Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-03-12
CHEMICAL SOCIETY
HONORSSC|ENT|ST
Dr.. Vincent Du Vigneaud Is
Lauded for Work on Sui
phur Compounds.

The Hillebrand award of the Wash
ington section of the American Chem
1cal Society was presented at the an
nual dinner of the section at the Co.'S
mos Club last night to DR.. Vincent
Du Vigneaud. professor of biochem-
1stry at George Washington Univer-
slty Medical School, in recognition Of
researches on sulphur compounds.
This work led during the last few
months to the first large-scale syn
thesis of glutathione. which occurs
naturally in the animal body and is
IN some way associated with normal
growth and possibly with the alb
normal growth of certain tissus in
malignant tumors.
This, DR.. Du Vigneaud said in ac-
ceptlng the award, was one of the
outcomes OF work started 10 years ago
TO determine the complex chemistry
OF lnsulln, the secretion thrown into
the blood stream from the Isles of
l'angerhan in the pancreas, which is
necessary for the sugar metabolism of
the body and lack of which causes
diabetes.
Structure Eludes Chemistry.
1nsulin, DR., Du Vigneaud said is an
extremely complex, sulphur contain
Ing molecule which cannot be synthe-
sized at present. 1t is one of the
hormones, substances produced by the
glands Of internal secretion in the
mammal body which have very great
physiological effects in exceedingly
minute doses. Some of these, such as
the secretion from the thyroid gland
are relatively simple chemically and
can be synthesized in the laboratory
Others, such as insulin, the secretion
from the parathyroids which governs
the calcium metabolism of the BODY
and the secretions from the pituitary
glands in the brain which have SEN
satlonal effects on all sorts of phvsio-
logical behavior, are much more COM
pleX and up to now their structure
has eluded chemists
There is increasing evidence. DR.
Du Vlgneaud said, that insulin-and
PROBABLY the others-is one of the
protelns, substances made I'D of
various configurations of carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sui
phur, which are essential element of
food and probably play roles of as vet
unexpected Importance In the phe-
nomena of life.
Recent work elsewhere, he pointed
out, has shown that the ultra viruses
-mlcroscopically invisible but re-
Sponslole for some of the most deadly
animal, human and plant diseases
are extraordinarily complex proteins
Hitherto they have been describai as
probably living organisms, each COM
plete in itself, but on the borderline
between the living and the non-livinp
1t also has been found that some of
the ensymes are very complex pro-
teins.
Arrangement of Atoms Noted.
His studies of insulin, DR.. Du Wig
neaud said, have convinced him that
the astounding physiological effects Of
the substance are dependent on the
architecture of the molecule, not on
the proper proportions of its constitu-
ent atoms alone, but also on their
exact positions in relation to each
other
DR.. Hans T. Clarke professor of bio
chemistry at Columbia University Med
ical School, spoke on the history of
physiological sulphur compounds from
the first discovery of the amino acid
cysteine in England 1875 years ago as
constituent Of certain kinds OF
kidney stones. Since the beginning OF
the present century, he said, their
significance has been more and more
appreciated as necessary elements for
growth of the body.