Evening star., 1952-07-21
New Substance Found
In Schizophrenio Study
Protein Isolated From Victims
And Muy Be Key to Molody
By Thomos R. Henry

tuOsW0S bNs usStbX
A mysterious substance, apparently
peculiar to the widespread mental dis
ease. schizophrenia, has been isolated by
chemists Of the Mellon Institute ut
Pittsburgh.
It is obtained In the form Of brown
powder from body secretions Of victims
Of this strange malady. which often
prompts extremely weird symptoms.
This material has the property Of rais-
ing markedly the blood sugar level OF
experimental animals. Using It as q
starting point. the Mellon Institute
chemists have been able to remove one
known material after another known to
have no effect on blood sugar. They
have come out with something approx
imately 15-fold as potent as the starting
material.
They have identified the material
only as protein, one Of the essential
constituents Of all life. It is possibly
combined with some other. as yet un-
separated material.
/ Repeated tests have failed to show
anything Of the sort in the same body
secretionS Of mentally normal persons.
How the substance works In helping
bring about the abnormal mental pat
tern is unknown.
Search Carried on Many Years.
Search for some physical factor IN
volved in schizophrenia has been carried
aout without success for more than q
half century, and many psychiatristS
have come to the conclusion 1t Is purely
mental In origin. The Mellon Institute
findings show clearly IAN abnormal
biological pattern" according to the
report.
Curiously enough, the blood sugar
level is not necessarily abnormal in
schizophrenia victims and there has
been no suggestion that the sugar metab-
oliSm Of the brain might be involved
in the weird behavior.
Schizophrenia, otherwise known as
dementia praecox, probably Is the most
common of all the major mental dis
eases. It usually attacks the young and.
it is estimated, takes up more hospital
beds in the United States than any
other malady. mental or physical.
The great paintings Of tomorrow may
De truly Immortal.
A cooperative project to find mate
rials which will resist the ravages Of
time far better than anything known
to artists of the past now is underway
between the National Gallery of Art
in Washington and the Mellon Institute
in Pittsburgh. It long has been recog-
nized that painting in oil is one Of the
least durable mediums Of artistic ex-
preston. The materials used today Diff
fer little from those used by medieval
artists.
One apparent success already has
been reached. This is in the search for
a new type Of varnish to be used for
protection Of pictures. Varnishes made
of natural resins are yellow and de-
velop increasingly deeper coloration with
age. Several new synthetic varnishes
now being tested are colorless. non
yellowing, tough. flexible substances
with no tendency to crack. AL have
some drawbacks, however.
Hall Of Requirements Met.
At the start Of the project q dozen
requirements were set up for the ideal
picture varniSh. Various synthetics thus
far studied, according to the Mellon In
stitute report. meet more than half the
requirements.
Thus far the cooperative project has
concerned itself primarily with preserva-
ton Of existing paintings. 1t now Is
ready to turn to the development OF
new materials for the paintings them
selves which will have no tendency to
fade or change color with age.
Durability Of all materials Is being
tested in an accelerated-aging chamber
with special temperature and humidity
conditions supposed to duplicate those
to which they would be exposed over
period Of centuries.