Evening star., 1941-09-30
Gains in Military Medicine Shown
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

military and naval medicine-neW
types of gas masks, dried blood plas-
ma and albumin for treatment Of
shock, new type of emergency am
bulance, an Arctic rescue unit and
emergency rations-Were exhibited
for the first time as the Medical
Society of the District of Columbia
opened its annual scientific assem-
bly, at the Mayflower Hotel today.
Gas masks devised for service men
and Navy civilian employees, lighter
and more compact than those used
In any of the European countries,
attracted especial interest. There
was also display of war gases with
samples to be shifted by the visit
ing doctors. The odors of the deadly
gases range from onion to fly paper.
Of increasing importance in mill
tary medicine is the use of dried
blood plasma-blood with the red
and white cells removed-in the
treatment of shock. Both Army and
Navy doctors have been developing
special methods of extracting and
preserving lIllS pldSIIld
New Use of Albumin.
Among the new DEVELOPMENTS ex-
hibited was the use of the albumin
fraction of blood, constituting only
about five per cent of the whole
blood, in Special cases Of shock
treatment.
Experiments to this end now are
being conducted by Navy and Army
Medical Corps officers, but the treat
ment has not been adopted by the
Navy. Results of further expert
mentation are awaited.
The albumin fraction is separated
from blood plasma, and appears in
the form of a slightly course. white
powder. 1t is put up in walls con-
tanning about three and half
ounces, or 100 cubic centimeters
Especial care is taken to make sure
that it is free of any contamination,
such as bacteria. Before TRANSMISSION
the powder is prepared in a solu-
ton with distilled water. In actual
practice, in fact, the solution would
be already prepared.
The albumin is separated from
the rest of the plasma by special
methods of alcohol precipitation at
beloWfreezing temperatures which
have recently been developed by the
Department of Physical Chemistry
at Harvard University
Experiments with animals to date,
it was revealed by Navy officers who
have worked on the project, show
that the fraction is as efficacious in
shock treatment as whole plasma if
the victim is not severely dehy
drafted. In that case it is necessary
to give larger amounts of liquid. pref
erably water, by mouth if possible.
Saves Weight and Space.
The great advantage is the saving
Of space and weight in the equip
ment of landing parties or OF physi-
clans dropped by parachute to treat
wounded who cannot easily be
reached in any other way. The
albumin powder weighs less than a
tenth as much as its equivalent in
dried plasma.
Another possible advantage still is
in highly experimental stage-the
| use of COW blood as an inexhausible
source of supply.
Preliminary experiments have
shown that cattle blood albumin
works as well with animals of other
species. with certain limitations. as
a similar preparation from their
own kind. There is danger of de-
veloping special sensitiveness,
however. and this type of trans
fusion will not be attempted gen.
orally until more is known about
possible untoWard reactions.
The United States has been un-
able. UP TO the present, to meet the
demand upon it for dried plasma-
both for use in Great Britain and
Russia and for storage for emer-
gency. Special appeals were made
this year before both the American
Medical Associa ton and the Ameri-
can Chemical Society for the de-
velopment of new methods which
would increase the supply.
Simpler Forms Sought.
The simpler the blood fraction
obtained, the more likely that it will
be interchangeable between species,
and cow albumin is far more apt to
be identical with human albumin
than COW plasma, much more COM
plex substance, with human plasma.
The Navy doctors have found that
other constituents in plasma-such
as the blood-clotting substance
prothrombin, the globulin fractions,
etc.-play very minor part, if any,
in the treatment of shock
A ski-snoWshoe rescue unit for
Arctic warfare, which has just been
adopted by the Army Medical Corps,
was also exhibited.
A litter bearer, trained in first-aid
work, starts out on skis with snow
shoes, litter, blankets, chemically
heated pad, and a two-day food
supply.
When a wounded man is located,
the litter is fitted on the skis, max
ing an improvised toboggan, which
can be dragged over the snow. The
litter bearer puts on the snowshoes.
Heat Pad on Chest.
The man is wrapped in blankets
and the pad, which weighs less than
a pound, placed over his chest. The
pad is filed with a powder which
heats up to well above body tenn
perature when a spoonful of water
is poured on it. Wrapped in blank
cts, the wounded soldier lis kept
about as warm as would be possible
in a hospital This, Army doctors