Evening star., 1950-10-27
New Disease Discovered
Closely Akin to Flu
Mistaken for q Bad Cold
By Many Adult Sufferers
By Thomas R. Henry

A new human disease closely akin to
influenza but distinct from any type Of
this malady yet known was reported to-
day to the American Association for the
Advancement of Science here.
1t apparently has been in the world
for at least Is years. A high percentage
of adults in the American population
have had it, but supposedly have mis-
taken it for some well-known malady-
most likely bad cold
1t can be differentiated sharply from
the two known types of influenza-A and
B-for laboratory tests The discoverer,
DR.. Thomas Francis, jr, of the Univer-
sity of Michigan Medical School, suggests
that it be known as influenza C. Super
flcially, it could be mistaken for either
of the other forms.
Causative Organism.
The causative organism is one of the
flterable viruSeS-Such as cause other
forms of influenza. 1t was first found
last March during a relatively mild flu
epidemic in the college community. Most
of the cases fitted into the well-known
classifications, but this appeared to be
quite unrelated to them.
The one case from which the aberrant
virus was recovered had been mild,
characterized by headache, some nausea
and neuralgia-like soreness of muscles.
The organism since has been tested
against blood sera from several places.
Surprisingly enough, many adults seem
to have built up a mild immunity, due
to having had the malady at some time.
This was apparent in samples going back
to 1886.
Serious Menace Doubted.
Per Sc, and in it's present status, the
newly found virus does not appear to
represent any serious menace to health.
All viruses which affect humans, how
ever, have ability to mutate to forms
which cause more serious diseases.
What may be such mutant from the
influenza A virus is described in today's
issue of Science, official organ of the
American Association. The virus is
known in many sub-forms. All are alike
in that they have no effect on mice when
given through the nose
The new form described by Drs.
Thomas G. Ward and Bernice E. Eddy
of Johns Hopkins University and the
National Institutes of Health has all the
other properties of the virus but is
fatal to white mice in from three to five
days.
X
The problem of the elusive canals"
on Mars may be settled at the first
favorable opportunity for observation Of
the neighboring planet which-"f1ying
saucer" ideas to the contrary-is the
only possible other abode of life in the
solar system.
1t will be possible according to DR..
Edwin Hubble of the Mount Wilson OBJ
servatory, to take such clear pictures Of
the surface of Mars with the new 200
inch telescope that there can be general
agreement on the surface markings.
Existence of the canals is deduced
from geometrical markings on the planet.
From them is deduced the existence of
intelligent life there. The difficulty has
been that there is no agreement on
whether the geometric markings actually
exist or whether they are products of the
lmaginations of observers. Some quite
competent astronomers claim to have
seen them. Others, equally competent,
have not been able to find any trace of
them
Life of Low Order. --~<
There now is little question but that
life of very low order exists on Mars.
1t hardly can be higher, judging by the
conditions requisite for life on earth,
than moses and lichens which could
barely exist in the Martian climate and
atmosphere. This, however does not en-
tirely preclude the possibility of higher
orders of life in the distant pastor even
today under unimaginable conditions.
If the canals can be demonstrated to
exist, says DR.. Hubble in a report re-
Gently published by the Smithsonian In
stitution there hardly can be any escape
from the conclusion that there must
have been high order of life on the
other planet at some time. 1t will be
necessary to demonstrate, however, that
the markings cannot be curious natural
features.