Evening star., 1939-07-22
Of Stars, Men ..-
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study

In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
PARIS, July 22.-There Is . strange
power Of the seasons over animal and
human life.
1t is independent Of temperature and
may be due to some as yet unknown
variations in radiation from the sun or
from outer space.
Experiments with animals extending
over 80 years which show two high points
In spring and autumn and two low
points In winter and summer In the
chemistry Of muscles, the basic metabo-
lism, the excitability Of the emotions
and the liability to infectious have just
been reported to the French Association
for the Advancement OF Science by Prof.
F. A. Maignon Of the Government Veter-
mary College at Abort.
The vernal rebirth Of nature and the
surging Of human emotions hitherto
have been attributed to the northward
march OF the sun and the return Of
balmy weather. This is only partly true,
Dr. Maignon shows. When the effects of
temperature have been eliminated en-
tirely the phenomenon persists, although
in far less pronounced degree.
Moreover, his animal experiments
show, the same surge takes place to a
lesser degree m autumn when the sun is
moving southwark. The basic thing that
makes young mans fancy turn to
thoughts Of love with the flowers Of
May, he concludes, is some fundamental
factor in nature which rs yet defies
analysis. It apparently affects all living
tissues.
The seasons, DR.. Maignon points out,
influence the frequency of certain dis
eases. Rheumatism and eczema return
periodically at the same times each year
Certain epidemics, such as grippe are
most severe in early spring or late fall.
During these two seasons also growth is
most pronounced
From time immemorial, he says, coun-
try people have recognized these times
OF the year as critical for the body and
have followed such practices rs bleeding
and purgation.
DR.. Maignon's own experiments date
back for IS years, when he was engaged
in measuring the glycogen content of the
muscles Of dogs. He was surprised to
find that this diminished considerably In
July and August. Then he measured
this for several years and found that 1t
followed a definite seasonal curve, with
two maxima one in spring and another,
much less pronounced, in fall There
were also two minima, in winter and in
summer.
1t has long been recognized that spring
is the mating season among animals.
When DR.. Maignon made his glycogen
measurements on castrated animals he
found, however, that the spring maxi
mum, while considerably fattened, was
not entirely extinguished. Thus, while 1t
was plain that some Of the effect was
due to the direct influence of the seasons
on the sex glands this did not account
for all OF 1t. 1t was apparently very
profound, influencing the entire body.
1t is property he says. Of all living
matter, but the sex glands possess it In
high degree.
What then" DR.. Maignon asks, ARE
the factors responsible for these seasonal
effects? The first that comes to mind is
temperature. Is the returning warmth
at the end OF winter the cause Of natures
spring awakening? In part, but there is
something else. We have observed that
the glycogen content Of the muscles of
dogs reaches its maximum in spring and
autumn and its minimum In winter and
summer-that Is, in seasons directly
opposite in temperature. The heat infiu-
ence apparently plays no considerable
part. We must seek the cause in forces
outside the organism itself-perhaps cos
mic-such as radiation, more abundant
at certain times"
He conducted his muscle glycogen ex-
periments on dogs, guinea pigs and
fishes from 1904 to 1909, consecutively,
He found, curiously enough, that in
1908 the spring maximum Of all these
animals was nearly double what 1t was
IN ordinary years. Otherwise there was
nothing peculiar about this year. If the
mysterious physical factor could be
found, he believes, it might shed light
on the especial severity of epidemics in
certain years, such as that of influenza
IN 1918. The same maladies in other
years seem far less contagious and
deadly.
A basic phenomenon Of life is metabo-
hsm, the rate at which the body burns
oxygen. This Is affected chiefly by tenn
perature, being highest when the outside
of the body is coolest. Nevertheless, DR..
Maignon reported, he and his associate.
Dr. M A. Painvin, have found definite
maxima in spring and autumn in the
consumption of oxygen per hour per
pound of body weight In guinea pigs
kept all the year in an evenly heated
room. That is, with the effect of tenn
perature removed the mysterious force
fans the furnace fires of life twice each
year while the fires seem actually to be
banked during the winter and summer.
Still another basic physiological proc
ess showing the same spring and autumn
maxima, DR.. Maignon has found, is that
OF nitrogen intoxication. He and his
pupils experimental with white rats fed
entirely on egg albumin and necessary
minerals. Eventually, regardless of the
season, this diet was fatal to all the
animals. But in spring and autumn the
time of survival only averaged from four
to six dayS. There was severe noisopino