Evening star., 1940-01-20
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

And Study
BY Thomas r. Henry.
What may be one Of the most signif-
cant steps yet made toward eventual
conquest of infantile paralysis, the Sue
cessful transfer Of the filterable virus
responsible for the dreaded malady to
white mice, has been reported by the
United States Public Health Service.
Hitherto research on this disease has
been handicapped greatly by the fact
that only human beings and monkeys
apparently are susceptible to it. Mon
keys not only are expensive, but hard to
handle. Two years ago there was q
storm from anti-vivisection societies all
over the world when it was learned that
a share of the proceeds of the balls
held in honor of President Roosevelt's
birthday, would be used for purchase Of
these animals for experimental work.
Now" says DR.. Charles Armstrong of
the Public Health Service staff who
reports the transfer, I'VE can use 10
cent animal instead Of $40 one" The
virus can be subjected to all sorts of
experiments which hitherto have been
impossible.
The first step came last summer when
1t was found possible to cause the disease
in cotton rats by injecting the virus OF
one strain directly into the brain. No
means could be found of injecting them
through the nose, the route by which it
is believed that the malady is contracted
by monkeys and human beings.
At first, however, there was no success
in passing on the organism to other ro-
dents. The cotton rat is wild animal
which cannot be used freely in expert
ments. The virus was kept alive through
Is generations of these rats, however, on
the theory that it might become more
potent with repeated transfers from ami
NAL to animal.
Transfers to white mice, considered
the ideal experimental animals, were
possible only after the virus had been
passed through seven generations of
cotton rats and then symptoms began to
appear only 80 days after the organism
was injected directly into the brain
Then the characteristic symptoms ap-
peared only in single animal Appar-
emily the white mouse is extremely re-
sistant to the virus as it exists in ma
ture.
But when the disease had been given
to one mouse and became "acclimated"
in the animals nervous system it was
possible to continue the strain by inocu-
lating other mice with emulsions of the
brain and spinal cord of the susceptible
individual. Now, DR.. Armstrong reports,
IL successive transfers have been made
from animal to animal and the virus
seems to become more virulent with each
transfer The animals develop symp-
toms typical of human poliomyeltis
From the mice the organism has been
transferred to monkeys. Efforts now
are under way to infect mice with other
strains of the virus.
There appears to be no possibility, Dr.
Armstrong said, of preparing a vaccine
from the blood serum of the inoculated
mice.
Miracle wounds of the first World War
still are showing up at Veterans Admin
istration hospitals-20 years after the
wounded men should be dead except for
extraordinarily lucky breaks.
Moreover, 1t appears, some American
doughboys were such tough chaps that
they refused to be bothered by injuries
which would have crippled ordinary men
for life. The Board of Veterans Ap-
peals in Washington has just considered
such case-that of an infantryman
shot through the neck in the Argonne
The German bullet just squeezed be-
tween the carotid and jugular veins,
severing either of which would have
been quickly fatal, without injuring
either of them. 1t did, however, frac-
ture three of the spinal vertebrae, but
apparently for 20 years the man never
knew the difference.
The wound was first treated at field
hospital and, it appears from the record,
he continued with his regiment until
oAAC oAAAA1oVASC. 1aCIudAAy was III 81 ScllG
to base hospital in February, 1915 and
was discharged from the Army less than
month later. The fractures Of the
vertebrae were discovered at that time.
When he left the service, however, he
said that he was conscious of no dis
ability and the examining surgeon noted
on his service record only scar on the
left side of the neck. He also could find
no signs of disability.
After his discharge the man was
steadily employed at hard work. His
only complaints were of weakness in the
left shoulder and the left arm, and, at
times, very rapid heart beat.
He finally came to Veterans Bureau
hospital, however, with complaints of an
anxiety neurosis, chronic arthritis of
the right knee and chronic tonsilitis."
None of these complaints, the Veter-
ans Administration doctors believe, has
any connection with the wound except
possibly the anxiety" This might be
an end effect of the shock to the nervous
system