SIX MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Tuesday, February 7, 1958
Sauerkraut, Pickles
Shed Light on Old
Mystery of Allergy
By DELOS SMITH
Uniied Press Science Ediior
New York (UP.) Light has
been thrown on a 90-year-old
mystery in the chemistry of some
human bodies. The light comes
from sauerkraut and dill pickles.
The mystery is why mere ex
posure to cold will raise hives
on some bodies but not on most
most bodies.
Of course, everyone said, "al
lergy." But allergy to what? And
how did cold set it off?"
Drs. Richard D. Wiseman and
Daniel K. Adler of Syracuse,
N.Y., have now produced the
tested proof that in the body
of a certain 35-year-old baker
the substance was acetic acid.
The cold part still is unexplain
ed. That acid is In sauerkraut.
Vinegar runs up to 12 per cent
acetic acid, and vinegar is used
in pickling.
Cold and Hives
Sometimes when the baker
went out into cold weather he
got hives on his head,' face, ears,
and hands, the parts of his body
exposed to cold. Other times
he didn't. Some times when he
ate ice cream , or drank cold
drinks, his throat would swell.
Other times nothing happened.
This had been going on for
four years. When intensively
quizzed he dimly remembered
that when it started he had
been eating lots of sauerkraut.
But the doctors sensed the
hot clue when a day came when
he ate a dill pickle and an hour
later had a cold drink, where
upon his throat felt as though
it was closing.
Acetic Acid
The,- common ingredient of
sauerkraut and dill pickles is
acetic acid. The baker was put
through a long series of tests.
All demonstrated that his body
chemistry was .mis-using acetic
acid.
Some of the tests were spec
tacular. If the 'baker had had
acetic acid in his diet, an ice
cube would produce hives where
ever on his body it was pressed.
Or ice cream would raise them
inside his throat. But when
acetic acid was eliminated, cold
produced no effect.
The doctors couldn't explain
what went on chemically inside
the baker. They assumed that
either acetic acid in the presence
of cold combined with some
thing else to form an allergy
exciting compound or that the
cold set off a compound already
formed.
Urge Cougar Seen
In Portland Hills
Portland '(U.R) A large cou
ga wa reported in the hills
skirting the northwest section
of the city last night.
The large animal was seen
Sunday night about 150 feet
from the home of Edward Hicks,
442 N.W. Skyline blvd. Hicks
said he had spotted the animal
tracks earlier in the day in a
wooded region near the home.
State police are attempting to
flush the animal from the woods
today. Gun shots heard in the
area last week led them to be
lieve the cougar possibly had
been wounded. -
Stamps May Honor
Blood Bank Program
Portland (U.R) The sugges
tion of a Milwaukie, Ore., man
may result in a series of special
postage stamps 1 commemorating
the American Red Cross blood
bank program.
The idea came from Albert
J. Plant, who has donated more
than a gallon of blood to the
program.
Sen. Richard L. Neuberger
(D-Ore.) took up Plant's idea and
has introduced- a bill for the
stamp issue in the U. S. Senate.
Two other countries Finland
and Yugoslavia have honored
their . blood programs with
stamps.
Plant also suggested to Neu
berger that the stamps be sold
first in Portland.
As We Live
By ELIZABETH HURLOCK. PH.D.
Mother Should Urge Son To
Get Professional Help
. Some problems have to be
handled with kid gloves or they
are made worse.
(Q) "I have a married son and
he has a boy of 11 years. My
son has been drinking for quite
a while ana
now his wife
says he is
drinking wine.
N a t u r ally, I
think he is
d i s t urbed
when he Is
drinking wine.
His wife quar-
Dr. Hurlock rels with him
when he is in that condition so
he leaves home. I am very wor
ried about this as you never
know what will happen when
people drink too much. I am
wondering what to do in a case
like this and would like to have
your opinion."
N.J.W.
(A) Because your son is a
grown man, you cannot, directly,
do anything. about his drinking.
Indirectly, however, you can do
a lot to help him and also to
help his wife. :
- So long as your son "limits
his drinking to wine, that is not
as serious as if he drank some
thing stronger. On the other
hand, it is serious enough be
cause v he can get drunk if he
drinks enough wine and, futher
more, he could easily shift from
wine to whiskey or gin.
Unquestionably, your son is
emotionally disturbed and that
is one of the causes of his drink
ing. Your daughter-in-law is not
helping the situation by quarrel
ing with him when he drinks.
In fact, she is making a bad
situation worse.
May Be Disturbed
Your son may be disturbed
about his work, his financial
condition, his home situation, or
any one of a hundred other
things. Most people who turn
to drink and drink too much are
emotionally disturbed. They use
drink as an escape from the
troubles that lead to their emo
tional disturbance.
It would be very helpful if
you could persuade your son
to consult a doctor, a minister,
or a psychiatrist about his troub
les. It would also be a great
help to him if your daughter-in-law
went to a marriage coun
selor and discussed the home
situation. Your role in this mat
ter should be to urge them to
get professional help. Don't try
to advise them about what to
do to correct the drinking or
they will accuse you of inter
fering in their affairs.
(COPYRIGHT 1956,
GENERAL FEATURES CORP.)
Together again! Homecomings are certainly big events.
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