Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-10-19
Doctors Report
Gains Toward
Polio Vaccine
D. c. Medical Society
Told of Growing z
Strains of Virus
By George Beverage

hclenCleS ana diseases OF the en- ,
doctrine system will highlight dis
cussions at the final sessions Of
the District Medical Societys
goth annual scientific assembly
today in the Hotel Statler.
DR.. Lawson Wilkins, associate
professor of pediatrics at Johns
Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, will
open the meeting with talk on
diagnosis and treatment of hypo-
thyrodism in children. Other
speakers will include DR.. William
P. Herbst, Washington urologist;
DR.. Jean Paul Pratt, obstetrical
and genealogical surgeon at the
Henry Ford Hospital, and DR..
John E. Howard of Johns Hop
kins.
At a later session, DR.. Robert J.
Coffey. professor of surgery at
Georgetown University Medical
School, will preside over SYM
postum on diseases of the liver.
spleen and pancreas.
The important three-day meet
ing will end with a banquet at
1880 o'clock tonight, at which Drs.
William j. Mallory and Charles
Stanley White, distinguished
Washington physicians, will be
honored for merftorious service.
Talk on Health Insurance.
At a. luncheon meeting today,
doctors also were to hear Repre-
sentative Cunningham, Republic
can, of Iowa discuss President
Humans compulsory health in
surance program.
Several hundred persons who
attended a public meeting on polio
last night heard reports of new
progress in growing virus known
to cause polio and which is ex-
pected to speed greatly develop
ment of a vaccine for the dread
disease.
DR.. H. M. Weaver, research di-
rector of the National Foundation
for Infantile Paralysis, said that
during the last several months,
scientists have succeeded, for the
first time, in growing two of the
three known strains of polio virus.
in test tubes. Heretofore. the
virus, vitality needed for work to-
ward a vaccine, could be grown
at great expense only in expert
mental animals.
DR.. John Enders, professor Of
bacteriology at Harvard Medical
School, has succeeded in multi
plying the virus through II sue
cessive test tube cultures. During
the last few weeks, DR.. Weaver
said, Dr.. Enders has succeeded
in growing the virus on tissue
taken from living persons.
Eggs May Cheaper Process.
This leads to the hope, Dr..
Weaver said, that the virus may
be transplanted to fertile chicken
eggs, which would furnish a cheap.
simple medium for growth.
DR.. Weaver said it also appears
almost certain that the third
known strain of polio virus-not
yet cultivated-also will grow on
the tissue in test tubes.
DR.. Weaver also discussed the
newly discovered virus that causes
a non-paralytic disease similar to
polio. The disease, the symptoms
of which cannot be distinguished
from certain forms of polio, is
known to be responsible for some
of the increased reports of in
fantile paralysis.
| However, DR.. Alex j. Steigman,
consultant for the national foun-
dalton, said he does not feel the
number of so-called false polios"
is high. So far this year, he
said, there have been 34,742 cases
of polio reported. While the peak
is passed, he added, the number
may reach $4,000 during the next
few months.
Drugs Ease Leukemia.
At session yesterday, DR..
Joseph H. Burchenal, assistant
professor of clinical medicine at
the Cornell University Medical
College, reported new drugs ease
the symptoms of leukemia in
about one of every four cases, but
that the benefits ARE in no sense
a cure" for the cancer of the
blood" disease.
In study of 81 children and
% adults suffering from leukemia.
the drug. aminopterin, temporarily
stopped the symptoms in Is chill
dren and two adults, DR.. Bur-
chenal said. The drug, he re-
ported, is far less effective in
chronic cases of leukemia.
Addressing the doctors at
luncheon meeting, the Rev. Ed
mund A. Walsh, regent of the
Georgetown University Foreign
Service School. declared he does
not think war is inevitable. He
added, however, 1T is my con-
viction that when they are ready.
the Russians will strike the United
States without a moments warn
ing"
The cold war" Father Walsh
said. has been popularized as an
enigma. But as part of Russia's
world domination plans, he said,
ct contend it is a far more logical