Evening star., 1939-12-29
New Aviation Ma|ad,
And Preventive
Told 10 Scientists !
- -.
Bends in Reverse,
Affects Military Flyers
In Rapid Accents
BY THOMAS r.. HENRY,
Star STAR Corresnondent.

In Rapid Ascents
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star stan Correspondent.
COLUMBUS, Dec. 29.-A newly
discovered malady of aviators and q
way to prevent it by "denitrogeniz-
ing% them before flights were de-
scribed before the American Asso-
ciation for the Advancement Of
Science here today by Drs. w. r.
Iovelace, w. H. Boothby and G. o.
Benson Of the Mayo Clinic.
The new disease is essentially the
bends" Of deep-sea divers in reverse.
The preventive measures are con-
sidered of especial significance for
war flyers and may become a stand
ard procedure both at training fields
and in combat zones.
The malady is "aeroembolism."
It is marked by the formation of
nitrogen bubbles in the tissues and
blood due to rapid decrease of pres
sure In fast ascents to high alti-
tudeS. The symptoms may first
appear at a height Of about 10000
feet with a speed of ascent Of about
200 feet a minute. They may come
at once or be delayed for more than
an hour. Individuals differ greatly
in susceptibility, fat men being es-
pecially subject to the malady. Pain
about the joints is usually the first
symptom to appear. Mild at first,
it may soon become unbearable.
There is itching and abnormal SEN
sations of heat and cold. Sometimes
the flyer becomes unconscious and
goes into convulsions. In other
cases there has been a sudden onset
Of paralysis, including the breath
ing muscles.
Only a Military Problem.
Bubbles In the lungs may plug up
numerous small blood vessels. The
result is sharp, stabbing pain and
severe coughing. While 10000 feet
appears to be the critical distance
for human beings, the Mayo Clinic
doctors found symptoms appearing
at 1900 feet in experimental ami
mails.
The malady would be unlikely to
appear unless the ascent were very
rapid, so 1t does not constitute a
problem for commercial aviation.
In military maneuvers, however,
fast ascentS are necessary and the
pilot suffering an attack is likely to
be entirely incapacitated.
The Mayo Clinic doctors con-
Quoted their experiments in a low
pressure chamber in which they
could reproduce the pressures at ali
attitudes and change them as rap
idly as they pleased-in effect,
ascend as fast as they pleased.
Northwestern Airline pilots served
as subjects. The object was to find
a method to free the tissues Of
nitrogen and replace it with oxygen
to such an extent that it would
be safe to 60 to height Of 10000
feet in about minutes. All the ex-
perimental rates of climb averaged
more than 1000 feet per minute.
Experiments with divers had
shown that it was possible to elm
mate nitrogen by breathing pure
oxygen for 4 to 6 hours, but this
was considered hardly feasible
procedure for war pilots, likely to be
called upon with little warning. The
process could be greatly. speeded
up. they found, by breathing pure
oxygen while walking on tread
mill at to miles an hour.
Since this regimen has been in
effect, DR.. Lovelace reported, there
have been no symptoms Of aeroem-
bolism in any of the subjects. At
present low pressure chamber "as-
cents" to the air density of 10000
feet are made safely after the sub
ject has breathed oxygen and walked
on the treadmill for only 20 minutes.
New "Hormones."
Finding of six potent hormone-
like substances in the kidneys was
reported to the American Associa-
ton for the Advancement Of Science,
meeting here yesterday afternoon,
by DR.. M. c. Winternitz Of the Yale
Medical School.
Two of them may be intimately
associated with some Of the heart
maladies which now are the leading
cause of death in the United States.
The six newly found "hormones"
are: Something which increases
blood pressure like adrenalin but
with more prolonged effects; some
thing which lowers blood pressure
like an extract obtained from the
spleen, but according to different
pattern; an irritant to the central
nervous system; something which
raises the nitrogen content of the
blood; something which causes hem
orrhages: something which tends to
form LESSONS in vein and muscle
tissue.