Evening star., 1938-12-10

amount OF grated tissue seems to
be sufficient. An adrenal gland also
is small and the cortex. secreting
the hormone cortin without which
life cannot be maintained, is a very
small part of it.
The second great hurdle is the
difficulty of obtaining the material
with which to start such culture.
Usually when part of gland must
be removed surgically some infection
is present in all its tissues. A healthy
person hardly can be expected to
part with a gland essential to his
unfortunate relative, and probably
no surgeon would consent to per-
form such an operation.
Youths Best Subjects.
They can be removed from a dead
person only Immediately after death.
In such cases the consent of rela-
tives must be obtained and there
must be absolute certainty that the
person had no blood stream taint.
Besides, it was explained, best re-
suits are obtained only with the
glands of young people-the younger
the better. The gland cells of the
old have lost their vitality.
Once the cell mass has been i'm
planted in a patients body, the ex-
perimenters have found, there is
little or no further growth. 1t seems
to be inhibited by the same mystic
rious inhibitors which normally stop
the indefinite growth of any bodily
organ.
Up to the present. the physicians
report, 16 patients have received
CRAFTS of human parathyroid tissue.
Five of these are classified as essen
TALLY cured as determined by alb
sence of symptoms and no need for
medicine, approach of the blood
chemistry to normal, and ability to
carry on the activities of daily life
One other seemed we'll for two years
and then relapsed into tetany. Six
others are considered markedly i'm
proved. Five are unimproved. The
graft was performed on the first
patient, woman, six years ago, and
she has remained well ever since. In
one case there was a relapse after
two years, indicating that the grated
tissue had died.
There have been nine human thy
roid gratis. All have failed. This
is in marked contrast to the expert
ence with dogs. where thyroid CRAFTS
have taken better than parathyroid.
Reason for the failure, DR.. Gey be-
lieves. is that all except one were
unfavorable cases in the first place
with complex of glands involved
in the deficiency rather than Just
the thyroid. The one favorable case
was unwilling to cooperate.
Two Cases Explained.
Adrenal gland tissue has been
grated in two cases, both apparently
successful. One lived for only nine
months, but during this period he
gained weight, his blood pressure
rose and his strength and well being
increased notably. He died of pneu-
monia in no way connected with the
adrenal deficiency. In the other
patient, the improvement has con-
tinued for two years. He is not en-
tirely back to normal, but has been
able to return to work.
Two gratis were made on one pa
tient of tissue from the Isles and
Langerhans in the pancreas which
secretes the blood-sugar controlling
hormone, insulin, administration of
which keeps diabetes alive. In this
case it was necessary to start the
tissue culture from the glands of a
human embryo. In the adult pam
creas, 1t was explained, there are
digestive elements which rapidly eat
up the blood plasma in which the
culture is maintained so that 1t is
impossible to continue it for more
than few days. The case appears
to have been complete failure. The
physicians believe the tissue lived in
its new environment, but that an
entirely inadequate amount was
given.
The progress to date, the physi-
clans say, leaves the whole subject
in a highly empirical condition.
Some gland tissues can be grated
successfully in dogs, not in men.
Other gratis are successful in men
but complete failures in dogs. From
now on, they insist, the investigation
must 60 ahead step by step to de-
termine the causes of the failures.
They know that certain gratis live
for years in dogs. They do not know
the fate Of the tissue in human
beings and can only Judge from the
physiological effects whether 1t has
survived or perished.