Evening star., 1953-11-30
Mystery Poison Held
Linked to Stresses
Toxin Apeors in Serum
During Disturbed Stutes
By Thomos R. Henry

A strange poison is found in the blood
of men and women under subconscious
stress.
1t is especially marked in the blood
serum Of victims of schizophrenia, or
dementia praecox, and its virulence in
creases during their disturbed state.
1t is almost as abundant, however, in
the blood Of normal people with sud-
den change in temperature, due to the
passing Of a warm or cold front, which
apparently requires physiological adj
justments of which the individual is
not aware
1t also appears in the blood Of women
in various stages of pregnancy.
This has just been reported to the
American Association for the Advance
ment of Science here by DR.. Roland
Fischer Of the University of Saskatch-
evan, who has continued there re-
searches started in Switzerland four
years ago.
This poison can be demonstrated he
says. by keeping tadpoles in water in
which minute amounts of blood serum,
or of urine in which the poison is
secreted, are mixed. The virulence is
measured by the death rate among
the tadpoles compared with that in
which blood serum of supposedly COM
pletely normal individuals is mixed.
Finding Not Altogether New.
With respect to schizophrenics the
finding is not entirely new. The physi-
illogical basis of this most prevalent Of
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are widely held theories that its various
manifestations are psychic reactions to
deep-seated physical changes of which
the victim is completely unaware. Both
the urine and serum Of these pSychiatric
hospital patients, DR.. Fischer found.
are about three times more poisonous
than those Of normal people at most
times. This holds for the schizophrenic
average. The ratio goes up rapidly.
however, when the mental patients are
showing marked reactions-such as the
so-called "catatonic state" which is
fairly common.
The surprising finding, however, is
that the serum of normal people ap-
proacheS very close to that of the
Schizophrenic average with sudden wea-
ther changes. The same changes, how
ever, do not increase the toxicity of the
mental patients blood or urine. A pos
Sible explanation Dr. Fischer holds, is
that the necessary stress reaction of the
body required to adjust to the quick
temperature change is in the same
physiological direction as those which
help produce the mental symptoms Of
dementia praecox victims. With the
SchizophrenicS, however these reac-
tions have already reached such point
that it is not necessary to go any fur
ther.
Pregnancy Crises Involved.
Tests with blood serum and urine
of pregnant women give further indi-
cation of the stress pattern. The tox-
icity becomes evident during various
crises in early pregnancy. 1t is univer-
sal during late stages of pregnancy.
Here also, apparently the toxin is being
produced by an organism adjusting it
self to stress. The condition is much
the same, DR.. Fischer believes, to what
has recently been described as the
, general adaptation syndrome" which
increases in severity the greater the
emergency. It need not, however, be
anything in which alarm is felt con-
sciously. In all the cases cited the
stress is entirely SubconScious.
There are two interpretations so far
as the schizophrenic is concerned, DR..
Fischer believes. The victim may be in
a constant condition of stress. On the
other hand, very mild stress such as
everyone encounters every day. may
produce profound effects.
There is. as yet. no adequate chem
ical explanation for the phenomenon.
It may be, the investigator believes,
certain of the substances known as
steroids. of which cortisone is an ex-
ample, are secreted in larger than
normal amounts and excreted under
stress conditions.