Evening star., 1950-11-20
New Infectious Viruses
Isolated by Scientists
Blood Of Sick Yields 2 Types;
Others Found in Mosquitoes
By Thomos R. Henry

Eighteen new viruses capable OF caus-
ing human diseases have been isolated
by Rockefeller Foundation scientists.
Two Of these were found in the blood
of sick persons. The other 16 were OBJ
tanned from wild mosquitoes. Presum-
ably the insects are able to transmit
them to humans.
Half the new disease causing organ
isms were found in tropical Africa and
the others in Colombia and Brazil. A
high degree of natural immunity ap-
parently has been built up among the
local population, but 1t is highly doubt
ful II there is any immunity anywhere
else in the world. Once the organisms
break loose from their tropical habitats
the effects might well be devastating
in the rest of the world.
One, it appears, actually has broken
loose. This is the Mengo virus, isolated
IN Uganda, East Africa. It produces
a form of brain infection. It first was
isolated from the blood of cf1impanzee
which died in Florida ZOO during the
war. 1t since has been identified with
a form Of encephalitis virus isolated
IN New York. Later it was established
that considerable immunity to it ex-
isted in the blood of Uganda natives
and also in the Philippines. This in
dicates that the disease may have been
rampant in these areas at one time and
that fairly good human immunity
has been built up.
Virus Fatal to Mice.
The virus causes fatal infection
IN mice, cotton rats and occasionally
IN guinea pigs. Sometimes q nonfatal.
transient paralysis can be caused in
monkeys.
The illness caused in mice has a super-
nclal likeness to polio in humans, but
it obviously is different disease. It
involves the entire central nervous sys-
tenn and causes destruction in both brain
and spinal cord. The polio germ acts
chiefly on the motor nerves.
Several OF the other African viruses-
notably Bwamba, Ilheus and Semliki For
est fever-primarily attack brain tis-
sue and might prove devastating if they
got loose in population with no i'm
munlty against them. Thus far thev
have been confined to the forests of
Africa.
An electrodeless lamp which theoreti-
cally will last forever has been devised
by the United States Bureau of Stand
ARDS physicists, and is being tested in
three countries as the standard instru-
ment for precise length measurements.
1t is merely tiny silica tube filled with
the rare gas, argon, in which is placed
minute amount Of special form of mer-
curry produced by atomic bombardment
OF gold. When this tube is put in field
OF high frequency radio waves the Mer-
curry 1913, as the new isotope is known,
Rr1ifS upirH Iio1of xut, d.
nearly pure. consisting of single wave
length.
This wave length of mercury light is
being considered as the basic world
measurement standard With it, physi-
cists at the Bureau of Standards are able
to measure the length of any object with
an accuracy of one part in 10 million.
They could determine, for example, a
ten-millionth of an inch with certainty.
Proves Efficient.
The new type of lamp has been fur
nished physicists at the International
Bureau of Weights and Measures at Paris
and the National Physical Laboratory at
Teddington, near London. In both places
it has proved highly efficient, according
to reports to DR.. William j. Meggers,
head Of the Bureau of Standards spectro-
Scopy section.
The light from an electrode lamp, DR..
Meggers explains. becomes contaminated
with the material of the electrode itself
and tends to lose it's purity This can
not be restored. The high silicon waves
beating against the silicon tube tend to
drive electrons from the atmosphere into
the glass. thus gradually introducing
some degree of contamination, but this
can be cleaned up merely by heating the
tube.
Thus, DR.. Meggers explained, there is
no reason to suppose the new lamp will
not give out precisely the same light for
ever.
This is one of the instruments now
being used, the physicists of the Ma
tional Physical Laboratory report in
Nature" official journal of the British,
Association for the Advancement of
Science. for new determination of the
speed of light. the fundamental measure
ment standard of the universe. The Off
cial speed now accepted is within four
kilometers of 299,776 kilometers second.
The new measurements, both in Eng
land and Sweden, are showing a much
greater margin of error.
Nn@eks~~~ - A~