Laurel outlook., 1945-01-03
Chemists Bare
Antibody Agent
Pituitary Hormone Rules
Production of Forces
To Fight Germs.

NEW YORK.-A newly isolated
pituitary hormone that regulates the
production of antibodies with which
the human body resists the invasion
of disease, and the laboratory pro-
duction of a powerful natural sub
stance that can clot blood almost
instantly was described before the
| American Chemical society here,
says the New York Times.
At a symposium on frontiers in
biochemistry, Drs. Abraham White
and Thomas F. Dougherty of the
Yale university school of medicine
detailed studies with the hormone
and said they found it had highly
important role in body resistance
against toxic substances and infec-
tious bacteria. The hormone is the
so-called adrenotrophic factor, and
was only recently isolated in pure
form. 1t controls the lymphoid It's
sue of the body and the reticulo-
endothelial system.
Helps Fight Germs
The scientists found that the hor-
none, acting through its influence
on the adrenal cortex, controls the
rate at which lymphocytes are
washed out of lymphoid tissue, the
connective tissue that lodges the
lymphoid cells. The reficuloendothel-
ial system is a network of cells in
the body's blood and lymph nutri-
ment structure. 1t includes certain
cells of the spleen and liver, the
lymph and hemolymph glands and
parts of bone marrow.
Drs. White and Dougherty re-
ported that injection of the hormone
causes a marked increase in the pro-
teins in the blood serum, includ-
ing the protein fraction that con-
tains antibodies, part of the germ
fighting forces Of the body.
The blood-clotting process, which
is said to duplicate natures own
mechanism, was reported by Drs.
Walter H. Seegers, Eugene c. Loom
is and j. M. Vandenbelt, and was
developed in the laboratories of
Parke, Davis and company, Detroit.
1t was characterized as a great new
life saver in peacetime as well as
in war surgery.
Clothing Aid Described.
The process takes two main ma
terials from animal blood and from
meat juices, and it was said I'M
limited production is possible. The
blood-clotting substance was de- |
scribed as prothrombin, found in hui
man blood. 1t took six years to iso-
late prothrombin in pure form. Acti-
waited prothrombin, the scientists
said; is so powerful that an amount |
the size of an aspirin tablet can clot |
a pint of blood solid in a few Sec |
onds.
By itself, prothrombin is inert or
inactive, just as it is in the normal
blood stream. However,
when living tissue is injured, it re-
leases an activator that sets off ma
ture's blood-clotting mechanism.
The prothrombin and calcium in
blood react with the activator to ini-
tiate the formation of a clot at the
wound to stop the bleeding. The
activator is extracted from meat
juices.
The Investigators reported that the
activator combined prothrombinwith
the precise amount of calcium ion
and with the precise amount of the
activator. They added that this proc
ess makes possible the use of animal
'ather than human blood to obtain
he prothrombin, and tons of blood
olasma, they declared, are already
,eing processed every week. The use
If animal blood permits high pro-
luction of prothrombin without de-
'leting the supply of human plas-
ma, needed now at the battle fronts.