Evening star., 1952-02-15
Agent Found to Protect
Body Destroying Itself

BODY Destroying Itself
Antibody Fights Disease Moste
By cuusins Chemical chcnees
By Thomos R. Henry
Existence Of q universal antibody''
which prevents the human body from
being poisoned by the products Of its
own breakdown is reported by DIR.
Reuben Kahn Of the University OF
Michigan.
This is revealed through the Once Of
Naval Research. which initially sup-
ported the investigations.
When disease germ enters the body
. so-called "antihody'iis is created out Of
substances already present which COM
bine chemically with the invader and
render 1t harmless. 1t changes 1t into
something which can be destroyed by
the white cells In the blood stream.
This is the major means by which the
body combats disease.
These .antibody" chemicals are
formed whenever the body Is invaded
by foreign protein. either o disease
producer or otherwise.
The billions of cells making up the
human body are constantly breaking
down-some. such as blood cells. every
few days. The average human Is almost
completely renewed every few years.
When these cells break down they re-
solve into their original constituents
proteins. water. salts. and fatlike sub.
stances known as lipids. These lipids
are the chief offenders. They undergo
chemical changes into poisons.
Always Being Renewed.
1t is to counteract these that the new
type Of antibodies reported by DR.. Kahn
are formed. They are always present
and constantly being renewed. It Is
likely that they are essential to lie.
The production is greatest when the IN
divldual Is In good health. : It declines
rapidly in diseases where tissue break
down is excessive. as In advanced
tuberculosis.
Some years ago DR.. Kahn brought out
the now best-known test for syphilis.
based on the appearance OF antibodies
specific against the germ causing this
disease. Similar tests can be used to
detect the presence Of other hidden
diseases.
Such test according to the Navy re-
port, can be compared to the peak Of
an iceberg protruding above water.
Iney are protrusions out Of the universal
reactlon. which can be compared to the
great body OF the iceberg below water.
The pattern of the universal reaction
diners from individual to individual.
but is consistent for each single indi-
vidual over periods Of years. When this
consistency varies it becomes highly
PROBABLE That something has gone wrong.
4
New stars, most spectacular events In
the heavens. may be celestial helium
bomb explosions.
This is the conclusion Of the French
nuclear scientist. DR.. Evry Schatzman.
as described In q report Of the Atomic
Energy Commission on worldwide de-
velopments in nuclear physics It ap-
peared originally in recent issue Of the
Complies Rendus, official organ Of the
French Academy.
Minute amounts Of Helium 5, rare
isotope Of the sun gas which is the
second lightest Of the natural ele-
ments. constantly viii be created by
collisions Of atoms Of the far more
abundant double weight hydrogen.
deuterium, in stars Of high density and
relatively low temperature.
Once this light form Of helium Is
created, he points out. the probability
becomes very high that two atoms viii
come together. The result would be an
impossible combination and 1t would .
change Immediately into the ordinary
helium present in the sun and In the
body Of the earth. In this change two
Of the infinitesimally minute nuclear
particles. protons. would be shot out with
enormous force.
Mathematical calculations show, Or.
Schatzman says. that when as much as
lO0th OF gram per gram Of matter In
very dense star is reached and the
temperature is about 100 million de-
.greeS Centigrade great detonation waves
with velocities exceeding TOO kilometers
second will be set up through the
stellar matter. 1t would be like titanic
earthquake wave.
Built Up to Explosion Point.
Such waves would build up to point
sufficient to explode" the star.
New stars. or '.novae." still elude ex-
pianatlon. some obscure star, perhaps
hitherto invisible, suddenly win fiare up
to several thousand times its ordinary
brightness. After a few weeks it viii
SubSide again. It is obvious that some
sort Of super-explosion has taken place.
It can only happen, DIR. Schatzman
holds, when star Is about 1000 times
the density of the sun. Below this there
is not sufficient build-up Of Helium 8.
When the weight is greatly exceeded. as
in the white dwarfs whose density Is
many thousandfold that Of the sun.
the helium reactions become too brief to
affect the stability. f
The "heliun earthquake" theory, II
true. makes the explosion Of such star
as the sun. often predicted with disas-
trous effects to all life in the solar
system, impossible.
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