Evening star., 1932-09-22
SERUM IS PREPARED.
Blood OF DR.. Charles Anderson Is Used
for Preparation.

In response to a telegram from DR.
Ralph Falk of Boise, Idaho, attending
the wife of Senator Borah, the Public
Health Service today prepared psitta-
COSTS convalescent serum for her treat
ment, to be sent by airmail
Material for this serum was obtained
from the blood of Dr. Charles Arm
strong. the Public Health physician who
first investigated cases of psittacosis
and who recovered from the disease
after A severe attack during the out
break in the Winter of 1929 and 1880.
Blood Serum Is Best.
The most satisfactory treatment thu!
far found for the disease Is a bloot
serum from. a person, who, like DR.
Armstrong, has recovered from the dis
ease. This is injected into the patient
During the Public Health investiga'
ton in 1929 and 1890 II persons work.
ing in the National Institute of Health
laboratories contracted the disease. Ont
died.
The probability of an endemic focu:
Of psittacoSis, or parrot fever on
the Pacific Coast is being consid
cred by the United States Public Health
Service as the result Of an investiga-
tion just conducted by Dr. H. e. Has
seltine of the National Institute OF
Health staff.
This focus centers among the para
keets or love birds widely distributed
in homes and pet stores throughout the
area. 1t is from such pet that Mrs.
Borah Is believed to have contracted
the disease There have been sporadic
no thrny0hn1rf ha
in the west, for the past year, although
nothing approaching the number In
Washington and Maryland during the
Winter of 1880. when the scientific lab
oratory of the Public Health Service
was closed temporarily because so many
of its personnel were in hospitals be.
cause of the disease.
Transmitted by Birds.
This serious malady-somewnat re-
sembling typhoid fever-is transmitted
to humans from birds There Is rea-
son to suspect, although there is no
positive evidence, that it may be trans
mitted from one person to another.
Intensive investigation following the
1880 outbreak, the most serious yet
known, established the fact that 1t be-
longed among the numerous filterable
virus diseases. It was caused by an
organism SO small that it could not
be detected under the most powerful
microscope, but was known to be living
because it would pass through por-
celain filter and multiply itself indef1-
nitely. The f1lterable virus is perhaps
the smallest Of living things, but re-
cent investigations here have shown It
may be one stage in the life cycle OF
some larger organism of the bacteria
family which may be harmless In the
adult stage.
Victims are greatly benefited. it was
shown in the 1890 outbreak, by the
administration Of convalescent serum
made from the blood Of patients, who
have passed through the serious stages
of the disease. This is about the only
known beneficial treatment, however,
and was arrived 1T by analogy with
other filterable virus diseases.
Study Is at Standstill.
At present, the scientific study Of
psittacosis, so far as the Public Health
Service is concerned. is practically at
a standstill until another strain Of the
responsible virus can be obtained
Promising progress was being made at
the National Institute laboratories In
1880. when the deadly virus turned
upon its investigators in one Of the
most dramatic episodes In medical his
succession the Public Health Service
doctors and their assistants were laid