Evening star., 1939-03-04
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

BY IhOn1aS II. henry.
One of the three or four outstanding
medical advances in the past decade has
been the treatment of insanity OF various
sorts with convulsion- producing drugs
chiefly insulin and metraZol.
These have been used chiefly in the
treatment of dementia precox, melan-
cholia, maniaclike depressions, epilepsy
and even alcoholic insanities. Remark
BILE results have been reported, espe-
cially with the victims of schizophrenia,
for whom hitherto there has been very
little hope.
The treatment, however, has been en-
pirical. Psychiatrists have been loathe
to evaluate it until considerable time
elapses and some rational explanation
can be found for its effects. A prelim-
mary evaluation has just been made by
DR.. Lazlo Won Medina OF Budapest, orig
inator of the metrazol treatment, and DR..
limerick Friedman of Waltham, Mass,
on the basis of data from IS American
and European clinics. They find, ac-
cording to their report to the American
Medical Association:
In the acute and subacute mental dis
orders, lasting less than a year and a
half, remissions were obtained in about
81 per cent of the cases and apparent
improvement in 20 per cent more.
Reports are so conflicting that there
can be no valid comparison between the
value of insulin and of metrazol and
La = nic
mind which to use.
In chronic zophrenia-cleavage Of
mental functions lasting longer than
three and half years-there has been
a remission rate of 10 per cent. This is
greatly increased if cases of more than
five years duration are excluded. Much
improvement was obtained in an addi-
tional 81 per cent.
The treatment should not be given to
persons with heart disease, pregnancy,
feverish illnesses, tuberculosis or diseases
of the blood.
They offer a tentative explanation of
the effects of the drugs:
Recent work on the respiratory meta
bolism of brain tissue shows that metra-
Lol ~ oNuNCo a az uStiSAIASS va
oxygen to the brain cells and that the
conclusive action is dependent on this
factor. The action of carbon dioXide on
the central nervous system shows it to be
primarily clrculatory stimulant, provid-
ing more oxygen to brain tissue. This
in itself may possibly be the basis of the
transitory improvement noted in schizo-
,trepio flor ipba tiopS of this paS IF
now it is considered that the underlying
action of metrazol is in part that of
dilating the blood vessels of the brain,
the influence would be similar to that of
carbon dioxide, but more pronounced.
In addition there is also direct stlnu-
latng action on the cell-like elements
of the central nervous system, so much
so that the patient cannot of his own
volition control his thoughts and actions
under the influence of high doses.
Of the 80 Known chemical elements,
about 10 make up 81 per cent of the
chemical composition of the crust OF the
earth. These 10 rock-forming substances
combine and crystalline from the molten
massc, to form the minerals O4 the igne-
GUS rocks.
Some OF the processes now can be re-
prod iced in the laboratory, says DR.. j. F..
Schairer, physical chemist of the geo.
physical laboratory of the Carnegie In
stitution of Washington. The co-opera-
ton of group of scientists is necessary.
Temperatures a which the reactions take
place are high and must be carefully
controlled and measured. MANY of she
changes take place at high pressures.
The experiments, however, shed light
on how the same rock substances are
formed in nature GRANTEES, basalts and
other igneous rocks form the framework
of'the crust of the earth and from them
all other rocks have been formed through
the action of air, water and heat. The
original rocks were formed by the COOL
ing of hot, molten masses, such as now
are found in lava flows and in the pits OF
active volcanoes.
The geologist knows, says DR.. Schalrer,
that ver9 large masses of molten mate
rial come into the outer crust of the
earth without actually reaching the sur
| face Here cooling is slower. From these
cooling magmas of different compositions
large number of rock types result. The
| chemical and physical reactions by
which they come into being is being de-
| termined by experiment.
The average baby born y 1898 Will
| live to be 81 years old.
That is the total life expectancy at
birth" for the United States at present,
| according to computations just made by
Public Health Service statisticians.
| In the seven years since 1881 there has
been a gain in expectancy of 1,74 years.
| The expectation of life at birth, it is ex-
planned, lis the average age at death OF
a hypothetical group of persons each OF
whom is subject to the same age specific
mortality rates throughout his lifetime.
The important factors in the computa-
ton of life tables are these age specific
death rates, which are based upon the
age distribution of the population and
on the deaths by ages. Apparently the
actual average age at death Of persons IN
the general population should be the life
expectancy at birth. This is not likely
to be strictly true, however, since the
age distribution of the living population
will probably not be identical with that