Evening star., 1952-01-07
Good Germs Guarding
Body From invaders
Notre Dome Coneer Study
Reveals Significant Clues
By Thonos R. Henry
There are good germs.

- su~ss0S Ns stSuty
There are good germs.
They serve like soldiers to protect the
body from hostile microbe invaders.
This Is the conclusion from some re-
markable observations made by scientists
at the University Of Notre Dame, where
germ-free animals are maintained from
birth to death. which have been re.
ported to the Office Of Naval Research
here.
They are described by DR.. Roger D.
Reid. head Of the ONR's microbiology
branch. who warns that while the phe.
nomenon may prove Of great significance
In medicine the Interpretation still is in
doubt.
Most significant of these observations
dealt with the genesis Of cancer. It is
well known that certain types of cancers
always can be produced in experimental
animals by Irritating substances known
as carc1nogens. Some Of these are ex-
tremely potent, known minimum
amounts always producing malignant
growths. Best known are certain coal tar
products.
Results Follow Predictions.
When normal monkeys at the Notre
Dame laboratory were treated with one
OF these cancer producing substances
the results were precisely what had been
predicted. There was theory that some
germs normally present in the animal
body were necessary to start the cancer.
So the same substance, in precisely the
same amounts, was applied to com.
pletely germ-free animals.
In one caSe-and this is the weakness
fhanfTy az
as much cancer growth was obtained as
In normal animals. A possible conclusion
was That there are certain unknown
germs present in the normal body which
tend to combat the effects of chemical
irritation in producing cancer.
The finding was so unexpected and
potentially so significant that the ex-
pertinent will be repeated again and
again under all possible variations of
circumstances. It may. DR.. Reid be-
lieves. be clue which will lead to an
answer to the greatest riddle Of the
cancer problem.
Points in Same Direction.
Another Notre Dame experiment
points in the same direction, although
cancer itself is not involved, he points
out. About year ago some of the
laboratory'S germ-free chickens devel-
oped a peculiar nervous disease. It was
called "jitters," from the way the birds
staggered about. Although this chick
malady hitherto was unknown to science
it had some likeness to various nerve
infections due to flterable viruses most
minute Of germs, such as are respon-
Sible for polio and encephalitis. It was
thought at first that the equipment for
Keeping the animals germ-free had
broken down-that in some way virus
had gotten into the chicks circulation.
Under the most intensive tests it was
proved that this had not happened,
although some pathological changes
were found in the brains of the stag
gering birds.
1t also developed that the condition
could not be due to faulty nutrition.
Non-germ free chicks, Matched from
eggs Of the same flock and given ~ex-
actly the same diet. did not develop
the disease. AS further test Of the
virus possibility normal chicks were
inoculated with brain tissue from the
staggering birds. Nothing happened.
although the experiment was repeated
many times. Still the Notre Dame
scientists, who work closely with the
Office of Naval Research. felt certain
they were dealing with an infective
agent of some sort. They reversed the
experiment. Brain tissue from the
healthy, non-germ free chicks was in
jected into healthy, germ-free birds. All
the latter came down with the mys-
terious iitters
Microbes Always Present.
Then, it developed, virus was pres
ent after all. 1t was present in the
eggs of that particular flock. But, it
was concluded, in ordinary birds there
always are microbes of some sort, harm
less in themselves, which prevent the
virus in the eggs from attacking the
brain. The supposedly germ-free birds
at least no micororganisms of any
kind had gotten to them since the in
slant of hatching-had no such pro-
lection.
There is a possibility. it Is pointed
out, that both men and animals may
be protected from various other diseases,
now unknown, by the friendly soldier
microbes. There probably are hosts Of
viruses in the world which do not cause
any diseases.