Evening star., 1951-06-08
Child Rheumatic Fever
Is Traced to Organism
CIV School Of Medicine
Reports on New Findings
By Thomos R. Henry


Rheumatic fever in children, long
recognized as one Of the major precur-
sors OF a type of heart disease, the cause
Of which has remained in doubt, may be
due to an unusual type OF organism
which can be combatted with some Of
the new antibiotics.
This finding was announced today
from the George Washington Univer-
sity School Of Medicine. The most gen.
orally held idea in the past has been
that the rheumatic diseases of children
were due primarily to deficiency Of
some substance produced in the body
tissues. There is little that can be done
against such a deficiency.
The new finding is by DR.. Thomas M.
Brown, George Washington professor of
medicine, and his associates. There is
high probability. he announced. that
the primary cause is the L organism.
which belongs roughly in the pleuro-
pneumonia group of germs. It can be
found in most persons.
Multiplies Inside Cell.
The L organism according to DR..
Brown and his associates, multiplies in
side body CELL It is small enough to
move in and out of this cell. When it
has multiplied sufficiently, individual
organisms move out of the cell into
intercellular spaces. The body tissues
respond by producing antibodies to fight
the organisms. 1t Is the reaction be-
tween these antibodies and the germs
which produces swelling, fever, stiffness
and eventual Gripping.
This concept is the end result of four
years of research by DR.. Brown and his
colleagues at George Washington and ct
Mount Alto Veterans Hospital. The L
organisms cause not only fever but vari-
Gus types Of arthritiS.
It long has been known that gold
salts are an effective remedy in many
cases Of arthritis They kill the L organ
iSmS.
DR.. Brown and his associates worked
with the new sulfonamides and antibiotics
as fast as they appeared. Neither peni-
cillin nor any Of the sulfa drugs, it was
found. had any effect at all. Aureo-
mycin and chloramphenicol were found
quite effective, but the most potent Of
all was terramycin.
All Of these must be given in minute
doses so as to reduce slowly the number
Of L organisms in the system. Too large
doses cause all the L organisms to be
k.lled at once. They food out Of the
cells, make contact with the antibodieS
and cause a fare-up Of the malady.
A new palmistry which roughly may
measure intelligence is being developed
by a University Of Toronto biologist.
BY counting the extremely fine skin
ridges between two arbitrary lines on the
palm, claims DR.. T. c. Fang in re-
port just published in the British
journal Of Mental Science. it is possible
to differentiate between an imbecile.
moron, person Of medium intelligence
and university student. The students
are assumed to have better basic intel
ligence than the others.
The line chosen connects two points
on the palm where prominent grooves
meet and Is known as the ABB line. The
reason for the apparent correlation be-
tween the ridge count and Intelligence
is completely unknown but, DR.. Fang
says, it shows rather remarkable con-
sistency.
Started Work in England.
He started his work in England with
samples of the population in general.
He also measured the palms Of some
imbeciles and considerable number Of
morons. The latter were considerably
more intelligent than the imbeciles but
considerably below the average person.
The ridge counts showed the difference.
In Toronto DR.. Fang has worked es-
pecially with university students, and
he finds they have an appreciably higher
count than the average Englishman.
He also worked with Canadian school
for mental detectives.
There are, he points out, quite con-
siderable individual differences, so that
it would be difficult to use his concep-
ton for estimating the mental status Of
any particular person. Eventually, how
ever, it might have some value in study
ing populations. In all classes women
appear to have a slightly higher ridge
count than men. This does not mean
that they are more intelligent. but 1t
does make it necessary to consider the
sexes apart.