron and copper
aare most plentiful. Both now are con-
gEidered essential elements OF protoplasm
aitself, and introduces biochemists to a
promising field for the explanation of
some physiological processes which have
remained mysterious. 1t is becoming
evident that there must be a copper
balance, although when it is introduced
into the body in inorganic form in any
considerable quantities 1t is poisonous.
1t remains for biochemists to work out
DR.. BartSch said, whether some copper
complex peculiar to the liver is essen
tial for the production of red blood cor
puscles, any great diminution of which