Evening star., 1941-11-04
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory. Field
And Study

BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

| BIZ Thomas Il. henry.
| She'll shocked British soldiers are
being cured by mild doses of insulin.
| The treatment has been used success
| fully on men evacuated from Dunkirk
whose nerves were wrecked by their har-
| rowing experiences, according to re-
port just published in the Lancet, official
| journal of the British Medical Associa-
ton.
| For some years "insulin shock" has
been used in treating victims of the
common mental disease, schizophrenia.
Very large doses are given. The patient
is thrown into deep unconsciousness,
| usually with convulsions. The coma can
be ended by injecting a sugar solution
into the veins.
| The war victims, however, are not
insane, in any true sense of the word
The symptoms, as described by Drs. Will
| liam Sargent and Nellie Craske, who
originated the new treatment, usually
are a mixture of profound depression
exhaustion, lethargy, loss OF appetite
inability to think clearly, and constant
nervous tensions. In civilian life they
were fairly well-balanced individuals
| who have broken down under extraordi-
nary stress.
| The system is to administer dose
| Of insulin just under the amount neces-
sary to cause Inconsistencies or con-
vulsions. AS soon as signs of either ap-
| pear sugar is given in cup OF tea. The
| drug is given at Z am. on an empty
| stomach. Three hours later tea con-
tanning two ounces of sugar is provided,
in addition to which the patient eats
nearly pound of potatoes. These are
believed to produce much the same effect
as sugar, Of which there is scarcity.
The result is profound drowsiness,
which may last for "a hours. The next
day the treatment is repeated. Seldom
are more than two of these "subshocks
| given. Generally there is an immediate
| increase in appetite and gain in weight.
| The mental condition improves grad
uauy but usually the cure is complete
in about month.
One great advantage of the treatment,
Drs Sargent and Craske report, is that
| it is cheap and can be administered to
! 20 or more men at time by single
| doctor and nurse. There is no danger
| OF accidents, as in most shock treatments
| The men usually are sufficiently restored
! so that they can return to their old jobs
or render good service in defense indus
| tries
The physicians warn. however, that
| they should not be placed in the army
again. They have shown that their
| nervous systems are not sufficiently
| stable to resist extreme emergencies. 1t
! is almost certain that they will break
| down again If exposed to similar cir
| cumstances.
The insulin shock. they say, seems to
| affect only those symptoms which have
| resulted from the original shock. It
does not effect deeply ingrained psy-
chotic traits which existed previously
in the individual. Part Of the success,
they believe, is due to the great improve
ment In the appetite and the restoration
| Of weight Statistical analysis Of the
| results. however. indicates that there
must be some direct effect on the mind
itself.
A vitanin rebellion is under way In
American medicine.
It's leader is Dr. Logan Clendening Of
Kansas City, popular writer on medical
subjects and at the same time one OF
| the best-known clinicians in the country
The revolt is started in a sarcastic
letter to the American Medical Associa-
ton, in which he pays his respects to
that eminent bedside clinician, Paul
v. McNutt," administrator of the ma
tional nutrition program.
| During the past two years, DR.. Glen
dening points out, the American people
have been pictured both by doctors and
laymen as vitamin-starved. Vitanins
have been described as a cure for al
most everything. especially states Of
general i'll health which cannot be pre-
cisely diagnosed. They have been pre-
scribed, he notes, as . remedy for bad
golf scores.
| All this, he tells the American Medi-
cal Association, is 80 astonishingly at
variance with the experience of my
colleagues and myself In dispensary and
general hospital practice where we regu-
larly see w. P. A. workers and others on
an economic level which would assumedly
lead to nutritional deficiency that
began an investigation of the results
which I lay before you"
He quotes Mr.. McNutt, who is not g
physician, as saying that "50,0OO,0 ,0Ot
Americans have impaired health because
they do not eat the right food"
The results of his survey:
At Massachusetts, General Hospital ir
the years 1888, 1899 and 1910 there were
admitted a total of 46,857 patients
There was diagnosis of vitamin defici.
ency in Ill cases, or 023 per cent.
At Johns Hopkins Hospital in the II
years, 193O-1940, there were admitted
approximately 10000 patients. OF these
a diagnosis of vitamin deficiency was
made in ITO cases, or Ola per cent.
At the University Of Kansas hospital.
in three years there were rs cases o1
vitamin deficiency in 1882 admissions
1T Is hardly possible to assume" DR.
Clendening says. that the stats o.
Massachusetts General Hospital ane
Johns Hopkins Hospital do not recognize
vitamin deficiency when they see It,
He wrote to the Mayo Clinic, and the
director, DR.. Walter G. Alvarez, replied
II feel exactly as you do about thu
stampede over vitauins. Here at thu