Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-03
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
Bu Thomas r. Henry.

BIZ Thomas r. Henry.
A century-old discovery by q young
Scottish doctor has been rechecked and
revived as q means Of preventing per-
manent disablement from many war
injuries.
Muscle, cut loose from its nerve supply,
quickly deteriorates. When the nerve
connection Is restored later it does not
revive and-as it has been believed in
the past-becomes permanently incap-
able of responding to nerve stimulation.
Thus a limb once deprived Of its nerve
connections is permanently useless
During the first half of the 10th CEN
fury all this was matter of considerable
controversy. Some psychologists believed
that there was inherent in muscle itself
some power of action entirely divorced
from the nervous system, although 1t
soon disappeared if not exercised.
In 1s41 a crucial experiment was re-
ported in Scottish medical journal by
John Reid, lecturer at the University OF
Edinburgh. He had separated the spinal
nerves in four frogs SO that the hind
legs OF the animals were cut off from the
central nervous system. One leg of each
frog then was subjected daily to weak
galvanic current. The other leg was
left alone. Reid continued the work
for two months. At the end Of this
period he found that the muscles of the
electrically treated legs were as big as
ever, were firm and retained about as
much power to contract as ever. The
muscles of the untreated legs had shrunk
to half their original size, were practi-
cally lifeless and in short time probably
would have disappeared.
The results were denied by other
psychologists at the time. Several ex-
periments were conducted during the
First World War-but failed to settle the
issue
Now, according to an announcement
in the British medical journal, Lancet,
which is upheld editorlally by the
American Medical Association the ques-
ton has been settled by rigidly controlled
experiments conducted by the physiolo-
gists, Ernest and Ludwig Gutman.
They found that regular galvanic slim
ulations keep a muscle in shape so that
1t may be almost as good as ever when
nerve connections are restored There
Is much less tendency toward degener-
alton.
Reds experiments, says the American
Medical Association, thus takes a new
and important place in the history of
medicine
A soup powder has been devised by
Department of Agriculture nutrition
experts which, for less than cent for
three meals, will supply about half the
vitamins necessary for human we'll
being.
Prepared by Donald Paine Of the
Department OF Agriculture staff at the
request OF DR.. William De Kleine, former
chief medical officer of the American
Red Cross, the new soup is expected to
be an important part of the diet sup
piled in the soup kitchens" which it
may be necessary for the United States
to set up over much of the earth after
the war.
1t will require less shipping space,
Department Of Agriculture experts say,
than any other palatable concentrated
food. 1t may become an important ele-
ment in feeding the American people
themselves, DR.. De Kleine believes.
1t is not claimed, he says, that this
soup will form a complete meal. 1t
must be supplemented by large amounts
of other materials, which presumably
can be obtained locally, to supply the
necessary filling substance and energy.
The chief innovation is the addition
Of dried yeast rich in the all-important
vitamin B complex, in such proportions
that the taste cannot be detected
The new soup, which seems destined
to become as important as fortified
bread, was served for the first time
to a group OF civilian defense workers
here the other day.
Says Mr.. Paine: Dried brewers
yeast may be added to tomato soup to
~ much as 10 per cent without affecting
the flavor or acceptability of the soup.
Such fertilization would add 200 inter-
national units Of vitamin B-1, as we'll
as = large proportion of the B complex.
1.-THE cost per serving of such fortifi-
cation would be approximately third
of cent. Experimentally we have pre-
pared q soup containing dehydrated
tomato fakes, soybean -four, dry skim
milk, dried yeast and havoring ingre-
dents. This mix will supply more than
200 international units for B-1 per serv-
ing. It will supply also good pro-
portion of the daily requirements for
vitamin c, necessary for the prevention
Of scurvy.
Tn dried form, because of its
compact nature, this soup is important
for feeding abroad. Essentially the same
thing can be prepared here, using either
fresh tomatoes or any of the canned
tomato products. Yeast can be added to
regular canned tomato soup 50 that the
flavor is not noticed.
with the pending reduced supply of
protein foods such as meat, milk and
eggs, it Is possible to use protein
concentrate such as dry skim milk, soy
bean flour, or soya grits in approxi-
mately the same manner as you would
use yeast to fortify the common foods
with q complete protein capable of
supporting growth and maintaining body
tissues.
"A soup OF this sort can be purchased
for less than 20 cents a pound and this
quantity will make from II to is serv-