Evening star., 1939-12-23
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By. Thomas r. Henri.

SNu0 Se0Oy
By Thomas r. Henry.
A hitherto unrecognized human dis
ease has just been reported by Public
Health Service surgeons who used 18
woman patients in an insane asylum as
subjects for their experiments.
The malady, ariboflavinosis, probably is
very widespread throughout the South,
where it is so closely associated with the
devastating plague of pellagra, however,
that it has not hitherto been recognized
as distinct entity.
In demonstrating the separate syn
drome, and at the same time the cure for
it, Drs. W. H. Sebrell and r. H. Butler
of the Public Health Service staff used
almost exactly the same methods as
those used by DR.. Joseph Goldberger,
when, more than IS years ago, he found
the cause and cure of pellagra by diet
experiments with convicts in the Mis-
sissippi State Penitentiary.
Goldberger found that pellagra was
due to lack of an undefinable vitamin of
some sort, the richest source of which
was yeast. Two years ago it was found
that this substance could be extracted
from yeast in the form of NICOTINE acid,
doses of which brought dramatic cures
even in advanced cases of pellagra
Symptoms of mind and body seemed to
clear up together.
In some cases, however, there remained
curious set of symptoms, chiefly LESSONS
about the mouth, which persisted. Ex-
periments with animals had previously
demonstrated that somewhat the same
condition could be brought about by TAX
ing entirely from the food substance
known as ribofavin, most frequently
seen as the yellow coloring matter in the
whey of milk. The insane woman pa
tients were placed on thoroughly ade-
quate diet in every respect but one
every detachable trace of ribofavin was
eliminated The diet contained plenty
of the nicotine acid.
Ten of them developed the peculiar
mouth LESSONS in from three to four
months. The new syndrome is described
by DR.. Sebrell as follows: There was
maceration in each angle of the mouth,
the lips were Redeemed along the line of
closure, and the mucosa appeared thin,
shiny and denuded."
Once the malady had appeared half the
victims were given heavy daily doses Of
the magic-working NICOTINE acid In
their cases it did no good at all. 1t was
then discontinued and all were given
diets in which ribohavin had been re-
stored. The symptoms entirely disap-
peared in periods from to "a days.
Other observers have found Drs. Sc
brell and Butler point out in the report
of the experiment, that occasionally there
are found in association with pellagra
symptoms otherwise seen only in the
Oriental disease beriberi This is due
to different food deficiency and can be
cured by administration of thiamin one
of the vitamin B complex which is found
In all sorts of grains and in lean meats.
Because of these findings they urge
that the term pellagra be abandoned for
the complex of three diseases and be
used henceforth to describe only that
syndrome which is cured by NICOTINE
acid. The three are distinct diseases,
they say, but are likely to occur together
because families with deficiencies in one
food are most likely to have deficiencies
in all the others.
Growth in a single hens egg Of enough
virus of a deadly animal brain disease
to kill 100000 guinea pigs, is reported
by Department of Agriculture scientists.
BY cultivating this virus in unborn
chicks they have been able to overcome
the menace of equine encephalomyelitis,
closely related to the sleeping sickness
of humans, which was making serious
inroads on American horses two years
ago.
A minute amount of the virus is in
jected into the chick embryo within the
egg. 1t usually kills the chick in a few
in amount many thousandfold. 1t then
is made into vaccine which is an almost
perfect protection for horses against con-
tracing the disease itself.
Sufficient vaccine was manufactured
in this way during the past IL months
to vaccinate 100000 horses. Nearly a
million, including practically all valuable
race horses, actually were vaccinated
Previously it had been possible to pre-
pare the vaccine only by inoculating
cheap horses with the virus, killing them
and making vaccine preparation from
their brain tissues. This made the treat
ment extremely expensive.
From the brains of one horse enough
vaccine could be obtained to vaccinate
100 horses. One egg produces enough to
vaccinate two horses but it can be pro-
duced as rapidly as desired and in any
required quantities. Virus obtained from
the horse brains was extremely variable
in strength and quantity, while that
from the chick embryos shows no dis.
cernible variation. With the. sanitary
protection of the eggshell it does moi
develop any contamination.
Adoption of Philosophy of
Henry George Urged.
To the Editor of The Star: