Evening star., 1942-10-27
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
in Laboratory, Field -
And Study

III GVUOtOtVIys VISuo
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
A green miasma Of malaria shrouds
the rubber trees of the Amazon jungles.
To make possible the tapping Of these
trees by native workers, millions Of tab
let's OF atabrine, the synthetic substitute
for quinina and is complete medical
dispensaries have been flown to the rub
ber-producing areas.
Otherwise the mosquitoes which gather
around the jungle vegetation would be
more deadly than the Jap machine guns
which guard the plantations Of the East
Indies.
The protective program is being han
died by the Once Of Inter-American
Affairs and is under the direct super
vision of DR.. Kenneth c. Waddell, pio-
neer authority on sanitation measures
for rubber development in the Amazon.
Previously he organized the health
measures which have been largely re-
sponsible for the success OF the Ford
plantation in Brazil.
Despite the rapidly developing syn
thetic program, the need for South
American rubber hardly can be over
estimated. The Amazon country is
about the only remaining source OF nat
ural rubber, certain amount of which
must be mixed with nearly all the syn
thetics proposed in order to produce
eff1cient tires. A relatively small
amount, such as can be expected for the
present from this source, will go a long
way.
Thousands of additional rubber gath
erers now are being sent into the jun
giles. They must remain for days, hunt
ing out and tapping trees scattered four
or five to the acre. Most of these men
have little resistance to the scourge Of
malaria and are not Injured to conditions
of life in the deep jungles.
On the request of II countries with
rubber producing areas, parties of trop-
lcal medicine specialists, sanitary enRi-
neers and administrative officers have
been assigned to posts in Central and
South America.
The revived New World rubber pro-
duction, 1t is expected, will be perma-
nent. Regardless of the success of the
synthetic industries there is no way in
sight to dispense entirely with natural
rubber and 1t will be necessary to keep
a constant reservoir OF 1t reasonably
safe from any enemy conquest.
A major problem now being handled
by the ONCE of Inter American Affairs
Is that Of rubber transportation. This
Is the second big boom in South Ameri-
can rubber. The first was before the
last war, when tires we're coming into
general use. The chief avenue of travel
to the interior of the Amazon basin
was by the river itself and its tribu-
tar1es. This necessarily was slow and
uncertain, and the boom faded rapidly
when plantations with excellent trans
portatlon facilities were developed by the
Dutch and British in the Far East.
Consequently little further attention
was given to the problem of rubber
transportation in South America. But
between the two wars the cargo plane
has been developed and it vitality changes
the situation. In spite of the shortage
OF planes, exploratory flights now are
being conducted to rubber gathering
bases near the Amazon headwaters
where the borders OF Brazil, Bolivia and
Peru meet. If these prove Successful.
and the vital need for raw rubber in-
creases, 1t is likely that the jungles will
be covered with network of airways.
with landing fields in the midst of some
OF the most inaccessible regions on
earth.
Air routes also will be necessary for
bringing the raw rubber to the United
States for processing. The major prob-
lem ofi1cials of the Once of Inter-
American Affairs point out is how to
get transport planes, in view of the
Army and Navy priorities.
~ X
Pneumonia, which until a few wear,
ago was one OF the worst killers OF thu
human race, primarily is a poor man,
| disease.
1t was more than twice as frequent
a lew years ago among families on
relief as among those with incomes NJ
$1,000 or more
This probably is an understatement
and the chasm would be much create,
II the number of cases among the noo,
which never are reported to physician,
| were known.
Such are the findings of Rollo H. Brit
ten, senior statistician of the United
States Public Health Service on the
basis of the national health survey
conducted by the Public Health Service
during 1884, 1885 and 1896, in which 4
census OF the physical ills Of nearly q
million families in 18 States was taken
Pneumonia is germ disease and the
germs are everywhere. Theoretically. II
should be no respecter of wealth. But
the figures are unmistakable, DR.. Britten
says. The difference is present at ali
ages up to IS, but is most marked amonp
infants and very young children.
The frequency of the malady, the sur
vey shows, is much greater with crowded
living conditions. It ranges, for example
from 81 cases per 1000 per year among