Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-15
BY THOMAS r. HENRY
science Editor Of The star

BY THOMAS r. HENRY
Science Editor Of The star
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 15.-
The body has an advance guard.
Everybody constantly is sur
rounded by countless hosts Of
death-the innumerable micro
organisms in the air, water, food
and everything else with which
1t comes in contact.
Seldom do any of these foes
get over the walls. When they
do the regular army starts its
defense-the antibodies Of the
gamma globulin fraction Of the
blood and the white blood cells.
By the large they are lazy
soldiers.
This was revealed in reports
before the American Chemical
Society at the University of Min
nesota in the symposium on i'm
munology conducted by DR.. VII
liam C. Boyd Of Boston Univers-
ity. The advance guard consists
Of two substances in the blood
the recently discovered properi.
din and something known as
blood compliment.
Significant Finding
Properdin. recently announced
by DR.. Louis Pilimer Of the
Cleveland Institute OF Pathology,
may be one Of the most signifi-
cant findings in biology Of this
generation, DR.. Boyd said in an
interview. 1t is in everybody's
blood. About all that is known
about it is that it is a protein,
q giant molecule containing
nitrogen and probably sulphur.
Its function is to stop invasions
before they get much beyond the
frontiers Of the body. Without
1t few probably would live more
than q few days. Blood compli-
ment Is a quite similar substance
which might be compared with
the immediate reserves.
When properidin is over
whelmed by the enemy advance
the compliment takes over.
When it, in turn, is overwhelmed
antibodies are formed, also pro-
teins, which constitute the
gamma globulin fraction of blood
serum. Gamma globulin, which
got much publicity a couple Of
years ago as possible preventa-
tive Of polio. Is combination Of
all the antibodies against every
enemy which the body has
mustered. It is an army Of spe-
cialists, with corps equipped to
grapple with any particular
species Of enemy.
Perhaps the gamma globulin
hosts are overwhelmed by the
hosts of the enemy. The white
blood cells. the whole nation in
arms, takes over.
There are persons born with
out gamma globulin, or the
capacity to form gamma globu-
lin. How they ever live beyond
infancy is an unsolved problem.
So far as known nobody is born,
however. without properidin.
Bacteria Harnessed
The vast hosts Of invisible
nature hate men and the lower
animals. So propridin has been
set up to preserve men and ami
mails. since In the eternal scheme
of things apparently they are
considered worth being pre-
served. Some day 1t may be pos
sible to inject properidin into the
blood stream in the presence Of
q threatened epidemic.
Chemists are Harvesting the
nuisance" bacteria, yeasts and
moulds.
Such microscopic organisms as
those that sour wine and those
that cause repulsive lumines-
cence on spoiled fish and meats
are. being used to accomplish
some Of the most difficult and
costly steps in the synthesis of
drugs. Up to now these have
been done by purely chemical
methods.
This was reported to the So
ciety by DR.. David Pearlman of
the Squibb Institute for Chem
ical Research Of New Brunswick,
N. J.
The wine and meat bacteria,
he said. have been found useful
in the synthesis Of Vitamin c.
Molds found rs parasite
on many ornamental plants and
flowers have been useful in pro-
duction Of cortisone and hydro
cortisone.
1.-THE chemical changes these
micro-organisms perform when
grown under laboratory condi-
tions." he said, apparently bear
little relationship to those they
carry out In their natural en-
vironment. It Is difiicult to pre-
dict the potentialities Of any par
ticular organism. The fermenta-
ton chemist and bacteriologist
continually are studying new
organisms in the hope Of per-