Evening star., 1947-08-03

mouth and deposited primarily In
the blood forming organs, such as
the bone marrow.
The results to date are summed
up In the statement of DR.. Edward
H. Reinhard Of Washington Uni-
versity. st. Louis, who has received
. large supply Of radioactive phos-.
phorus from Oak Ridge.
Anemia Research Started.
An important research under way
at the same university seeks q
clearer understanding of anemia,
or deficiency in the oxygen-carrying
red blood cells. An important ek-
ment In the essential red pigment
Of those cells is iron. DIR. Carl ".
Moore Is giving measured doses of
radioiron to anemic patients toI
determine how the element is alb
sorbed and utilized and the rate
Of red cell production by the bone
marrow.
At Memorial Hospital, New York,
various isotopes are being used to
study the genesis Of cancer. There
are numerous theories, for the most
part unproven, that certain types
Of cancers are caused by sex hoF-1
mones, by. secretions from the cortex1
Of the adrenic glands. by various
nucleic acids into which foods are
transformed In the body. 1t is pos
sible to incorporate the isotopes
into these substances, and thus to
follow exactly what happens to1
them. They may make it possible
to localize radiation on vital points
in the cancer producing process.
One Of the strongest afinities OF
body tissue for specific element is
that Of the thyroid gland for iodine
A couple of years ago it was freely
predicted that thyroid cancers could
be cured by doses of radioactive
iodine. which would concentrate
radiation in that particular gland.
Those hopes have not been entirely
sustained but much valuable infor-
nation is being acquired.
Some Results Good.
1t Is possible. for example, to
catch early stages of thyroid can
Ger. Absorption of iodine is COM
pletely blocked in the normal gland
by the drug thiouracil This drug
has no effect on cancerous tissue.
Thyroid cancer quickly spreads to|
all parts Of the body. In few weeks
bits of cancerous thyroid tissue may
be found, for example, in the lungs
or kidneys. These, also absorb RADIO
active iodine, but at a greatly in
creased rate If the thyroid gland
itself is frst removed.
At the Cedars of Lebanon Hos
pital in Los Angeles, DR.. Myron|
Prinzmetal IS experimenting with
the effect OF radioactive iodine on|
patients with too active thyroids
whose condition is to, serious to per-
init a surgical operation. The re-
suits have been surprisingly good and
in several cases the disease has
completely disappeared.
DR.. Prinzmetal also is using radio
active phosphorus TO study the diff
ference between the blood circula-
ton Of normal hearts and those with
coronary occlusion. He is able to]
measure with this method as little
as a thousandth of a cubic cent?
meter Of circulating blood. The
heart is provided, his studies have
shown, with numerous auxiliary
channels to bring blood to the heart
tissues when an artery is clogged
Otherwise death would be instan-
taneous.
80, Helps In Leukemia.
At Vanderbilt University, Nash
vile, DR.. Paul F. Holm has found
radiogold q valuable medicine for
various chronic forms of leukemia.
He has found radioactive fiangan-
ese also to be of considerable value. |
Before pile-manufactured products
were available each manganese
treatment cost $92. Now the expense |
to the patient has been cut to IS.
At Tulane University DR.. George
E. Burch' is trying to determine the
causes and cure of edema in con-
gestive heart failure with the Use
of radioactive sodium. He has found
that the rate of water which goes
across the blood vessel walls in a
normal healthy man amounts to
about 20 barrels a day. Accumula-
ton OF water is largely due, he has
found to an excess Of sodium.
DR.. E. v. Cowdry OF st. Louis, who
received the nrst shipment of radio
active carbon a year ago, has been
able to incorporate 1t in methyl-
cholathrene, one of the most MOTOR
ious of all known cancer-producing