Evening star., 1941-11-06
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory. Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
The fact that "flu germs" which
threaten serious world epidemic this
winter, travel through the air from VIC
tim to victim has been established by two
British Investigators.
At the same time they have estab-
lished that the streptococci responsible
for certain forms Of pneumonia, and
which are responsible for most influenza
deaths, can move only a short distance
and that open windows may prove an
effective bar to them.
The experiments were made by Drs.
c. H. Andrews and r. E. Glover. They
are reported in the current Journal OF
the American Medical Association.
The one animal, other than man,
known to be susceptible to influenza is
the ferret. They exposed healthy fer
rets in a closed room to ferrets expert
mentally inoculated with the virus OF
the A form of influenza, the most prevail
emf throughout the world in recent
wears Each room was about six feet
SQUARE and nine feet high, and was pro-
vided with a window facing the door.
Before each test the walls, ceiling ana
floor were washed with creosol The
attendants wore rubber boots and mack
intoshes soaked with creosol solution
After an exposure of from four to
seven days, 13 out of q healthy ferrets
developed typical influenza. In most
of the experiments two infected donors
were placed in a single rabbit cage with
an open air mesh on one side OF the
room while the two healthy animals
were placed in separate cages on the
opposite side OF the room and three
feet from the floor.
This, they believe, effectively disposes
of the argument that the germs are
spread only by close contact with persons
who are coughing or sneezing. In Ger
tain experiments a plywood screen was
placed between the donors and the re-
cipients. to minimize the possibility OF
direct transfer through droplets dis
charged from the nose or throat. These
are believed to be of minor Importance.
In experiments in which the windows
we're left open so as to increase ventila-
ton, infection did not take place in spite
of seven days exposure to infected air
But influenza itself is relatively minor
illness. Only eight or 10 persons can
be demonstrated actually to have died
of it, The killer is pneumonia which
follows the first infection. 1t is due to
an entirely different germ.
Ferrets simultaneously inoculated with
influenza virus and q certain type Of
streptococci usually develop fatal
pneumonia in a short time. They give
off the germs of both diseases simultan-
eously. Plates exposed at a distance
of four feet usually develop colonies Of
the pneumonia germs in two or three
hours.
The double infected is readily trans
mitted when well ferrets are placed in
the same cage with animals who have
been inoculated with both diseases.
When they are separated by an air bar
rier of four feet. however. the strepto-
cocci fail to be transferred. The ex-
posed animals do get mild cases of flu.
Drs. Andrews and Glover found, how
ever, that if the creatures first were in
oculated with the flu virus and then
exposed to the streptococci even the
four feet Of air did no good. They died
of pneumonia in few days.
The indication is that an attack Of
flu renders the system much more sus-
ceptible to the more deadly disease. The
experiments were undertaken partly be-
cause of the danger of flu-pneumonia in
fection in Englands crowded air raid
shelters They establish that the one
great need in winter is proper ventila-
ton to prevent the flu virus from get
ting through the air.
The pneumonia germ is clumsy
traveller and practically helpless unless
the smaller bug" prepares the way
for it,
Remains of a strange aboriginal tenn
pie buried under two superimposed
mounds on the north bank Of the Hi
wassee River in the southwestern corner
of North Carolina are described by DR..
Frank M. Settler, head curator of an
thropology of the United States National
Museum, and Jesse D. Jennings in q
bulletin issued by the Smithsonian
Institution.
The site is believed to be the same as
that of the large Cherokee town of
Guasii, visited by fernando De Soto
in 1540. The large mound long has
been known to anthropologists and its
excavation was undertaken in 1888 to
provide relief for unemployment in the
neighborhood.
The curious remains, apparently of q
religious edifice, were found at the bot
tom of q large, grass-covered mound. 1t
was structure about % feet square in
the interior, built of stone and wood. and
oriented roughly with the points of the
compass. There was wide stone bench
around the four sides, and remains Of q
timber superstructure containing sepa-
rate compartments along its walls. The
roof long since had collapsed violently,
1t appeared, since stones which had been
| used to hold down its mat or reed cover
ing were broken by the impact Of their
fall.
For some reason, Settler and Jennings
found, this temple had been completely
covered with earth, thus constituting q