Evening star., 1942-01-13
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Proores,
In Laboratory, Field ,
And Study
Bv Thomas r. Henri.

And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
DR.. Juan Negrin, last loyalist Prime
Minister Of Spain, who now Is . refugee
In London, has made himself human
guinea pig in extremely painful and
dangerous experiments designed to make
escapes from submarines less hazardous.
He Is one of 20 volunteers, mostly
exiles, who have assisted DR.. J. B. s..
Haldane, celebrated British psychologist,
In testing the effects on the body Of
various gases under high pressure.
For hours DR.. Negrin and his fellows
have been cramped into q small steel
chamber, have undergone bone-cracking
commissions as severe as those In an
extreme epileptic fit, and have had
almost unendurable headaches. They
have been in frequent danger Of death
from air embolisms.
One celebrated physiologist lay for .
long time in a bed of cracked Ice at
abnormal atmospheric pressure to de-
termine the combined effects Of cold
and pressure.
The experiments have been reported
In part by DR.. Haldane to the ofilcial
journal Of the British Association for the
Advancement Of Science. Copies Of the
report have Just been received by Navy
doctors here.
The work duplicates to some extent
that carried on here by the United
States Navy Medical Corps. 1t was
undertaken by Dr. Haldane as an
assignment from the British Govern
ment. DR.. Negrin was one Of the FIRST
to volunteer. Previous to his political
career which ended with the triumph of
the Franco forces he was an eminent
physician and architect In his native
land
Among the findings was q confirma-
tion OF American experiments which
showed that nitrogen, which constitutes
a major part Of the air we breathe. is
narcotic under high pressure. At
approximately 10 times the pressure of
the atmosphere at sea level. Dr. Haldane
reports, Dr.. Negrin and his fellow
guinea pigs all began to feel queer.
Some laughed hilariously. Others went
into state of extreme terror. Death
seemed unavoidably close. The pressure
in the chamber was equivalent to that
which would be encountered at a depth
Of 300 feet. All reported that they could
taste and smell the oxygen and nitrogen
whose mixture constitutes air. At about
double this pressure, DR.. Haldane be-
lieves both hydrogen and helium become
narcotics.
Other experiments were with carbon
dioxide gas. such as is released In the
expired breath. In q submarine 1t may
soon amount to per cent or more Of
the air Normally this would make very
little difference. But the tests with DR..
Negrin and his associates showed that
under 10 atmospheres pressure conscious
ness may be lost without warning in
about five minutes when there is q
concentration Of l per cent of carbon
dioxide. Dr. Haldane believes that this
loss Of consciousness has been respon-
sible for many deaths in sunken sub
marines adequately equipped With escape
apparatus.
Another finding was that oxygen under
high pressure becomes . powerful con-
vulsant. At sevenfold the atmospheric
pressure at sea level the commissions
come without warning and there is
no way for the individual to control
them. The effect. In many ways, Is
like that Of various convulsive drugs
r1Sod - ~ ~
insanity. The victim has what Is essen
TALLY an epileptic At. It lasts approxi-
mately two minutes and is extremely
violent. DR.. Haldane himself went
through his first experience Of this kind
more than year ago. He hurt his back
and still feels the effects Of 1t, he
reports.
The volunteers came out Of these fits
In states Of extreme terror They strug-
gle desperately to escape from the little
steel chamber in which they are confined
and may injure themselves In their
struggles. Such At probably would be
fatal to q man In q sunken submarine,
the experimenters concluded.
Among the findings was that the use
Of helium mixtures TO prevent bends,
rs advocated In the American Navy, Is
Of doubtful value. 1t caused . very
painful experience In his own case, DR..
Haldane says.
The cracked Ice bed experiment showed
that the extreme cold which might be
encountered by the crew OF . slnken
submarine might to some extent Offset
the effects Of the high pressure. Under
a pressure Of 10 atmospheres the volun-
teer who served in this experiment
seemed to keep his mental faculties
slightly better than did associates at
normal temperatures.
Argues for continental Solidarity"
Including Mexico and Canada.
To the Editor of The Star:
In The Star for January there ap-
peared an advertisement headed: TN
Union Now Lies Power" write to ask
savorol n,,eSfiore ahoa,f fhn ororosad