The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-12-10
COLD IMMUNITY
BY TAKING PILL
PROMISED SOON
Preventive Does Not Exist
at Present, Lilly Doctor
Tells Group.
DEC. 10, 1885
IA Chonl

So, you have been sitting in a
draft have you, or done something
equally as foolish and are coming
down with cold2
Well, there's no way that could
have been helped by immunization
against the cold virus, contrary to
general opinion, although research
is going forward and the outlook is
hopeful"
On the other hand science soon
may be ready to announce perfec-
ton of an oral immunization against
respiratory bacteria in which event
the cold sufferer may set up safe
guard by the simple expedient OF
swallowing pill.
Such were among the deductions
before the Exchange Club at its
weekly luncheon yesterday at the
Board of Trade of DR.. H. Powell
of the medical research staff of Eli
Lilly ~ Co.
Researches during the last five
years have indicated that the COM
mon cold is a complex infection in
volving a mildly acting filterable
virus and two or three species of
star performing bacteria. These
latter include the pneumococci,
streptococci and influenza bacilli,"
DR.. Powell said.
Colds Produced by Tests
I'm this country, DR.. A. r. Dochez
of the Columbia University Presby
terrain Hospital in New York has
done the foremost work on the fill
terable virus of the common cold.
Virus colds have been produced
eXperimentally both in chimpanzees
and human volunteer subjects and
cold viruses have been cultivated in
the laboratory in living embryonic
tissue cultures"
At the Lilly Laboratories during
the last five years, Drs. G.. H. A.
Gloves, A. L. Sparks and Or. Powell
have verified the existence of cold
virus, its cultivation in tissue cul-
ture and its capacity to produce
jects, The speaker revealed.
During the last year it has ap-
peared very likely that the cold virus
is entirely different from the much
studied virus of human influenza
since the infectivity of each is diff
ferent for laboratory animals and
human immune cold serum does
not neutralize influenza virus" he
continued.
Oral Treatment Indicated
"At the present time there ap-
pears to be no known way to i'm
munize against the cold virus. The
outlook toward this end, however,
seems more hopeful as time goes on.
"InaSmuch as the effects of the
cold virus are mild in a large per-
Centage of cases and in this respect
it acts like several other viruSes
which If uncomplicated with partic-
ular bacteria seem to produce only
mild disease, attention has lately
been turned toward immunization
against the respiratory pathogenic
bacteria utilizing bacterial antigens
of the best known composition. ga
"A newly recognized 'heterophile
antigen broadly present in pneu-
mococci, streptococci and some other
important respiratory bacteria, has
increased interest in the bacterial
phases of the common cold, and
since this 'heterophile antigen' in
some forms is resistent to the diges-
tive fluids, as oral immunization
against respiratory bacteria has been
indicated.
Immunity Does Not Last
This oral immunity has been
found quite measurable, rather easy
to obtain in many subjects, but I'M
fortunately it is of short duration.
The antibodies so stimulated do not
last long, but on the other hand fire.
quent immunization can be done by
an oral treatment.
1T is apparent that the virus
phase of cCidS merits further study,
and in fact is receiving intense at
tention inaSmuch as it has not yet
yielded to immunization. On the
other hand, considerable Roadway
has been made to date in protecting
against the star performing respir-
atory bacteria which contribute
greatly to the severity and duration
of upper respiratory infections"