Evening star., 1948-06-21
Need for Thousands
OF Gallons Of Blood
After A-Bomb Cited
By Thomas R. Henry
Science Editor Of The Sior.

of gallons OF fresh human olooo
almost Immediately.
1t would be about the only pos
sible medicine" for those living
outside the one-mile radius of the
within this area the con-
dition of nearly everybody would be
hopeless-and inside an approx
mately two-mile radius.
This fact was stressed in an
exhibit by the Navy Medical De-
partment before the American
Medical Association, based in part
on experiments at the Navy's medi-
cal research center at Bethesda, on
observations of japanese victims
and on the effects with expert
mental animals of the Bikini ex-
plosion.
Even so, it was explained, there
IS no positive evidence that blood
transfusions on scale never be-
fore imagined would do much good.
but they are about all medical
sciene now has to offer.
New Blood Creation Aided.
The Navy tests, explained by 1t
Comdr. E. P. Cronkite and Its.
Richard S. Farr and William Rash
kind, have been with the effect OF
fonizing radiationS on the body's
blood forming mechanisms. The i'm
mediate effect is the destruction OF
so-called key cells" in the bone
marrow, the spleen and lymph
nodes. These are known as blast
cells, the mother cells of the red
and white blood corpuscles.
! Blood formation, however, does
saot absolutely stop, although it is
slowed down almost to the vanishing
point. Everybody comes into the
world with some of the cells with
which life started. known as the
nnesenchymal cells. They are the
most primitive elements of the body,
which have not yet become special
tied into skin cells, bone cells, blood
cells, and the like Contrary to gen.
eral belief, they themselves have
proved very resistant to injury from
radiation. The requirement is that
their normal death rate be compen-
sated without delay.
This may be accomplished. the
Navy medical men explained, by
very heavy blood transfusions-a
conservative estimate is about a
pint per person. 1t might be neces-
sary to treat many thousands in
the designated area. For persons
within the 1-mile radius, getting
the full effect of the deadly radia-
tons, such treatment would be a
waste of time. Outside the 2-mile
radius, the population can be left
untreated until the emergency is
over. Some will have suffered ra-
diation injury, but not sufficient
to prove fatal.
Radar Treats Rheumatism.
In another exhibit radar-poured
through aching tissues-WaS shown
asa new kind of treatment for
rheumatism. The technique was
developed at the Mayo Clinic and
is shown by Drs. K. G. Wakim and
D. j. Erickson. They do it with a
sadget the size and shape of a
teacup.
This cup is metal and at It's
center a slender tube produces radar
waves which are each about six
inches long. The open side OF the
cup is pointed toward the place that
hurts, and held in that position. but
not touching the skin.
Radar waves pour in beam from
the cup right through the aching
tissues. One effect is to nearly
double the flow of blood in the
area hit by the radar waves. This
extra flow is one of the most bene-
hcial effects.
Echoes Trap Cancer Cells.
A new attack on cancer, by which
hidden ones are detected by their
echoes of sounds, also was exhibited.
The cancers echo not to ordinary
noises but to supersounds, which
are inaudible to human ears, and
which are much higher in pitch
than a dog whistle. These same
sounds are used in attempts to de-
stroy internal cancers, by shaking
them to pieces.
The new attack was shown by
Drs. j. F. Herrick and E. j. Baldes
OF the Mayo Foundation Institute
for experimental Medicine. The
echo method originated in Germany
This cancer shaking has also been
used on brain cancer at the College
of Physicians and Surgeons, New
York City.
Typhoid Treatment Reported.
In a report to the second annual
meeting of the American Blood
nradiation Society, a Pittsburgh
physician declared that exposure
of blood vessels to ultraviolet radia-
ton is the only effective treatment
known today for typhoid fever
= DR.. H. T. Lewis. jr., said that In
nine cases of typhoid fever treated
BY varying methods. these were the
results:
:. Three patients receiving ultra
violet blood irradiation (treatment
by exposure to radiation only were
free of fever in an average of 16
days from the onset of the disease
and recovered completely in an
average of "a days.
Mixed Method Takes Longer.
Three who received a combina-
tion of blood irradiation and sulfa
therapy were fever-free in an aver
age of 81 days and cured in an av-
erage of 81.
: One patient getting no blood IRA.
diation. but receiving sulfa and pen
icillin, died after 100 days of illness
: One receiving only care to sus.
tain life. rather than corrective
treatment, was fever-free in 40 days
and discharged in 54. and another
getting the same care was fever-free
m 50 days and discharged in 6;
days.
: Among new officers elected by ths
croanization was @ + p Rarper