Evening star., 1933-02-03
CURBS INSOMNIA
ANDALcOHOL|SM
Scientist Guides Thickening
and Thinning Process
in Brain.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Both sleeplessness and chronic alco-
holism soon may be things Of the past.
Both problems are attacked from q
new viewpoint In report just made to
the National Academy Of Sciences here
by Dr. Wilder D. Bancroft. professor Of
chemistry at Cornell University. He
approached them from the same direc-
ton in which he IS investigating the
chemistry Of vcrious insantties.
DR. Bancroft holds these are due to
thickening and thinning Of the colloids
Of the brain, the former causing stupor-
Gus and the latter excited states. The
thickening and thinning can be induced
by various drugs, and DR.. Bancroft
claims great success in treating psy-
chotic patients with these substances
depending on the nature Of their
behavior.
Now, he reports to the National
Academy, he has experimental along
the same line on his own sleeplessness,
with the result that he now sleeps
could sleep only about four hours. He
also explains such phenomena as the
determination Of animals and the in
creasing sleeplessness as persons grow
older. .-...,
xTdCcS sleep fTOOucef.
Normal sleep. he holds. Is the result
OF aglomeration, or thickening, of the
proteins Of some centers Of conscious
ness in the brain. which is brought
about by chemical substance Of some
kind which is produced by the body
metabolsm during waking activity. He
designates this sleep producer as *"
the nature Of which has not yet been
determined. The amount of this re-
Quired to put a person to sleep, he says
depends on the irritability Of the SEN
sorry nerves. This explains why a per-
son can be too tired to Sleep" the
nerves having been rendered extremely
irritable by toll or worry. It also ex-
plains, DR.. Bancroft holds, why older
people do not sleep so well. although
they actually need more rest than young
folks.
So. he explains, the point at which
eleeples$ness must be attacked in order
to bring about normal sleep, in distinc-
ton from slumber induced by an hyp-
motto drug. Is by administering some
drug which will decrease the nervous
irritation. For this he uses sodium
rhodanate. He has experimental sue
cessfully, he says, on himself and sev-
eral other persons, giving one dose
every week or two. Dr. Bancroft says
he has found he now can sleep soundly
after drinking coffee ut night, although
he never could do so before. He takes
. dose Of sodium rhodanate after
dinner.
Results Incomplete.
1T Is too soon to make a definite
statement" DR.. Bancroft says In the
report to the National Academy, but
it looks as though sleeplessness should
be q thing Of the past for people who
are not tuberculous and who do not
have too weak hearts or kidneys. Any
method. Of eliminating disturbances will
make it easier to 60 to sleep. One of
my friends stops thinking when he
goes to bed and goes promptly to sleep.
I have never been able to apply this
principle. Napoleon was probably
man who was always tired to the point
Of sleep and who had the power to
ignore at will most external and In
ternal disturbances"
Sodium rhodanate. DR.. Bancroft
points out, is not only q nerve sedative
but also acts as q peptizer, or thinner
out. Of the brain proteins 20 that it IS