Evening star., 1953-02-27
Biologist Debunks
ChlorophyII Cult
II You Really Won't the Stuff,
Go Out and Eut Some Grass
By Thomos R. Henry

The present chlorophyll cult, respon-
sible for $100-million toothpaste and
deodorizer business last year, has very
large element of bunk"
This is the conclusion of DR.. Arthur
w. Galston, associate professor of biol
ogy at the California Institute of Tech
nology
He recommends that anybody who
really believes In the magical virtues Of
the stuff IN stopping mouth and body
odors keeping colds away, etc.. 60 out
and eat some green grass. In that way
he will get far more of the green pig
ment in leaves which is the cornerstone
of all life on earth, than in anything
that can be purchased in drugstore.
Little Truth. y
"Our most charitable appraisal" he
says in Cal Tech publication. lis that
we have here case of a little bit Of
truth going long way.
There are at least two recognized
medical uses for chlorophyll, but had
to do good deal of digging to find
them. It is known to stimulate the pro-
duction Of healing tissue in certain
types of LESSONS. If you have a peptic
ulcer some doctors will recommend a
chlorophyll preparation. would guess
that there probably are better things
to take for ulcers
"The second accepted use has given
rise to the current fad. Gangrene is
essentially rottinq Of the flesh in deep
seated wounds Certain gangrenouS
LESSONS may become rather foul
smelling. It was found some years ago
that cnlorophyll pastes would decrease
the unpleasantness of the odor. Manu-
facturerS> Of air purifiers were the first
to take advantage of this fact. You use
magic bottle containing chlorophyll
when you are cooking onions. It abSo-
lutely kills the odor of onions in the
room.
What is accomplished is the deaden-
ing Of your sense of smell by means Of
a volatile anesthetic, such as formalde-
hyde. You do not smell the onions, but
the s,nell Is still there. The chlorophyll
appears to have nothing whatever to do
with the deodorizing effect"
NiObium Source Found.
American sources Of the rare element
niobium-now essential for manufac.
ture Of jet engines-have just been re-
ported by Interior Department geol.
ogiSts.
This hard. steel-gray. acid-resistant
metal, necessary for extreme heat.
resistant steel alloys, hitherto has been
in very limited demand, but with the
jet plane age, 1t has become strategic
material. =
The first hitherto unknown source
is from waste materials from the proc
eSSing of Arkansas bauxites to obtain
aluminium. These wastes, it has been
found in the Geological Survey labora-
tories. contain as much as a pound of
niobium ton. If the content of very
large amounts Of these bauxites proc
eSsed annually could be recovered, the
supply would equal about 80 per cent
OF the amount now imported annually.
The Geological Survey workers also
have found that American titanium
minerals also contain quite appreciable
amounts Of niobium. Nearly all the
present production of titanium ores is
from deposits very low in the rare
metal. Rocks known as "carbonatites"s
which contain titanium, however, have
been shown to be characteristically high
IN the element. One such deposit is at
Magnet Cove, Ark.
Further researches are under way to
determine the possible association Of
niobium with tungsten, tin, chromium,
and molybdenum.
Discovered by BritOn.
The element was first discovered by
a British chemist in a rock sample
from Connecticut early in the 10th
century. 1t remained little more than
scientific curiosity, however, until it's
peculiar properties of adding creep re-
slstance and fatigue strength to steel
alloys were discovered. These are par
ticularly required in the materials for
Jet engines because of the enormous
stresses to which they are subjected.
Mined for itself alone, niobium would
be intellectually expensive. Obtained
IN association with other metals, how
ever, the cost can be made quite rea-
sonable. It is one of the metals in
which the United States must be self
sufficient in case Of another great war.