Evening star., 1935-09-01

LABORATORIES.
BY ORLAND KAY ARMSTRONG.
A MERICA is always at war! Un-
~ ceasingly - relentlessly- with
~ all the knowledge man can
4 4 muster-the warfare for the
betterment of humanity continues:
The Public Health Service versus
Disease.
In the beautiful white stone build
ing that houses this important arm OF
our national defense the campaigns
are planned from day to day; the
forces 60 out under orders to fight to
the death; the results of the engage
ments are tabulated, checked, studied.
In a less imposing building several
blocks away is the office Of a real
hero in the national medical service.
DR.. Charles Armstrong, who manu-
factures the ammunition" He's the
man who takes an epidemic and puts
it in a test tube to see what it's made
Of. And in his grim and relentless
quest to conquer disease time and
again he has made himself a human
laboratory to study the results of
deadly germs.
On several occasions DR.. Armstrong
has gone down to the door of death,
watching the effects of little-known
ailments in his own system, only to
cheat death with that iron constitu-
ton Of his and come up smiling, with
the answer to what the disease is and
what its cure is.
Calls Work Routine.
DR.. Armstrong smiles and insists
that his work Is routine" Just a
part for which he has fitted himself
just his end of the load, with the
rest of "the boys" at the headquar-
tiers. in the laboratory and in the field.
But "the boys" know that much OF
their glory Is due to the uncanny
knowledge and ability of this man in
charge Of the service laboratories and
his willingness to try out his expert
ments not only upon the platoons Of
monkeys. guinea pigs and other ami
mails, but upon himself.
Parrot fever! Didn't he nearly die
with it-but didn't he discover the
serum? Sleeping sickness? 1t nearly
cost him his life. But nver again need
sleeping sickness be 50 dreaded. The
remedy is at hand.
So that's why. in this Summer of
1885, the whole Public Health Service
has been watching the laboratory
back of the Naval Hospital, awaiting
a zero hour. A big push" was
about to be launched. The whole
weight Of the service was to be thrown
back Of this fight. The plans were
ready at headquarters. The orders
had been issued:
Conquer infantile paralysis in
1885,"
That dread scourge which strikes
at the lives of children and adults
that crafty. blighting virus-is the
special target for combat this late
Summer and early Fall.
Were fighting an elusive op-
ponent, and we hope only to make
some progress" says DR.. Armstrong.
But this is certain: We will give our
best"
Charts Show Prevalence.
Something else is certain: Go into
the Office Of DR.. r. C. williams, as
sistant surgeon general and statis-
tician for the service, and he'll stand
you before his walls and show you
charts. Charts showing the prev
alence Of diseases all over the Nation
and the progress Of battles against
them. Showing, too, when and where
numerous diseases are likely to strike.
"And this we know" says DR.. Will
liams, "infantile paralysis attacks
heaviest in late Summer. Year after
year we have watched it. See this
chart? The curve moves along in low
until August. Then it shoots up
ward! BY late August and early
September 1t is at its peak.
Remarkable thing about It Is that
the general curve Of epidemics and
diseases goes down In Summer. But
not infantile paralysis. And this
Summer we're ready to fight back as
never before"
Back in 1915 one Of the worst
epidemics Of infantile paralysis broke
out in the New York City area. 1t
was then the Public Health Service
began studying the malady in earnest.
It was in 1916 that DR.. Armstrong
entered the service, and every out
hrook nf fDfoDtiIA ctv,ra
then has been watched by him with
special care. Every possible. effort
has been made to determine any and
all causes, direct or contributing to
this disease.
Keen Interest In Discoveries.
Keen attention is paid every an
nouncement of new treatments and
serums. That has been true Of the
vaccine against infantile paralysis re-
Gently announced by DR.. Maurice
Brody Of New York and DIR. John A.
Kolmer Of Philadelphia. Government
men tried out the discovery In treat
ing the disease in Los Angeles last
Summer, and one field surgeon for
months has been testing it on cases
in North Carolina. q
Where the disease is reported In
serious proportions our men will 60.
There they will take persons willing
to aid in the experiment and divide
them into two groups. Only one
group win be given the preventive
serums. Close observation Of cases
that develop in both groups should
tell us whether our treatments are
effective"
Thus the fight win Be waged, On