Evening star., 1950-09-06
By Thomas R. Henry

CHICAGO, Sept. 6.-Food can
be kept fresh without refrigeration
for as long as four years.
Meat, fish, vegetables, milk and
butter are bombarded with streams
of electrons, fired in bursts last
ing millionth of a second and
moving at approximately the speed
of light.
This results in destruction of all
the micro -organisms-molds, bac-
terra, fungi and viruseS-which
appear to be responsible for spoil
age. The success depends on the
fact that these organisms are
much more susceptible to such
bombardment than the food pro-
ducts themselves.
The, accomplishment was an
nounced to the American Chem
ical Society meeting here today
by DR.. Wolfgang Huber and his
associates of the Jewish Hospital
of Brooklyn, N. Y. 1t may require
some revision of current theories
of food spelling, which has been
blamed in part on naturally oc-
curing engines. These are chem
icals which carry on most of the
life processes, but which also are
responsible for most of the f1avors
of food.
Refrigeration not only makes
the micro-organisms dormant, but
it stops the chemical activity of
the engines. In the experiments
reported today, however, the en-
zymes were essentially unaffected.
Apparently they do not play much
part in Spoilage.
The bombardment is produced
by a machine known as the ca
pacitron. 1t is quite expensive and
could be used profitably only for
large-scale operations. Once the
sterilization has been accom-
plished, the food must be kept in
germproof containers.
"a year or more after irradia-
ton and subsequent storage" DR..
Huber said, mo changes occurred
in taste or appearance of beef
stew, raw ham, raw pork, chicken
la king, giZzards and raw liver.
The engines were fully active.
The meat was fresh, appetiZing
and unspoiled.
Among the more important re-
suits has been the production of
an extremely potent rabies vac
cine. The radiation destroys the
bacteria and viruses that are nat
urally present, without destroying
the "antigens," the agents respon-
sible for the protective action.
ACTH, the newly found hor-
none secreted by the pituitary
gland at the base of the brain,
can save victims of third-degree
burns who otherwise would GER
tainly die in two or three days.
Aid for Burns Unexpected.
This substance. obtained almost
entirely from hog pituitaries and
the function of which is stimula-
ton of the adrenal glands to pro-
duce other hormones, such as
cortosone, already has proved val
liable in about so diseases. 1t Is
particularly useful In causing the
adrenals to produce the anti
arthritis hormone. The magic ac-
tion against burns, however, was
entirely unexpected and, in case
of war, 1t was predicted, may
cause the armed services to take
over the entire supply.
The particular case, cited by DR.,
v. Conquest of Armour g. Co.. the
chief producers of ACTH, was
that of an Arizona oil we'll work.
er. Pictures taken Of the man i'm
mediately after the fire showed
almost his entire body looking like
burned steak. His skin had been
reduced to charcoal. No human as
badly burned ever had survived
before. In supposedly futile ges-
11C Ndo tdAC11 4oO
across the desert to a hospital and
given large injections of the new
drug.
Almost Immediately he began to
show improvement. Massive skin
gratis were made without any re-
gard to whether the skin of the
donor matched or not. In a few
weeks, the man was able to re-
turn to work, and present indica-
tions are there will be scarcely
any scars as evidence of his ter
rible experience.
A major action Of the ACTH
apparently was to prevent the loss
of body fluids through the skin
a major cause of burn fatalities.
The military significance of this,