Evening star., 1939-01-07
OF Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
! In Field, Laboratory
And Study
Bu Thomas r. Henry.

And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
Search for "organizers," the mysteri-
Gus chemicals in embryonic tissue which
apparently determine what 1t will be-
come, was described by DIR. c. H. Wad-
dington of Cambridge University, Eng
land, before the biochemistry seminar Of
George Washington University Medical
School the other night.
At an early stage In the development
OF an egg into. an animal q part of the
outer surface is "evaginated," that is,
drawn into the interior where it forms
the inner surface of hollow cup. This
becomes the mesoderm from which the
nervous system and some Of the internal
organs are derived. 1t has been found
that If a small piece OF the developing
tissue is cut away around the point Of
evagination and grated on the oppo-
site side of the egg a complete new
embryo will develop and continue alive
at least until the Matching stage.
Something in the cells of this critical
area seems to have the power of guiding,
the course of cell development and of
changing what ordinarily would be skin
cells into nerve cells. The principle
search for this something" believed to
be definite chemical substance, has
been carried on at Dr. Waddingtons
Cambridge laboratory where several
promising clues now are being followed.
Considerable evidence has accumu-
lated for the chemical theory, he told
the seminar. For one thing, the "or-
ganizer" activity continues after the
cells containing it have been killed. 1t
also can be produced by an extract from
them which contains no cells at ALL
Efforts to get at the specific substance
itself by splitting up the extract have
not proved very satisfactory.
Enough has been learned, DR.. Wad-
dington said, to support the theory that
the material is related to some Of the
hydrocarbons which produce cancers in
rats and which in turn are related to
some of the sex hormones. Synthetic
hydrocarbons of this class, injected into
the embryo, change tissue which ordi-
narlly would become skin into nerve tis-
sue which develops in the form of tube,
one of the earliest phases of the devel-
opment OF the nervous system in higher
animals. 1t proceeds no further, how
ever. whereas the cell transplanted will
produce complete nervous system, in
cluding brain
Almost as striking results are obtained
with certain dyes, such as methylene
blue, whose only function seems to be
10 increase the metabolism of tissue.
When this dye is injected near the point
OF evagination and the tissue then
transplanted the same sort of nerve tube
Is formed. The strange effects NAV be
Que TO a breaking down of an inactive
chemical complex present in most tissue
thus releasing the specific chemical
which organizes" growth.
new human disease, aribofayinosis
has been discovered by Public Health
Service physicians.
1t consists of LESSONS of the lips due
to deficiency in the diet of ribof1avin
one of the vitamins which is widely dis
trlbuted In nature in milk, meat, eggs
and green, leafy vegetables.
The studies were carried on by Drs
w. H. Sebrell and R. E. Butler of the
staff of the National Institute of Health
Importance of the vitamin already was
known in the diet of rats, chickens and
various other animals. but there was no
clear evidence Of its Importance to hu-
mans. DR.. Sebrell and his co-workers
nave found previously that dogs suffer
sudden collapse and death unless a suffi-
clent amount OF the vitamin is included
in the diet.
In the studies on the Importance of
ribof1avin in the diet of human beings,
IL adult women were given a daily ra-
ton consisting of cornmeal Cs5 ounces).
cowpeas (048 ounce, lard U,625
ounces. casein (2.43 ounces, -four
(O.75 ounce, white bread (3.6 ounces). .
calcium carbonate g grams), tomato
juice a ounces), cod liver oil COS ounce),
sirup (4.75 ounces) and sirup of iodide of
iron q drops. In addition, on the 86th
day, all were started on a weekly supple
ment of 80 milligrams of crystalline
ascorbic acid and 33 milligrams of crys,
talline thiaminchloride.
Ten of the eighteen women developed
LESSONS Of the lips in 81 to 100 days after
the beginning of the experiment. In
most of these cases, the symptoms disap-
peared in five or six days following the
inclusion of the riboflavin vitamin in
the diet.
Ribohavin has an unusual history in
that it was discovered quite accidentally
and not during the course Of feeding
experiments. The first recognition of
this vitamin came from chemical studies
on tissue extracts and on enzymos. It
was probably first recognized in 1879 as
lactrochrome, or the water soluble pig
ment in milk. The isolation, proof Of
structure and synthesis, however, have
all been done in the last eight years.
The vitamin ribofavin has a structure
which is probably rather difficult for the
body to construct. 1t must, therefore, be
present in our diet.
The daily human requirement of ribo-
fiavin may. be estimated at one-half
millipram IT is not dificult tn meet