Evening star., 1937-10-30
NEW ANTLSTER|LE
HORM0NE FOUND
Illinois Physicians Describe
Substance Taken From
Blood Serum of Mares.
BY THOMAS r.. HENRY,
stan Correspondent OF The Star.


hormone have been described before
the American College of Surgeons
meeting here.
This extremely potent substance,
obtained from the blood serum of
mares, has been known in physiological
laboratories for some time but in the
past has been used only experimentally
with lower animals Recently Drs.
Arthur Koff of Northwestern Univer-
sity and M Edward Davis of the
Chicago Lying-in Hospital tested its
effects on rs women supposedly unable
to bear children. The condition was
corrected in 35 per cent of the cases.
This new hormone stimulates man.
malian ovulation. 1t is believed to
come originally from the pituitary
gland, but TO undergo chemical
changes in the bodies of the mares
which greatly increases its potency.
Like other hormones it acts in eX-
tremely minute amounts.
The finding of this hormone, it was
stressed in papers presented before the
College Of Surgeons, opens an entirely
new avenue in hormone treatment.
Previously hormones have been given
as substitute for something which is
not produced in sufficient amounts in
the body of the individual patient. In
this case the purpose is definitely that
Of stimulating human organ to pro-
duce something which it has not been
able to produce otherwise.
Hopeful in Gland Development.
The finding was stressed as one of
the most hopeful developments in the
field of endocrine gland therapy.
Otherwise hormone administration,
it was pointed out, has proven of less
value in practical medicine than doc
tors had been led to expect from ex-
perimental studies with animals in
the laboratory. Much work has been
done with the So-called female sex
hormones, but it has been found that
these do not stimulate the ovaries
to produce the substances which the
body needs Such treatment merely
supplies something not being pro-
duced in adequate amounts at critical
periods in life
The administration OF various hor-
mones from the pituitary gland at
the base of the brain. it was stressed,
has been Disappointing. Surgeons
were cautioned against hit-or-miss
hormone treatment. 1t may merely
cover up very serious symptoms by
stopping symptoms
Making America "hoarseneSs con-
scious" was urged on the College of
Surgeons by Dr. Francis E. LIE Jeune
of Tulane University A persistent
hoarSeness. he said. may be due to
any one of so distinct causes. The
specific cause usually can be de-
termined by a simple examination,
and if this is done early enough many
lives might be saved. Actually the
symptom usually is ignored by both
patient and doctor until. if it actually
indicates a serious condition, it is too
late to do anything about it.
Tumors in "Voice Box"
Frequently found among children,
he said. is a condition known as
papilloma of the larynx Small tumors
arise in the voice box" Ordinarily
they are benign tumors, in the sense
that they do not spread to other
parts of the body like cancers. They
may be malignant. however, in the
sense that if they are not treated
verv early they will recur over and
over again and sometimes end in the
death of the patient They could be
detected early If hoarseness extending
over a week or more were always
examined
HoarseneSs is also one of the earliest
signs of an enlarged thyroid gland
due to pressure against the vocal
cords. One cord May be completely
psralyzed. Still another form of
hoarseness is due to enlargement of
the thymus gland in the chest which
often causes death in adults. Hoarse-
ness, he said. also may be one of the
first indications of tuberculosis. Tu-
berculosis of the larynX is always
secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis,
but the condition in the lungs may
not be sufficiently active to cause the
patient any concern. Early diagnosis
is OF vital Importance.
Hoarseness Danger Signal.
The most significant of all changes
that may take place in the larynX,
Or. lie Jeune said, are those produced
by cancers. Hoarseness is the first
danger signal There may be only
slight alteration of the voice to which
ordinarily no attention is paid. From
so to 80 per cent of cancers of the
larynx respond favorably to treatment
IL it is started on time, he said, yet
in the great majority of cases the
condition is fatal AS a rule, when
one of these cases is referred to a
physician it is so advanced that very
little can be done for it. BY a cam
paign for early recognition and ex-
animation of every case of hoarseness,
he said, it may be possible to reduce
the death rate of this common form of
cancer as radically as the death rate
from cancer Of the breast has been
reduced by early recognition.
There is a baby born every Is sec
onds in the United States-approxi-
maCely Z,UUU,OUO year.
An aggregate of 1884 mothers die
In childbirth, or So in every 10000.
This is next to the highest rate in the
world, exceeded only by Chile with
mortality rate of IL for each 10000
mothers. Sweden, Norway and Japan
have rate of only 81 Canada has
a death toll of SO, Germany 81, and
Australia, Sc.
These statistics were presented to
the College of Surgeons today by DR..
Frank ]. Lynch of San Francisco
Two conditions account for the great
est number of childbirth deaths, he
said, and both are preventable One
is puerperal septicemia or childbed
fever, and the other exclampsia, or
pregnancy convulsions.
Superficially it would seem that hos
pital deliveries have almost as heavy a
death toll as those in the home-five