Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-12-21

Mitogenetic rays-supposed ultraviolet
radiation given OF by living organisms
probably don't exist.
At least they can't be detected by the
most delicate methods known to science.
Such is the substance of a report to
the Committee on Radiations OF the Ma
tional Research Council by Drs. Alex
ander Hollander and Walter D. Claus OF
the University of Wisconsin.
For the past ten years great deal
has been written about this supposed
radiation from the tissues Of plants and
animals which was supposed to stimu-
late the growth or cell division rate OF
other organisms in its path.
Several European investigators claim
to have detected it. Many biologists have
accepted it as a fact. Quack doctors
especially have made much Of it-going
so far as to claim that every organ OF
the body emits radiation of different
wave length and that the condition Of
the organ can be deduced from the vary
ing strength of it's output. Even sound
medical investigators have turned to the
phenomenon as q possible clue to the
abnormal growth encountered IN malig-
nant tumors.
American scientists have remained, on
the whole, rather dubious. The exist
ence of mitogenetic radiation was one OF
those things which neither could be
proved nor absolutely disproved, like
mental telepathy or the canals on Mars
The methods required were very delicate
and left good deal of room for the
personal equation in Interpreting re-
suits.
1t was to set at rest this question, II
possible, that the National Research
Council supported the University of Wis
consin investigation. Even their results,
the two investigators report, do not alb
solutely settle the question, but they do
establish that the existence of the hypo-
thetical radiation cannot be proved by
any methods now known to science.
Various "senders" were used which
were asserted to have given of these
rays in the past-potato tubers. onions,
blood, and various cultures OF bacteria.
Cultures of bacteria whose cell division
rate can be nicely demonstrated were
used as receivers. No results whatsoever
outside the limits of observational error
were found.
A second type of experiment was to
NY W NCVCCt VIC Adyo WAeA SSAoSA
Muller counter, an extremely sensitive
radiation recording device which should
have been effected by anything Of the
supposed strength Of this phenomenon.
The counter proved obdurate. So far as
it was concerned the rays were not there.
Still a third line was to determine
whether artificial radiation Of the same
strength and wave length actually pro-
duced the growth effect. 1t did not.
Thus the results of the test are en-
tirely negative. Mitogenetic radiation no
longer can be naively accepted on some
body's word. The experiment, however,
produced one positive result which ap-
parently reveals a hitherto unknown
natural phenomenon and one which may
be of considerable importance. After
demonstrating to their own satisfaction
that artificial radiation within the same
strength range q the hypothetical
mitogenetic rays did not produce .
growth effect, the two experimenters
bombarded the plants with ultraviolet
radiation with several million times
greater energy than was ever claimed
for the tissue rays. They found quick,
marked and inexplicable stimulation Of
growth.
The Aleutian Islands and Alaska ap-
parently constituted nursery Of races.
according to Dr.. AIS Trdlicka. Smith