Evening star., 1942-10-10
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

The basic function Of the sulfa drugs
| as growth inhibitors Is strikingly shown
| in experiments reported to the National
| Academy OF Sciences by Prof. James
| Bonner of the California Institute of
Technology.
| When the almost miraculous life
saving properties of these drugs first
became known few years ago there
was no explanation as to how they acted
long series of Investigations developed
| the fact that they were "bacteriostatics"
| that is, they prevented the multiplica-
| tion of such organisms as streptococci and
| pneumococci with which they came in
! contact. Thus they gave the natural
! defense forces of the body a better
chance to repel the original invaders
Then the newly discovered B vitamin
| para amino -benzoic acid entered the
| picture. 1t was cell growth stimulant.
II was found that when bacteria were
placed in a test tube with appropriate
amounts Of sulfa drug alone they
| failed to increase in numbers. But when
balancing dose Of the new vitamin was
| added, cell division went on just as be-
| fore.
DR.. Bonner has carried this step fur
| ther with tests on isolated tomato roots
kept in nutrient solution. They grow
| rapidly under ordinary conditions. When
| sulfanilamide is added, he finds, growth
stops, just as multiplication Of the bac-
terra stops. The two are essentially the
same process, except that in the case Of
the tomato roots the new cells remain
in the same organic system, whereas with
the bacteria they are individual organ
isms
1t is DR.. Bonner's conclusion that para
amino -benzoic acid Is not necessary for
the growth of the root tips when the
sulfa drug also is excluded from the
| nutrient solution. IT the two are bal
| anced, however, growth is resumed and
continued just as If neither were pres
| ent
This finding, and the ones that have
| gone before, may have implications in
medicine-for the effect of the drugs
in disease might be augmented by diets
| very low in the vitamin. On the other
| hand, it is not known what the effect of
| this would be on ordinary body cells and
the vitamin may be necessary antidote
to what otherwise would prove potent
| poison.
Sniff sets" to reinforce the sense of
smell in detection of war gases for
| civilian defense are described by DR..
! Theodore F. Bradley of the American
Cyanamid Co. in report to the Amer
ican Chemical Society.
although the human nose" he ex-
| plains, "is unequaled for sensitivity to
| many agents, several factors discourage
complete reliance on the sense of smell
| These are variations of sensitivity among
| individuals, ease of disgusting odors by
blending agents, and probable use of new
Or mixed gases"
The chemists, he says, have developed
an automatic analyzer for conducting as
many as four simultaneous tests in the
| field portable field laboratory for gas
| identification, and series Of test papers
| for quick tests that can be carried by
! gas sentries on patrol.
The analyzer is made largely from
scrap materials available in most COM
munities it can operate an hour at a
| time without supervision, and it easily
| can be placed in cellars or other con-
| taminated places dangerous to enter
The apparatus also is painted with a
special paint sensitive to certain of the
war gases. Its normal khaki color
changes to black if lewisite spatters on it,
thus warning of danger in an area with
out requiring person to enter it.
| The portable field kit is carried in
canvas bag and contains quite complete
laboratory for detecting and identifying
known chemical warfare agents. The
test papers provide quick tests for the
most important agents and are intended
for use by gas sentries at their posts.
| The chemical reactions utilized in each
of these three units give prompt and
clear changes Of color to show the pres
ence and identity of chemical gases.
In addition to routine drills and small
arms practice required of all members of
auxiliary police, the chemists have or
| ganized gas drills, classes of instruction
and part-time laboratory projects.