Evening star., 1937-11-20
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
otebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r HENRY

The rabbit is coming to the rescue of
man against one of his most dreaded
diseaSes-pneumonia
The part in the battle which this little
animal has been called upon to take IS
explained by DR.. Rufus Cole of the
Rockefeller Institute of Medical Re-
search in the Military Surgeon, journal
of the United States Army Medical
Corps.
During the past few years specific
serums have been prepared against most
of the strains of pneumococci, the bac-
terial organisms responsible for the dis
ease. The practise has been TO innocu-
late horses with the bacteria and make
use of the antibodies formed in the
animals blood Horses, however ap-
peared not to be susceptible to some
types of pneumonia Moreover the
molecules of the antibodies formed in
their blood were SO large that they did
not diffuse as rapidly as was desirable
in the human blood stream.
Rabbits have been found susceptible
to at least one type to which the horse
was resistant. Also the antibodies formed
in them are smaller so that they get
through the human system more rapidly.
One drawback has been the small
amount of blood serum which could be
obtained from rabbit. compared to a
horse. A technique has been worked
out now, DR.. Cole reports. by which as
much as 5O cubic centimeters of rabbit
blood can be drawn every two weeks
without sacrificing the animal
The pneumococci, he reports in the
same article, must be sugar-coated to be
Vlrulent. Each organism is surrounded
by coating OF sugar which serves as
coat OF armor, protecting it from the at
tacks of the white blood cells whose
business it is to destroy invading organ
lsmS. There is slight difference in the
kind OF sugar which forms the defensive
coating of each type of pneumococcus.
The function of the antibodies appears
to be to destroy this sugar coating and
leave the bacteria defenseless against the
leucocytes. Only the specific type anti
bodies will do this. Vast quantities of
pneumococci which are not sugar-coated
can be ingested without any harm to
animals or man.
Although pneumonia still is far from
conquered, DR.. Cole points out, a great
deal has been accomplished. In 1900 the
death rate was 180 per 1000 cases. This
had been cut down to II in 1892 At the
beginning of the century half the VIC
Tins were infants. BY 1882 this ratio had
declined to one-fourth.
Pneumonia can hardly be considered,
DR.. Cole said, as primary disease. 1t
very seldom occurs unless it is preceded
by cold or by influenza.
The climate of the United States seems
to have been reversed from east to west
in the past 40,000,000 years.
DR.. Roland w. Brown, Geological Sur
vey paleontologist, shows the change in
clear perspective through a systematic
study of Smithsonian Institution collec-
tions of fossil plants. The type of wood
land now found in the East covered
great areas of Washington, Oregon and
Idaho during the Miocene geological
period when the worlds flora was taking
ON much of its present form. If pres
ent-day Virginian could be set down in
the midst of this ancient forest he would
hardly be aware of the transition in
time unless he encountered some of the
Miocene animals.
He still could gather huckelberires in
the summer and fill baskets with persim-
mons and chestnuts after the first frosts.
He would recognize the pines, hickories,
walnuts, willows, poplars, birshes,
beeches, alders oaks, elms, sycamoreS,
tulip trees and naples. If his time
Odyssey took place in spring he would
find magnolias, the red bud. the laurel
and the dogwood in blossom. The pres