Evening star., 1932-05-01
BY JOHN L. COONTZ.

NS it poison? Will it kill? Many scientists
in the United States Government service
ask themselves this question daily as they
labor at their tasks with chemical mix
lures insects and bacteria. And, un-
ostentatiously. they proceed to swallow
the powder in hand, or to permit the insect
to bite them, or inoculate themselves with
bacteria to find out.
Not long ago the question was raised as TO
the poison capacity of a certain rat powder.
1t was charged that the powder was human
poison and dangerous to use around premises.
The matter came to the attention of DR.. c. D.
Schwartz, associated with the Bureau of
Chemistry and Soils We'll, we'll see" said
DR.. Schwartz to himself and, to the apparent
horror of every one in his laboratory, he
swallowed capsule Of the rat poison.
Health authorities in Florida recently were
much disturbed over a skin disease prevalent
in that State and northward along the Atlantic
Coast. Children especially q few days after
rain, broke out with creeping eruption.
garage worker lying on his back on a damp
garage floor of dirt was, a few days later
covered across his shoulders with the creeping
eruption. What caused it? Scientists felt
pretty sure that it was the larvae of certain
fly that bored into the skin and tunneled
under the surface. But cultures of the skin
affected revealed larvae totally different from
that Of the suspected fly. They were identified
as belonging to worm.
Bureau of Entomology to go after the
worm. Laborious and painstaking research
by him finally narrowed the worm down to
that lives in the intestines OF dogs and
cats. He discovered these eggs hatch in the
ground. thrive in moist soil and the larvae a
few days after Matching, infected human skin
To 11tc ko0A
creeping eruption Of the skin was caused by
the larvae of this worm, DR.. White inoculated
himself with larvae from cultures of the worm
He was right. A hookworm peculiar to dogs
and cats, Is responsible for the creeping skin
eruption. 1t is now successfully treated with
an ethyl chloride solution which freezes the
larvae
Has carbon tetrachloride any i'll effects
upon the human body or system if taken in
does quantities? DIR. Maurice c. Hall. Bu-
reau OF Animal Industry, asked himself this
question as he worked with the chemical in the
treatment of dogs inoculated with hookworms
peculiar to human beings. To ascertain effects
ne TOOK the same dose that he was giving the
dogs, ccs. Would it kill him? Would it
lnJure his system? He went about his work
pondering these thoughts
fortunately there was no alcohol in DR. Halls
system, no aschids and no deficiency in ionized
blood calcium or he might have got a mora
serious reaction from his experiment than mere
dizziness extending over appreciable length
OF time. For it discovered later that the
taking of carbon tetrachloride internally iS
dangerous where alcohol aSchids or too little
ionized blood calcium is in the system.
Rotenone, the famous poison principle
In derris and cube, used by the natives of Malay
and Peru to kill fish, was the basis of an ex-
pertinent recently by DR.. H. D. Haag associated
with the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils. TO
determine its deleterious effect if any, upon the
human system when taken directly Capsules
OF five grains each of rotenone were prepared
DR.. Haag partook of them with no i'll effect
Rotenone, deadly insect and fish poison is not
harmful to warmblooded animals, to which
class man belongs