Evening star., 1948-06-20
By Thomas R. Henry
Stor SfoH Correspondent

BY lhomos \. nenry
stor Stoff Correspondent
CHICAGO, June 19.-Extraction
of the pure growth hormone from
the pituitary glands of cattle in
amounts 20 to so times greater than
ever obtained before was announced
by Yale University chemists before
the Society for the Study of In
ternal Secretions meeting with the
American Medical Association here
today.
They have so improved the process
that it now is possible to get as
much as a fifteenth of an ounce OF
one of the most potent biological
substances in existence from the
pituitary glands of 1000 cattle. AT
least 300, 900 animals would be re-
quired to produce one pound. There
is no known way of synthesizing the
hormone.
Hitherto supplies nave been sc
minute that scientific study has
been very difficult. The substance
1t is known, will cause a rat tt
grow twice it's normal size in a few
months. Eventually there may be
important implications for the cor.
rection of growth deficiencies 1r
children and repair Of damaged
tissues in adults.
Not Yet Tried on Humans.
Presumably the hormone is chem
ically the same throughout the
animal kingdom. 1t has not yet
been tested on humans, however, ano
the possible results are conjectural
1t is known that this growth hor-
none produced by the anterior
portion of the pituitary gland, 10.
Gated in the brain, controls the
growth of the body from birth
through adolescence. The actua
mechanism of the process is un-
known.
Body growth, especially increase
in height, depends on the condition
of the bones of the skeleton. The
cartilage structures near the ends
of the bones serve as growing Gen.
ters" until the late teens, when they
harden into bone and further
growth is impossible. But ever
through adolescence growth is pos
sible by stimulating these centers
and this is accomplished naturally
by the anterior pituitary hormone
| DR.. Herbert M. Evans and his col
leagues of the University OF Cali
fornia have shown that giant rats
can be produced by injections OF the
growth harmone, since the growing
centers of the bones Of these ami
mails never close completely from
birth to death.
Clinical Uses Suggested.
Possible uses of the hormone In
clinical cases are suggested by the
fact that 1t seems to have an in
fuence on the ability of the body to
retain nitrogen in the synthesis OF
protetins, the building stones OF al!
tissue. The substance thus may
have some medical value in treat
ment of persons in whom improved
nitrogen retention might be essen
! tial for the repair of damaged tis-
sues.
It also is expected that the hor-
none plays an important role In the
ability of the body to transform
starches and sugars into energy and
into other body substances. Supplies
have been so limited in the past
that it has been impossible to carry
out Investigations in this field.
The pituitary hormone must be
injected to have any effect at all
Taken into the stomach 1t is rapidly
1 digested.
Glands Frozen and Ground.
4 In the Yale process the pituitary
glands of cattle, which are about
u tn, size of lima beans, are frozen II
IEsolid carbon dioxide and ground K
a fine powder. The final extraction
is accomplished by spinning IN al
ultracentrifuge.
The Yale scientists indicated tina
the day still is far off when th'
growth hormone can be createt
synthetically. It is itself a protein
and no protein ever has been pro
duced artificially.
The work was carried out by Drs
Jacob B. Fishman, Alfred E. vii
helmi and Jane A. Russell.
Scientists now can "see" certain
kinds OF human heart disorders b;
means OF radioactive isotopes in
jected into the blood, it was reporte'
to the American Heart Association
meeting in conjunction with tn
ANA, DR.. Myron Prinzmetal Of Lo
Angeles. Radio active sodium Is in
jected into the blood stream. tn
explosions Of its atoms are picke'
up by Geiger- Mueller counters, tn
standard instruments for detectin
radiation, as the blood goes through
the heart.
Attached to Writing Device.
In this case, however, the oounte
10 attached to an automatic writing
device. The radio activity create
a varying electric current by whicl
the device is actuated. The resul
is . continuous curve the nature o
which in many cases makes possible
more accurate diagnosis Of tn
difficulty.
The method has been thorough.
tested with dogs, DR.. Prinzmetal said
and now is ready for application II
human victims of heart disorders.
Arteriosclerosis, or hardening o