Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-01-23
Of Sturs, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field. Laboratory
And Study

III TIeIos IoDorotoTy
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
The first evidence that there are
infantile paralysis carriers, persons who
remain in good health but spread the
virulent virus Of the Gripping disease
among their neighbors, was reported
today by the United States Public
Health Service.
1t comes from investigation Of the out
break in Charleston. s. G., last summer.
The virus was recovered from three out
OF twelve apparently healthy children In
contact with children sick from the NAL
ady and from one healthy adult nurse.
The tendency of poliomyelitis to re-
main in limited areas and to run in
families has long been observed by
Public Health Service doctors. At the
same time it has never been character
lied by any explosive outbreak, such as
a measles epidemic, in which the ma
jority Of the child population is attacked.
The mode Of transmission has remained
unknown.
The Charleston evidence makes it
highly probable, according to the Public
Health Service announcement, that
healthy carriers are one of the chief
factors In the spread of the disease.
This phenomenon long has been recog-
nized in some other diseases, notably
typhoid fever. The carrier never sus-
poets invasion by the deadly virus.
The Charleston report was made by
Drs. S. D. Kramer, A. G. Gillian and ].
G. Molner of the Public Health Service
staff. At the same time, according to
the report, physicians at the Yale Medi-
cal School have just demonstrated for
the first time the presence of the virus
In sewage. Samples were collected from
the sewage of the Charleston hospital
where infantile paralysis patients were
isolated. When a preparation of this
sewage was injected into monkeys all
the characteristic symptoms of the
malady appeared. 1t was also possible
to pass it to third monkey from the
blood of one infected with the sewage
preparation.
At the same time new possibilities in
the treatment of meningitis, until re-
Gently one Of the most deadly of all
human maladies. were reported by DR..
Sara E. Branham of the Public Health
Service staff. Caused by an organism
OF the same general family as that re-
sponsible for pneumonia, which invaded
the Innings Of the brain and spinal cord.
the Infection can be combatted to some
degree by serums obtained from the
blood Of immunized horses The prin-
ciple is the same as that used in pre-
pairing pneumonia serum. The organ
ism responsible for meningitis occurs in
several forms and it is necessary to have
exactly the right type of serum.
With the introduction of sulfanilamide
and sulfapyridine. especially the latter.
physicians had available for the first
time chemicals which would combat the
micro-organisms In some cases the
serum was preferable and in others the
sulfapyridine. Results have been about
the same with both treatments.
Experimenting with mice, DR.. Bran
ham reports, she finds a synergistic
action between the two treatments.
When both serum and either sulfanila-
mide or sulfapyridine are used at the
same time the effect is greater than the
sum Of the effects Of both of them used
separately.
Given doses of the meningitis organ
isms 100000 times larger than are re-
quired to kill mouse, she reports, a
certain number can be saved with serum
and certain number can be saved with
sulfapyridine. When both are used to-
gether it is possible, at least with some
types of the organism, to save 100 per
cent of the animals.
Apparently, she says, there is some
unknown factor in the blood serum of
immunized horses which cannot be
measured at present. which serves to
increase the effect OF the drug.
1t seems reasonable, she advises ply
sicians, to treat patients with both serum
and drug together, unless there is some
strong reason to the contrary.
1T is true" she concludes in the report
Of her experiments, that experiments
with mice do not always mean that the
same results will be obtained in man.
But consistently good results in mice in
dictate that similar treatment should be
given fair trial in man."
4 X 4
One Of the original steam turbines
made by Sir Charles Parsons in England
during the years 1885, and which are
the basis of all turbo-electric generation
of power today, has just been added to
the collections of the Smithsonian In
stitution.
This particular turbine was the fifth
produced by Parsons. The first now is
IN the Science Museum in London. It
was presented by the maker in 1895 to
Mr.. Mckee of the Allis- Chalmers Co.
Of Milwaukee, makers of heavy ma
chinery and was purchased by the
Smithsonian from his estate.
The production of the first practical
steam turbine, says Carl w. Mitman,
curator of engineering and industries,
marks one of the great turning points
in engineering history. The idea was
not new. The general idea of the tur-
bine goes back at least to the Renais-
sance, probably antedating that of the
reciprocal engine. It is essentially an
inclosed steam windmill" with the