Evening star., 1935-05-16
NEW DRUG TO CURE
DEPRESSION CASES
FOUND IN HORSES
Hematoporphyrin Described
to Psychiatrists by DR..
L. R. Angus.
PERSONALITY CHANGES
REMAIN PERMANENTLY
Effect Is Believed to Be Increase
in Systems sensitivity to
Light Waves.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
A depression breaking drug extract
ed from the red blood cells of horses
and called hematoporphyrin was de-
scribed by DR.. Leslie r. Angus OF
Hartford. Conn, before the American
Psychiatric Society meeting here
today.
DR.. Angus reported partial or COM
plete recovery in half the cases OF Sc
we're depression, characteristic of va
rious forms of mental disease, in
which hematoporphyrin has been
used. 1t Is given either by mouth or
by injections into muscle, according
to the severity Of the condition, and
| the effect is quite rapid, II there Is
any effect at all. The personality
change begins to take place within
two weeks at the most.
The clue to the use Of this drug
came from discovery of its curious
personality effects on animals, making
them aggressive, overactive and quar-
relsome. Unlike most depression
breaking drugs, hematoporphyrin
seems to have a lasting effect after
the initial treatment.
Increases Sensitivity TO Light.
The profound Oppressive states into
which victims of the various mental
diseases sink, and from which it is
very difficult to arouse them, have
constituted from the first one of the
most serious problems of clinical
psychiatry. No definite knowledge
has been gained, according to DR..
Angus. to explain the specific activity
Of this drug, but it is believed to make
the system more sensitive 70 light
waves. thus bringing about increased
activity of the nervous system.
The diverse results in the mental
condition of the improved and unim-
proved cases were emphasized by physi-
cal changes during the course Of the
experiment. The improved group lost
weight and gained red blood cells
while the unimproved group gained
weight and showed a decrease In red
blood cells.
In the experiments with animals
it had been noted that the subjects
became especially aggressive when ex-
posed to strong light. Light exposure,
however, has not resulted in any ex-
treme excitement among the human
subjects.
Further light on the physiology of
manic -depressive psychoSis. one Of the
most common mental diseases, was
reported by DR.. Edward r. Guildea of
New Haven. who has completed q
study of the fatty acid content in
the blood serum of 80 victims of this
disease. Using a group Of normal
persons as control, DR.. Guildea
found the acid content varied accord
ing to sex. physical build and the
emotional state Of the person tested
Persons of the so-called "pyknic'
rhysique-middle height. rounded fig
ure, broad face, round head-tended
to have more of this substance present
than the 'liptosomics s"-individuals
whose physique is deficient in thick
ness.
Fatty Acid Increases.
DR.. Guildea found persons with de-
preSsions show a fatty acid increase
when their symptoms become severe
and decline with improvement. 1t is
noteworthy, it was pointed out, that
the manic-depressive condition is
most frequently encountered in the
pyknic group where the fatty acid
content of the blood serum normally
Is greatest.
The power of emotions in increasing
the death rate of certain diseases
notably cancer, was emphasized by DR.
Donald Greggs of wellesley. Mass, in
an analysis of 100000 death returns
covering 16 years. Actual realization
of the seriousness of a malady makes
it even more serious, he deduces from
the fact that the death rate among
physicians for certain diseases Is
greater than for members Of the COM
munity at large or for patients in
mental hospitals. The doctors are
emotionally handicapped from recov-
cry by their fears.
with his greater knowledge of the
lethal possibilities of disease" DR..
Greggs said, 1.-The doctor when sick
carries a heavier emotional load than
the layman. Those Of us who have
cared for mental cases often are
struck with the fact that those who
are incompetent to grasp the signif1-
canoe of their illness seem to have
some sort of protective mechanism
that lessons the physiological reaction
to emotional stress and strain. The
relative immunity from serious conse-
quences to the mania individual of
fatigue, sleeplessness, starvation and
pain are common examples. The emo
tional placidity of the feeble-minded
and the deteriorated precox are other
examples"
Alcoholism is not a disease in itself
but a symptom of some underlying
emotional conflict, said DR.. James H
Wall of White Plains, N. Y, in a re-
port on the life histories of 100 men
admitted to q hospital for treatment
for drunkenness.
Evidence Of Heredity.
There was some evidence of hered-
ity, he said, in the fact that II o1
them had one or more relatives who
used alcohol to excess and ~ had
alcoholic fathers The mothers OF
nearly half had an exaggerated emo
tional attitude which manifested itsel1
in spelling, pampering and overpro-
tecting their sons.
AS a group, the alcoholics loved tc
talk, were fond Of singing, and wert
inveterate users of tobacco. They
!, showed food idiosyncrasies and fas.
/ tidious appetites. They particularly
enjoyed the company of men ane
J looked back upon school or military
service as the happiest times Of theil
lives. The lverage age when they
started drinking was 18.
Many started as solitary drinkers
Those who started with an occasiona
social glass soon followed it up with
the solitary consumption Of larg'
quantities. The average amount con-
sumed was quart of whisky in 2.
hours. On the whole, they were i'm.