Evening star., 1954-09-27
Scientists Restore Life
To Frozen Humsters
Quick Heat Application
Internally Is Successful
By Thomas R. Henry

Revival of warm -blooded animals
with body temperatures reduced close
to zero centigrade-when they "con-
sisted OF hard-frozen shells with un-
frozen or slightly frozen contents"-is
reported by PSYCHOLOGISTS of the Ma
tional Institute of Medical Research in
London.
The animals used in these studies
were hamSters whose fur often is sold
as mink. Their temperatures were re-
duced quite rapidly by immersion in
propylene glycol baths. according to
the report in Nature, organ of the Brit
ish Association forsthe Advancement of
Science, by Drs. A. U. Smith, j. E.
Lovelock, and A. S. Parks.
When the body temperature was re-
duced to 2.5 c. the hamsters stopped
breathing. There was no visible heart
action at 1.8 c. Even so. the British
doctors report, some could be brought
back to life" even when the tempera-
ture sank as low as SIS c.
Little Internal Freezing.
The revival could nearly always be
accomplished as long as there was little
actual stiffening of the internal organs.
This would mean that the water in the
body cells had started to crystalline and
the experiments showed that this proc
ess proceeded at a rate of about Is
per cent of the body water per hour.
From the hard-shell condition six
hamsters were brought back completely
by internal heating by means of dia-
thermy and artificial respiration. Seven
others that had been frozen for longer
times were revived, imperfectly but died
in short time.
The secret of revival seems to lie in
the rapid application of heat internally
and If the freezing process has not gone
too far. there apparently are no lasting
bad effects.
Small bits of isolated tissue have been
revived from temperatures as low as
-79 c., they report.
X
Climate Affects Disease.
Multiple sclerosis, Gripping and even
tually fatal nerve disease which appears
to be on the increase. seems primarily
malady Of the north.
In both North America and Europe
it's death rates decline from north
southwark, DR.. Ben w. Lichtenstein Of
Chicago has reported to the Interna-
tional Congress of Clinical Pathology.
The colder the climate, the higher
the mean death rate. On this continent
the high mortality is found in Canada
and the northern tier of the United
States. The northern provinces of Italy,
a recent study has shown, have much
higher rate than southern provinces
like Sicily and Calabria. Much the same
was shown in Turkish survey.
Affects Nervous System.
There is some reason to believe, DR..
Lichtenstein said that both climate and
prevailing barometric pressure have
something to do with the disease, caus-
ing vascular spasms in the central
nervous system which in some way
tend to destroy the protecting sheaths
of the nerve f1bers.
AS regards its basic causes, he said,
this remains one of the least known of
all diseases. 1t is basically malady Of
young adults, yet cases among children
and older people are not uncommon.
Sometimes it is acute, ending quickly
in death. Sometimes it is progressive
over a long period Sometimes there
are long remittances in its progress
and the victims are hopeful they have
been cured. The different types some
times have been described as different
diseases.
Strikes Various Spots.
Even the symptoms are quite differ
ent. Sometimes the disease strikes the
spinal column and causes paralysis In
other cases. the disease seems centered
in the cerebellum of the brain, causing
inco-ordination of movements and
speech disturbances. Other cases are
centered in the cerebrum with paraly-
sis and dementia. A rare form attacks
only the optic nerve, with disturbances
of vision.
A virus of some sort has been sus-
pected, but none ever has been found.
Autopsies of multiple sclerosis VIC
TINS show notable changes from nor
NAL in both brain and blood, it is re-
ported by DR.. j. N. Cummings OF Lon
don. Chiefly noted is loss Of various
normal body fats from the nerve tissue,
the substances known as phospholipinS
and cholesterol Excretion of choles-
terol, a notable substance in the brain.
was observed during acute phases OF
the disease.