Scientists Mad Much To Learn
In Exhaustive Study of Polio
(Editor! note! Following Is
- the last ia a taries of articles
prepared by the National
Foundation for Infantile Par-
alysis concerning gamma glob
alia and the foundation'!
steps toward control of polio.)
Pursuit of a control for paraly
tic Dolio began in earnest in
1938. But the road that led to
gamma globulin started in a bog
of misconceptions, then twisted
and turned uphill all the way to
the field trials of Provo. Utah;
Houston, Tex., and Sioux City,
la.
Scientists who sought to knock
tho paralysis out of polio had
much to learn, and much to un
learn. They did know that polio
waa caused by a virus. But in
1938. when the National Found
ation for Infantile Paralysis was
born, the virology of polio was
still in swaddling clothes,
Relatively few workers were
qualified to conduct investiga
tions in the polio field. Their
tools were crude; their finances
meager.
Serious misconceptions inher
ited by March of Dimes-supported
scientists included the belief
that the virus reproduces itself
only in nerve cells and that it
enters the body through the nose
and mouth and then travels
through the body only within
nerve fibers.
So, beginning literally behind
scratch, the National Foundation
went to work to encourage and
finance the training of more
workers as well as to support
basic research.
Paralysis Rare Exception
In time, these scientists
learned that symptoms of polio
might extend from a slight fever
to paralysis or death. They
learned, in fact, that a nonclini-
eal or "silent" infection was the
rule and paralysis the rare exception.
They learned that it was the
digestive tract of man that
served as the main portal of
entry and exit for the virus;
that man himself not flies or
cockroaches or bananas was
the chief reservoir of the virus;
they learned the interesting fact
that persons living in unsanitary,
but apparently polio-free parts
Of the world, invariably had
polio antibodies in their blood
acquired from polio infections at
an early age.
Much excitement was caused
by the discovery that polio virus
in the presence of specific anti
body was incapable of causing
the paralytic disease. This sug
gested that the role of antibodies
might be employed in develop
ing methods of polio control.
Time for Direct Attack
Throughout these years, most
experiments with polio were
carried out on rats, mice and a
few monkeys. By 1948, with
much of the underbrush of con
fusion cleared away, scientists
supported by the March of Dimes
had developed sufficient basic
information and more critical
tests of investigation to permit
truly scientific techniques and a
more direct attack on the goal
of research a method for the
control of polio.
To make an adequate number
of properly conditioned monkeys
available for such experimenta
tion, and to assure delivery of
uniform animals to each labora
tory so that the work of one la
boratory could be compared
with the work of any other, the
National Foundation established
a monkey-conditioning center.
The center provided housing
for 3,000 monkeys. The supply
and distribution system delivered
to March of Dimes grantees more
than 20,000 monkeys annually.
This operation made possible
J many studies that have brought
us to the point we have reacned
today. -
More Than One Virus Type
At the beginning of this era,
scientists bad reason to suspect
that human poliomyelitis might
be caused by more than one type
of virus. No problem has been
of greater basic importance than
the establishment of this fact
Any hope of controlling polio
with preventive or curative
drugs or vaccines demanded
that science first find put exact
ly how many different viruses
cause polio in humans.
The solution necessitated the
monotonous repetition of the
same technical procedures over
and over again for three solid
years. But at a cost of 1,370,000
March of Dimes dollars, the
problem was solved. Findings re
vealed that there are three dif
ferent types of polio virus. Sci
entists found that infection by
one does not give immunity W
the two remaining types.
' We recall now the discovery
that polio antibodies are present
at an early age in the blood of
persons living in the relatively
unsanitary parts of the world
where epidemic polio seldom
strikes. We remember that such
antibodies also are found in the
blood of most adults, no matter
where they live. These antibodies
have been found in the blood of
monkeys, after recovering from
polio or after vaccination against
it.
Since these antibodies in the
blood are associated with im
munity, it was of real import
ance to determine whether they
form an essential link in the pro
tection against paralysis, or
whether they are a nonuseful by
product of infection.
A number of animal experi
ments followed. From these, sci
entists concluded that, if enough
the blood before infection, par
alysis often could be entirely
prevented.
This was the result in the lab
oratory. The next question
Will these antibodies protect hu
man beings against paralysis? .
Fortunately, other workers
bad already succeeded in ex
tracting these antibodies from
blood. This product, gamma glob
ulin (also called immune serum
globulin), had already proven
effective against measles and in
fectious hepatitis. The Red Cross
made this material available to
polio researchers for the conduct
of human field trials.
Human Tests Begun
As soon as gamma globulin
could be made ready for use In,
the field, a March of Dimes
grantee began tests among
35,000 children in Provo, Hous
ton and Sioux City.
These tests yielded two im
portant results: (a) an agent
which, if it could be made avail
able in sufficient quantity, man
could use to protect himself tern
porarily against paralytic polio,
and (b) a vastly important re
sult the knowledge that 'this
protection could be attributed to
antibodies circulating in the
blood in such small amounts
that they were barely detectable.
The bright promise of this
achievement was dimmed by the
fact that the protection is tem
porary and, even so, not nearly
enough gamma globulin exists
to inoculate everyone suscepti
ble to the disease. The Office of
Defense Mobilization has under
taken the difficult Job of allocat
ing the limited supply during the
coming months. And, too, since
gamma globulin gives protection
against polio paralysis only for
about five weeks, it is not the
iinai answer. A practical vac
cine, giving longer-lasting im
munity, remains the goal of sci-
poilo antibodies are .present in t ence in its fight to control polio.
Around Hollywood
By AUNE MOSSY
(Jakes' fran CiniiiissiM
(Editor's note: Vernon Scott
United Press Hollywood report
er, is substituting for Aline
Mosby while she is vacationing.)
Hollywood M.10 The bibli
cal bug has bitten everyone in
Hollywood from DeMille to Zan-
uck. Now actor Tony Curtis
wants in on the act.
The dark-eyed 'teen age idol
who catapulted to fame in a few
short years would like to play
David, Israel's second king.
Tony, however, dotfsn't want to
follow in Gregory Peck's foot
steps, portraying a mature mon
arch with a harem full of sloe
eyed wives.
"I'd like to bring the charact
er of David, the boy, to the
screen," he said enthusiastically.
"My story would begin with the
youth living in the clouds with
a mind for nothing but poetry.
Great Climax
"It would be great," he said.
"Just imagine the climax with
David slaying Goliath."
Tony was reminded such a
story would leave little room for
romance. But the youthful actor
straightened that out, too.
"There was an innocent love
affair in David's life," he ex
plained. "The young daughter of
King Saul fell in love with
David the first time she saw
him, but it was heroworship,
sweet and naive."
Tony said he's all for a con
tinued change of pace in his
movie roles.
"I just finished work in
Beachhead,' the first really rug
ged role I ever played. In the
picture I'm one of two surviving
marines who land on a Jap-held
South Pacific island during
World War II.
"But the story is so brassy
and earthy," he grinned, "my
romance with Mary Murphy is
subordinate 'to the brutality of
the film.
"One night some of the 'Beach
head' cast and crew started a
game of charades," he recalled.
"Mary Murphy made a stance,
held out her hands as if she were
aiming a slingshot and almost
everyone shouted at once:
David!'
Re-Read Story
"It started me thinking. David
was not only romantic and dra
matic, but one of the best known
and most easily recognized char
acters in fact and fiction.
That night I re-read his story
in the Old Testament and by
morning the idea was born. Now
all I have to do is convince Uni
versal-International to let me
make the picture."
.
Phoenix Schools
Schedule Opening
On September 14
Phoenix Phoenix schools,
both elementary and high, will
open on Monday, September 14,
according to an announcement
by E. R. James, superintendent
of schools. The superintendent
said buses will run on the same
schedule as last year and he re
minded parents of first grade
pupils to bring their child's birth
certificate and health certificate
with them the first day of school-
Teachers will report September
8 for organizational meetings.
The office of Grade Principal
John Myers will be open the
week of September 7.
Students new to the Phoenix
high school are asked to register
at the high school office the
week of September 1 to 5. Former
high school students and incom
ing ninth graders from the
Phoenix grade school have al
ready registered for their pro
grams of studies and need not
appear until September 14. On
September 14, high school stu
dents are to report at the high
school gym for the opening as
sembly at' 9 a m. Following the
assembly they will obtain their
daily program of studies, secure
their books, pay their school
fees and attend classes. Regular
classes will get under way the
following day.
Two New Teachers
Two new grade teachers have
been elected for the coming
year, Mrs. Jane Germer, to teach
first grade and Mrs. Katharine
Stancliffe, to teach the eighth
grade. New high school teachers
vill be Byron Backes, social
studies, and Ernest Skipwortb,
mathematics and science-
. The school cafeteria will be
gin serving meals on Tuesday,
September 15.
Classrooms and corridors have
been redecorated and the grade
school gym and cafeteria re
painted during the summer. Old
locker facilities have been re
nlaced bv new lockers at the
high school.
Mrs. Marie Fisher has been
employed as school secretary in
the high school office.
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