Evening star., 1939-02-23
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
Approximately five persons out Of
every thousand in the United States
have pneumonia each year. according to
a survey just reported by the United
States Public Health Service.
1t remains fourth highest among the
causes of death and strikes particularly
at low-income groups, children and aged,
the survey shows. It's frequency is ap-
proximately 18 per thousand among cEi1-
dren under 3 years of age and II per
thousand among persons over IS.
Men, it was found, are much more
likely to contract this disease than wom-
en-, due in part to more frequent exposure.
The average rate for males of all ages
is 6 per thousand, while it is.only 40 for
females. The greatest excesses in the
male rate over the female were found In
the age groups from Is to "a years.
The average duration of non-fatal
pneumonia cases was found to be AZ days
and of fatal cases 10 days. For all
pneumonia cases, fatal and otherwise,
the average duration was 80 days.
X
A new color test of blood corpuscles
which may disclose malaria infection
before any malarial organisms can be
found in the blood has just been reported
by the Public Health Service.
The test was devised by Drs. R. O..
Prospke and Robert B. Watson, assigned
to the Tennessee Valley Authority within
whose area the disease has constituted
one of the outstanding handicaps of the
rural population. 1t is based on the fact
that a certain fraction of the blood pro-
teins, the so-called euglobulins, is in
creased in most cases of malaria and
that this increase can be demonstrated
by the color intensity developed by this
protein.
The test is particularly important. the
Public Health Service emphasizes, be-
cause of its simplicity. No complicated
equipment is required other than what
would be found in the average clinical
laboratory.
In recent series of experiments, the
two doctors report, they obtained 974
per cent positive reactions in known
cases Of malaria compared with 8l9
yielded by microscopic examination of
the blood. More accurate tests for ma
laria reported in the past have required
unusually well-equipped laboratories and
expensive instruments.
X
A study of two identical twins sep
arated for 10 years, during which they
followed far different ways of life, is re-
ported by DR.. D. c. Rife, Ohio State Uni
versity psychologist, in the current issue
of the Scientific Monthly.
Identical twins, derived from single
egg, have precisely the same heredity and
consequently any physical mental or
emotional differences which develop in
later life can be ascribed to the inf1u-
ences OF environment.
These two boys, sons' of a Canadian
farmer. who were parted when they were
l6 years old, retained striking similarities
in their different environments over
nearly fifth of century. Their paths
diverged to the extent that one is the
proprietor OF book store, while the
other is skilled machinist.
Physically both have grown bald to
about the same extent. Both suffer from
fiat feet, but one much more than the
other. One weighs about 10 pounds more
than the other. One has slightly higher
blood pressure.
The differences are such as would gen.
ho ffrih fal ~ oH oT 4;
ferent environments.
One is college graduate. The other
did not finish high school. Each had the
equivalent of a grammar school education
when they were separated
Noteworthy differences were revealed
by various psychological tests. The COL
lege graduate read II words minute
faster than his brother. In comprehen-
sion of what was read the college man
ranked in the top 10 per cent of the COL
lege population, while his brother fell
into the upper 20 per cent.
In spite of their different environ
ments and the fact that one served in
France while the other did not, they
showed almost precisely the same atti-
tude on war. One is significantly less
neurotic than the other. Measures of in
troversion showed a wide difference be-
tween them, although neither is as in
troverted as the average college student
There are about 100000 pairs of twins
in the United States, DR.. Rife says, and
at least one-fourth of them are identical.
The possibilities of throwing new light on
the effects of heredity and environment
by twin research, he says. still are enor-
nous and he urges that other pairs sub
nit themselves to examination.
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