Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-14
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
Animals, including man, probably eat
part Of their own smoke.
In other words, as recent experiments
in several laboratories have indicated,
they can make use directly Of the gas
carbon dioxide to build body tissues.
These findings, according to the official
journal Of the American Medical Asso-
citation, threaten to make obsolete a
lot of firmly entrenched ideas in medical
diagnosis, as we'll as undermine some Of
the basic conceptions of life itself.
Life might be compared to a slow,
low fire the fuel of which is the element
carbon.
Carbon dioXide, whose molecule con-
tains one atom of carbon and two Of
oxygen, forms minute fraction of the
atmosphere. Plants absorb this gas
through their leaves and water through
their roots. They have the ability,
through the process of photosynthesis,
which utilities the energy Of sunlight
falling on their green leaves, to split up
this gas combine the carbon with hy-
drogen from the water, and thus build
up so-called carbohydrates. Much Of the
oxygen is released into the air. Animals
obtain their carbon by eating plants or
other animals which have eaten plants
Then they combine oxygen and carbon
again in the process of combustion,
which is life,. and expel 1t as carbon
, dioxide again. 1t is released into the
| atmosphere, where plants absorb 1t
again, and thus never-ending chain is
set up.
The new evidence cited by the Ameri-
can Medical Association shows that, at
least to limited extent, the animal
organism can make use Of the carbon
in carbon dioxide directly, without de-
pending on plants.
The findings depend on two Of the
most fundamental recent accomplish
ments in pure science-the separation
of heavier form of the carbon atom
and the production in the cyclotron OF
radioactive carbon. Chemically, both Of
these act precisely as ordinary carbon.
Carbon dioxide can be made with either
Of them. This then can be injected into
animals.
Presumably. since there is no photo
synthetic process at work, the gas all
would be expelled in the breath.
But when the breath is analysed, &C
cordlng to the experiments in labora-
tories cited In the American Medical
Association report, all the heavy or
radioactive carbon which has been put in
does not come out. Some of it is re-
tanned, presumably indefinitely, in the
tissues.
Similar results are shown in test-tube
experiments with groundup animal
tissue.
A common medical test has been the
measurement Of basal metabolism-es-
sentially the rate at which carbon d.
oxide Is being thrown off by the body.
This indicates, presumably, how fast the
fire Is burning-the speed Of life itself.
The new data throw considerable
doubt on the validity Of such tests.
They indicate that probably as much as
10 per cent OF the ingested carbon Is
being retained-possibly, in some In
stances, as much as 40 per cent.
Working to music definitely increases
production.
This may be boosted still more by
music especially composed to pep UP
factory workers.
Such is the conclusion OF Dr. Harold
Burris-Meyer Of Stevens Institute of
Technology after study of several war
plants in the East.
His data shows that in IS per cent Of
the factories investigated production was
considerably higher when work was &C.
companied by harmony. Increases in
production rates after music was intro
duced ranged from to II per cent This
was true even when the men already
presumably were working at top speed
on piecework. The number of absences
from work was cut down phenomenally,
the investigator declares.
The study also showed that carefully
selected and planned program boosted
production nearly per cent in a plant
already employing music.
Says DR.. Burris-Meyer: "While music
Is better than no music, programming
will not be satisfactory until 1t is under
taken on the basis of careful analysis Of
the results 1t gets. We have to date only
the experience and showmanship of the
programmes. Such programming ulti-
mately must be undertaken for the fac
tory, If not for the specific operation.
Fatigue curves vary in shape and
amplitude and it Is difficult to find one
remedy for dips which take place at
different times in different operations.
AT present, little of the music used in
the factory has any relation to the work
1t accompanies. The work song took not
only its rhythm but it's mood and lyric
from the work operation. We use some-
thing composed for the concert hall, the
stage or the night club. Such music is
not in the idiom of the modern indus
trial plant, yet the industrial audience
soon will be the largest audience for the
musician.
mo artist undertakes composition or
performance without consciousness of
his audience, and insofar as his art is
valid he undertakes to exercise emo
tional control over that audience When
the composer starts to think of his work
as being first and oftenest performed In
a factory, before people who are working
while they listen, we may have musical
idiom which is something new on the
face Of the earth"
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