Evening star., 1935-06-15
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

A new field of preventive medicine
that of lessening the susceptibility Of
tissues to various disease causing
viruses-is being investigated by Pub
lie Health Service physicians.
In an experiment just reported 1t
was found that the susceptibility of
monkeys to the virus and poliomyelitis,
| or infantile paralysis, was greatly
lessened by spraying the nostrils with
a weak solution of alum before in
noculating them with the deadly
organism.
Poliomyelitis. together with other
serious diseases and possibly common
colds, is contracted chiefly through
the mucous membranes of the nose.
| The alum apparently has some local
| effect on these tissues which make
| it more difficult for the virus to gain
a foothold Some of the animals
! treated with 1t came down with the
disease. but In a milder form than
in their untreated companions.
The effect of the alum on the nose
tissues is not known. Apparently
says DR.. Charles Armstrong, who re-
ports the experiment, 1t is not an
antiseptic effect. DR.. Armstrong and
DR.. W. T. Harrison. who conducted
the experiment. sprayed alum into
their own noses to observe the effect
| Successive treatment for three days
they say, produced temporary tickling
and singing with occasional sneezing
and there was an increased secretion
| for about an hour, followed by a feel
ing of dryness.
They now are searching for solu-
tons even more protective than alum
and preliminary experiments indicate
that such exist. They believe that
the protective action is due to an al
teration which decreases the perme-
ability OF the nasal membranes.
The two doctors insist that the re-
suits reported are not recommended
for human use, but offer a hopeful
avenue of approach which may lead
to effective methods against poliomye-
litis and possibly against other dis
eases contracted through the nose.
y 4 X X
| Another curiosity reported in this
weeks nature is that of "chirping
fishes" found of the east coast of the
Malay Peninsula. These fishes, ac-
| cording to the observer, make an cas-
| lily audible, bird-like chirping sound
| fisherman that they employ expert
divers to locate schools of them by
ear. They are known as gelama
fishes.
Among the worlds least known
places is the great white desert" of
New Mexico, whose plant life is de-
scribed in this months Journal of
Geology by F. w. Emerson of New
Mexico Normal University
It Is an area Of $50 square miles,
covered with drifting crystals of snow
white gypsum. These gypsum crystals
collect in dunes, so that the scene is
like that of vast extent of drifted
snow. The radiation effect is blind
ing. In this almost moistureless
waste Mr. Emerson found 50 varieties
Of plants.
Variations in the intensity of the
moons heat as the earth's satellite
passes through its successive phases
| have been found by astronomers Of
the Carnegie Institution of Washing
ton.
There are two kinds Of radiation
from the moon-renected sunlight.
which makes the rob visible, and the
heat radiated from the warmed sur
face, which cannot be seen, but which
can be measured by very delicate in
struments. AS the moon wakes and
wanes the amount of light and the
temperature from the part visible from
the earth increase and decrease. The
results of the measurements show
that the heat received by the earth
from the moon when 1t Is full Is four
times 90 intense a. the light that It