Evening star., 1937-12-29

One reason why pneumonia Is apt
to follow surgical operations, intoxi-
cation or exposure to severe cold wAa
explained to the Society Of American
Bacteriologists' meeting here today in
report of experiments by Drs. w. J.
Nungester and Roy G. Klepsler OF
the University OF Michigan.
Pneumonia, it has long been
known, Is not due to any OF these
conditions directly. but to specific
germs, the pneumococci, which in
wade the lungs through the mouth
and nose. The University of Michi-
gan doctors first placed India ink in
the noses of rats. They found that
it was breathed into the lungs in
from 20 to so per cent OF the rats
anaesthetized with ether. severely
chilled. or intoxicated with alcohol.
Less than third as many conscious
and sober rats got the ink into their
lungs.
Then they placed cultures Of the
pneumococci in rat noses the same
way. Only Is per cent OF the normal
animals developed pneumonia, as
against ~ per cent of those severely
chilled, 80 per cent of the intoxicated
ones and 80 per cent of those under
ether. BY other means they de-
termined that all these conditions in
some way interfere with the reflex
closing Of the epiglottis. or auto
matically operating lid, which keeps
folks from swallowing the wrong
way"
They determined that it wasn't q
case Of lowered resistance to the
germs brought about by cold. ether
or alcohol by injecting pneumococci
into rats subjected to these agencies
and into normal control rats. AS many
died in one group as in the other
Annual Banquet Tonight.
Approximately 500 bacterioloeists
including college professors, research
technicians and Federal experts
opened their thirty-ninth annual
meeting at the Mayfiower Hotel yes.
terday. Today's program will be
climaxed tonight by the annual ban.
quet at 7 pm. at which the Eli Lilly
Award will be presented. DR.. James
M. Sherman, president of the society
will deliver the annual address, hav-
ing for his subject Youth, Growth
and Maturity in Bacteria"
The sessions. which have been di-
vided into group discussions of gen.
eral bacteriology, medical bacteri-
ology. immunology and comparative
pathology. and agricultural and in
dustrial bacteriology, will close late
tomorrow.
The visiting scientists have been
making inspection tours to the Public
Health Service. the National Insti-
tute Of Health, the Navy Medical
Center. Department Of Agriculture
Labora tories, the medical schools OF
Georgetown, George Washington and
Howard Universities, Army Medical
Museum, Army Medical Center and
the laboratories of the National Can
nerx' Association.
DR.. Earl B. Mckinley of George
Warrington University is chairman OF
the local Committee on Arrangements
for the annual meeting.
Pneumonia Fever Experiment.
Another experiment reported to the
meeting by Drs. Harold " Ellingson
and Paul r. Clark Of the University
Of Wisconsin showed that pneumonia
germs apparently are more virulent
when they get into the systems Of
animals suffering from fever. Arti-
ficial fevers were produced in rabbits
and the pneumococci injected under
the skin
The process of the infection seemed
more severe than among control ami
mails and there were fewer survivors.
While no definite medical significance
was attached to either Of these find.
ings, they open up clearer UNDER
standing Of how the pneumococci
work.
A physiological phenomenon in
which the white of an egg becomes
= fatal poison for monkeys was de-
scribed by Drs. Lenore NJ and
Nicholas Kopeloff Of the New York
State Psychiatric Institute. First, 4
tiny amount of egg white-about two
tenths of a cubic centimeter per
kilogram of body weight-was in
jected into the animal which showed
no apparent bad effects. -Four weeks
later . very heavy dose, about 4,6
cubic centimeters per kilogram, was
injected. The animal collapsed and
died. This worked nearly every time.
But monkeys which had not been
"sensitised" with the small primary
dose showed no bad effects from the
heavy dose. The sensitivity was found
to continue from six to eight months.
Germs of q rare and serious disease
Of both mon and cattle find . home
and thrive in the tonsils, 1t was re-
ported by c. w. Emmons Of the
National Institute of Health. DR..
Emmons examined 200 pairs OF tonsils
cut out in routine practice. In 81 per
cent Of them he found little colonies
of the same germs which cause actinc-
Mycosis, the most common form OF
which In human beings il known ~
"lumpy jaw" It also Affects other