Evening star., 1937-01-03
NEW |MMUN|T|ES
TOD|SEASE LOOM
Scientists Are Told of New
Methods of Destroying
Bacteria.
~ the Associated Press.


PHILADELPHIA, January IA
new immunity to some diseases, such
as pneumonia and streptococcus poi
soning, appeared possible today in a
report before a special meeting OF the
American Philosophical Society.
The meeting, which brought to-
eether some of the Nations outstand-
ing leaders in medical research for
symposium on viruSes and the dis
eases they cause, was declared by
DR.. Edwin G. Conklin, executive ON
Ger Of the society and president of
the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science, to mark "a
history-making turning point" In the
concept and treatment of disease.
The new immunity to some diseases
was forecast on the basis of report
3y DR.. Stuart Mudd of the University
Of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
on three new methods of destroying
bacteria without at the same time
destroying the substances they con-
tain which protect persons against
disease.
"Antigens" in Bacteria.
Under this concept, DR.. Mudd de-
elared. bacteria carry or contain the
very substances called "antigens"
which bring about disease resistance
within the body of humans or ami
mails. Previously it was impossible
In many cases to separate these anti
gems from the harmful substances
produced by the bacteria and there
fore the use of vaccines containing
Of harmful substance present. With
the three new methods discovered,
DIR. Mudd added, it is now possible
to prepare potent disease preventers
which are not harmful.
The most spectacular of the meth
DDS is the subjection of the disease
causing bacteria to audible sound
waves 'of enormous intensity" which
disintegrates them. drying them and
subsequently freezing and grinding
them under intensely cold liquid air,
or drying and grinding them at low
temperature in special mill.
The resulting material is then put
In solution and put in a fast -whirling
centrifuge machine. Because of a
difference in weight the beneficial
antigens fall out as sediment and can
be gathered for use in disease pre-
vention or treatment.
DR.. w. M. Sanley of the Rockefeller
Institute for Medical Research was
unable to read his paper describing
the crystalline protein which causes
virus disease of tobacco, tomatoes
and pholox. and which is the link be-
tween living and non-living things
He was confined to his home in New
York by one of the very viruses which
he has studied, influenza.
Centrifuge Machine Described.
DR.. Carl Kenrbook. one of his asso-
ciates, presented the paper. and an
other. DR.. Ralph w. G. Wycoff, de-
scribed how the ultra-centrifuge, or
high-speed machine. similar to
cream separator, had been used to
study viruses.
The machine opens entirely new
fields Of study of these disease -caus-
ing agents, DR.. Wycoff declared, be-
cause it enabled the preparation Of
pure virus without the use Of chem
icals which may destroy or change
them.
In another report on the SYM
postum program. DR.. George Packer
Berry of the University of Rochester
declared that the recent discovery of
an ability of two viruses causing
tumor-like diseases in rabbits to
change their form opened up new
field of research "in exploring the
Relationships of other viruses"
The two rabbit diseases known as
fibroma and myzoma are apparently
closely related, he declared. and may
be about midway on scale running
from common infections up to cancer
or cancer-like growths.