Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-10
New Kind Of Flu Virus
Caused 1853 Outbreak
Bug Keeping One Step
Ahead Of MicrobioIoqists

n UGW klIlQ "a Ou VuuS ID SVOAV1uB.
It was responsible for considerable
percentage Of the influenza scattered
over the world during the past year. &C
cording to DR.. Dorland ]. Davis, chief Of
the influenza unit Of the National In
stitutes Of Health, and Dr.. Carl G.
Dauer Of the Public Health Service.
Three broad types Of the germ" Of
this disease now are known-A, B and
c. The first, Type A, was isolated in
1888, and since then two other viruses
obviously belonging to the same family
have been identified. Type B, first iso-
lated in 1910. now has two species. Type
C, isolated in 1947. has only one species.
The new type responsible for the 1853
outbreaks apparently is a species of
Type A. It is closer to it than to either
tutes OF Health scientists have found
notable differences which place the new
bug" in a class by itself.
1t has been recognized for some years
that one Of the outstanding character
istics Of the flu virus is its ability to
mutate II that is to form new types
which do not respond to chronological
measures successful against older forms.
Thus the virus seems always to be keep
ing one step ahead Of the microbiolo-
gists.
Not Very Virulent.
The new type does not appear to be
especially virulent. although it was re-
sponsible, through the induced pneu-
monia, for fair number of deaths
throughout the world.
The disease has been a cause Of
terror everywhere since the great pam
demic of 1918-19-the third great
plague Of recorded history-which killed
millions. Nobody knows the type Of
virus responsible for this. Even the
nature of viruses, the smallest known
living particles, was unknown at the
time. 1t Is quite possible that the
pandemic germ has disappeared from
the world but there always is the
danger that some new mutation will be
just as virulent.
Very few die from flu infection, per
Sc. Mysteriously, however, it seems to
open the way to pneumonia the cause
OF most of the 1873 deaths. Pneu-
monia now can be fairly well controlled
by various anti-biotics, and this may
have led to false sense of security, the
report to the Public Health Service by
Drs. Davis and Dauer points out. Thus
incomplete statistics show that 10
deaths per 100000 in the United States
during the past year can be attributed
directly to influenza infection In spite
Of anti-biotics. about 300 deaths per
100000 come from pneumonia. some Of
which may have been preceded by
undiagnosed flu.
Finding of an ancient Mexican lake
shore where some of the earliest hu.
mans on this continent rolled great
boulders from a nearby hilltop on the
heads Of elephants and camels has just
been reported to the American Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science
here by DR.. Helmut de Terra of Co.
lumbia University
The site dates geologically from an
early phase of the last ice age. perhaps
as much as $4,000 years ago. Tusks
OF an elephant. the skull of long-ex-
tinct giant camel. and bones of extinct
bison, horses, sioths and various car
nlvores are found in a small area i'm
oed0ed in a sandy clay. In the same
deposit among the bones are many
boulders of roughly uniform size-about
two feet in diameter. The sites lies
directly under the brow of a hill.
Probably a Water Hole.
The most probable explanation for
the strange association, DR.. de Terra
says, is that the site represents a water
hole where all sorts of animals came
to drink. Presumably the lake shore
was muddy and the larger creatures got
begged down. Then ancient man, gath
cred on the hilltop, could crush their
skulls in safety by rolling the big stones
on top of them
unfortunately, there are no human
bones or artifacts on the site. These
hardly would be expected. however.
since the ancient hunters were unlikely
TO have ventured among the fierce
beasts.
1t is now fairly we'll established. DR..
de Terra says, that the southwestern
United States was inhabited during
this early phase of the ice age. The
nomad population probably spilled over
into Mexico. Ordinarily, it has been
assumed, the ancient hunters pursued
the large animals with stone-pointed
JaVellns. Here some group apparently
found a bonanza hunting ground.