Evening star., 1942-12-12
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field.
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.


Cirrhosis of the liver. which allegedly
killed thousands in bathtub gin days,
may have been due to alcohol after all
but to a very minor extent.
About year ago, it seemed, John Bar
leycorn was about to be absolved COM
pletely, but the evidence has just been
re-examined by Public Health Service
nutrition experts, and new Indictment
as an accessory returned.
In prohibition days the disease was not
understood. 1t seemed to be on the
increase and to appear chiefly among
heavy drinkers. Therefore poor liquor
was blamed.
With increasing knowledge Of nutri-
ton, Public Health Service experts
found that the condition could be pro-
duced easily In rats fed constant diet
high In fats, low in proteins, and with
all the essential vitamins and minerals
with one exception--choline. The ami
mails developed the disease on this
ration whether they drank only water
or only 20 percent mixture of alcohol
and water-about the potency Of high
ball. Then they could be improved, If
not cured, by giving them choline, with
or without alcohol.
But the case never seemed quite closed
to DR. w. H. Sebrell, in charge of Public
Health Service nutrition work. He and
his associates-Drs. j. v. Lowry, L. l..
Ashburn and Floyd S. Daft-have just
conducted new experiments under rigidly
controlled conditions. They used only
pairs of litter mates OF the same sex.
All were fed the cirrhosis producing diet.
One of each pair got only water to drink.
The other drank only alcohol and water.
Both were allowed to eat as much as
they pleased.
Nearly all the animals developed the
fatal disease. But when they were killed
after definite elapsed periods, the ply
sicians have reported in the Quarterly
Journal of Alcohol, their livers showed
clearly that the condition was little
further advanced among the animals
jag.
The same results were obtained when
both rats were given precisely the same
amounts of food. In only few cases
were the water drinkers worse affected
In human beings, it may be- the diet
is such as normally would produce cir
rhosis very slowly, and alcohol may speed
the process.
The mechanism, the Public Health
doctors say, probably is very complex.
Alcohol, they believe, does not act as
direct poison on the liver, but interferes
in some mysterious way with the body's
fat metabolism
A new blood malady due to food short
age and lack of essential elements is
affecting occupied Europe.
The first reports Of it have been re-
ceived from France by the American
Medical Association. An intensive study
of it has been made by group of emf
nent French physicians who have de-
scribed the syndrome to the Academic de
Medicine, without any suggestion as to
what can be done about 1t.
They based their findings on sample
group OF 80 adult workers who, accord
ing to their report, complained of pro-
gressive weakness which appeared on
wakening in the morning, increased
during the morning hours, and decreased
after lunch. There was an accompany
ing dizziness which gave the feeling Of
an empty head and compelled the per-
son to lean against something or sit
down. The condition resulted in inca
pacity for work and some OF the patients
had to go to bed.
''They suffered nocturnal perspiration
and became. very sensitive to cold, even
in summer. This state was accom-
panied by mental depression and apathy.
In several cases relatives wanted the
men interned in an asylum"
Systematic examination revealed that
all the victims had extremely low blood
pressure but, In most cases, there was no
decline in the number of red blood cells
The men were losing weight rapidly and
were extremely pale.
Study of the blood itself showed that
some types of white cells were down to
!
ber although in about half the patients
the number of red cells had increased.
There was notable lack of resistance
to scurvy, due to the obvious lack of
vitamin G in the diet, but few of the men
showed clear-cut signs of scurvy. The
present malady seems somewhat more
complex
The syndrome appears to affect espe-
cially persons engaged in hard work. 1t
has not been found in children among
| having equally serious effects. survey
| of more than 1000 Paris children Sc
| lected at random, described in the same
report. shows that they are declining
in both weight and height, taking ex-
tensive tables prepared in 1885 as a
standard. The average height of boys
from to IL years old has declined be-
tween one or two inches whereas girls
| OF the same age, who presumably lead
more sedentary lives. have dropped lit
tie more than half an inch.
Among the notable physiological phe-
nomena of American life has been the
! greater stature of children of European
immigrants compared with their par
ents-supposedly due to the better diet,
received in this country. Hungry Eu-
rope now seems to be exemplifying the
reverse.
Suggestion Offered to Accommodate