Evening star., 1937-12-11
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field.
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,

Discovery of two new chemical
reagents which detect the presence of
less than millionth of an ounce of iron
is announced by DR.. John H. Yoe, pro-
fessor of chemistry at the University OF
Virginia.
They easily reveal the presence of iron
in glass of water, dish Of spinach or
bowl of raisins.
These reagents, DR.. Yoe announces,
''are complex organic compounds one
being derivative of aniline, which is
found in coal tar, and the other deriva-
tive OF dlphenyl, a constituent of coal
tar related to benZine. The aniline
derivative produces bright purple solu-
ton in the presence of mere trace of
iron, while the diphenyl derivative gives
a deep blue. These reagents are so
sensitive that as little as 1Oo,00Oth part
Of gram of iron can be detected"
Iron is the only element which gives
color reactions with the new reagents
The mosquito, as long since has been
proven beyond doubt, is the transmitter
of malaria
Rare cases of the malady in the mid
die OF winter when there were no active
mosquitoes within hundreds of miles, in
the past have puzzled physicians and
sometimes have been badly misdiag
nosed-for how could there be any
malaria without the insects to carry it.
An abnormal reaction of a patient at
st. Ellzabeth's Hospital has given the
United States Public Health Service an
answer to the enigma. The malaria
germs hibernate in the blood and may
remain in state of suspended anima-
ton for year or more.
The st. Elizabeths patient was long
time inmate of the hospital. suffering
from general paresis, which now is
treated by incubation with the germs of
benign tertian malaria, a tropical form
OF the disease, which produces several
attacks of severe fever and chills within
few days.
For % years the man had not been
OH the st. Elizabeths reservation. The
place is kept free of mosquitoes. There
has been no case of malaria in the recent
history of the hospital He was inocu-
lated with malaria culture brought
from England and the doctors waited
Tor the expected fever Nothing hap
pened. The man continued at his regu-
lar work in the hospital laundry, made
no complaints of feeling sick, and
showed no abnormalities at the semi
weekly examinations. 1t was naturally
supposed that for some reason the cul-
ture had failed to work.
But, almost year later to a day, the
patient was seized with malarial parox-
ysms His temperature went up to LOG.
culture from his blood produced the
same symptoms in another patient.
Here was perfect experiment. All
extraneous factors could be ruled out.
Ihe only possible cause of the malaria
was the incubation IL months earlier.
Physicians, especially in Europe, have
suspected the same phenomenon before.
Unfortunately, for proof, the persons
who have had these attacks of latent
malaria have not been in controlled
environments, such as that of a mental
hospital. The possibility of recent infec-
ton could not be ruled out.
4 r
With the issuance of the fourth VOL
une Of DIR. Mary j. Rathbun's exhaustive
monograph on the crabs of America by
the Smithsonian Institution a me- jor
scientific job reaches completion.
1t is DR.. Rathbun,s rare ACCOMPLISH
ment to have translated whole section
OF natures own dictionary. For the last
century collectors and explorers have
been pouring into the United States
National Museum all sorts Of plants and