Evening star., 1942-04-11
OF Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress,
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
BY Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
A new member of the sulfa drug family
which removes much of the risk of abb
dommal operations-such as those for
appendicitis and gall stones-has just
been reported by Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity surgeons.
1t reduces to 4 minimum, say DR.. J.
Edgar Poth and his associates, the risk
Of peritonitis following an operation.
This has been a bugbear of abdominal
surgery in the past. 1t Is the chief cause
Of death following appendicitis operations.
The new drug is succinyl sulfathiazole
Careful studies of 100 patients indicate
that it destroys certain bacteria in the
intestinal tract that are the chief causes
Of post-operative infections.
The exceptional effectiveness OF sue
cinyl sulfathiazole is due largely, the
Johns Hopkins surgeons believe. to the
fact that only about per cent of the
drug, given by mouth, Is removed from
the digestive tract by absorption into the
blood stream. This also may account for
the unusual freedom from Ill effects
which distinguishes 1t from other COM
pounds Of the sulfanilamide family.
These are essentially killers Of infective
bacteria in the blood stream.
No undesirable results are likely, DR..
Poth and his associates say, even when
full doses are given over periods OF as
much as Is weeks.
Succinyl sulfathiazole, they explain, Is
not intended to replace the rigid, anti
septic precautions followed in abdominal
surgery. which have been the chief safe
guard against infection in the past. But
when the two are used together. the
results are almost e5 per cent certain.
The new drug. they report in the cur
rent Archives Of Surgery. also appears to
contribute to the patients comfort after
the operation by preventing or reducing
the formation OF gas in the intestines.
Full doses are continued after the opera
ton until the danger from peritonitis or
abcess formation Is over. DR.. Poth has
observed, he reports that convalescence
is unusually smooth under these condi-
tions and that there is little abdominal
distension or gas pains"
The drug is of exceptional VALUE, it is
reported, In operations for gall stones.
One of the criticisms OF several other
sulfa compounds Is that they are likely to
cause kidney stones when used in exces-
sive amounts. Experiments have shown
that this substance, only 4 very small
amount OF which is excreted by the kid
neys, has no such effect.
The exact mode of action Of succinyl
sulfathiazole Is not clearly understood
but 1t is believed that the beneficial
effects may be the result of a chemical
reaction which interferes with the me-
tabolism Of certain ndisease-producing Or
ganisms. Thus far it appears to be the
only sulfa drug promising adequate con-
troll OF intestinal bacteria without poi
sonous effects.
Henceforth American bread will be
fortified with "niacin."
A special committee OF the Food and
Nutrition Board of the National Re-
search Council has adopted this name
for the anti-pellagra yitamin to replace
the Objectionable nicotine acid" which
threatened for 4 time seriously to dis
rupt the Governments better foods
program.
The term. tobacco bread" was being
spread widely over the country. In some
rural communities 1t was believed firmly
according to reports reaching the coun-
Gil. that it actually was proposed to mix
tobacco juice with flour.
Nicotine" suggested tobacco. 1t is we'll
known that this alkaloid Is a deadly
poison, widely used against insects on
garden plants
Now the vitamin known as NICOTINE
acid" it is explained by the American
Medical Association, first was produced
in the laboratory in 1867 by very COM
plex chemical treatment of nicotine
which resulted in a product bearing very
little relation to the original alkaloid
At that time, nobody realized that IT
ever would be used as food. For more
than 10 years 1t remained laboratory
curiosity. Hence the unfortunate name
Although NICOTINE acid first was pro-
duced from nicotine" says the Journal OF
the American Medical Association. "and
although even now small proportion OF
this substance is being produced COM
mercially In this manner. the implication
that tobacco is contained In the enriched
bread is far from true. Most Of the
NICOTINE acid Is produced as q coal tar
derivative. Although nicotine is toxic
substance, NICOTINE acid is vitamin
essential to life"
The widespread objection to tobacco
bread" caused lot of worry to some oi
| the Nations foremost vitamin experts
| It was hard, however. to pick another
name which would not give false idea
| OF the substance.
The new name has been selected by
DR.. c. A. Elvehjem Of the University Of
Wisconsin. who first discovered the
identity of the laboratory curiosity with
| the elusive substance in food which pre-
vented pellagra; DR.. w. H. Sebrell, nutri-
ton expert of the Public Health Service
and DR.. Tom D. Spies of the University
of Alabama, foremost experimenter with
the substance In treatment Of pellagra
victims.
The new name, comments the Journal
of the American Medical Association
also gets rid Of the unfortunate term
acid" which, to the general public
denotes a corrosive substance such as
the LIQUID used in automobile storage
batteries"
The objection to the old term. which
will he retained for strictly scientific