Evening star., 1948-10-13
Stars, Men and Atoms .,.-,..,sssss
Two Broin Centers Seen ,
Controlling Body Heat
Experiments on Nerve Thermostats'
Described to Army Physicians
By Thomas r. Henry

By Thomas r. Henry
There probably are two centers in the brain
for the control Of body temperature.
One protects against overheating. the other
against overcooling.
Evidence for the existence Of these nerve
thermostats, which have not been precisely
located, was presented to Army Medical Corps
officers taking advanced training at the Army's
Medical Center by DR.. H. G. Bazett Of the
University Of Pennsylvania.
The most probable location for these centers,
he said, is the hypothalamus a part of the mid
brain. II this entire area in addition to the
cerebral cortex or top Of the brain, is removed
in animals. all heat regulation disappears,
although the branless creature sometimes can
be kept alive for weeks Removal of various
sections of the hypothalamus, however, shows
that protection against overheating and against
overcooling depends on different groups Of
brain cells.
Sensitive to Changes.
The centers appear to be extremely sensitive
to temperature changes. When excess heat
starts to accumulate, one center sets of O
chain Of responses-sweating, rapid breathing
and the like-designed to bring the tempera-
ture down to normal. The other center sets
of chain of such reactions as shivering when
the body gets too cold.
The existence of one Of these centers can be
demonstrated in cats by heating the front
part Of the hypothalamus by high frequency
electric currents passed across 1t from electrodes
previously placed there in an aseptic operation.
The results are about the same as If the whole
body were overheated.
"One can suppose" DR.. Bazett told the Army
doctors. that each of the centers tends to
inhibit the other, so that there is always
balance between the two"
s.
Finding Of a viruent new virus, probably
capable of injecting man, has just been re-
ported to the American Association for the
Advancement Of Science by DR.. Gilbert Dali.
dorf of Albany.
It was recovered from two children pre-
lowed . somewhat unusual course Tests
showed that the new agent is not identical
with known strains of polio and when tested
in mice has quite different effects.
Polio is essentially disease Of the central
nervous system Muscles are paralyzed by
LESSONS in their nerve supplies. The newly dis
covered virus attacks the muscles directly and
seems to have no affinity for the central
nervous system.
Could Be Mutation.
There Is no evidence, however, that the
effects would be the same in human beings or
that the two children were suffering from any.
thing else but polio. 1t was suggested however,
that their blood during the acute phase of their
illness had little or no neutralizing effect
against the new agent, while their convalescent
blood neutralized it completely. There re-
mains the possibility that this organism rep
resents q mutation from some strain OF the
polio virus and thus represents something
entirely new in the world which has not yet
found its place in the disease picture.
1t ordinarily would be passed over in tests
directed to finding the presence of polio virus.
DR.. Dalldorf, laboratory director of the New
York State Health Department, reported his
preliminary findings to alert physicians all over
the country to watch out for the virus. which
is about the size of the polio virus and rates
among the smallest Of living things. He urges
that special attention be paid to the muscles
Of any polio victims. The tests with mice
showed that these muscles have q decidedly
characteristic appearance after DEATH which Is
quite different from that found in classical
cases of polio.
If the agent is found pathogenic to man,
there arises the alarming possibility that It
may be capable of teaming up with the polio
virus. In this case victim would be attacked
from two Sides