198 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 8 



The results of this teamwork between chemists and medical scien- 

 tists have been of outstanding importance. Woven throughout 

 the whole progress of the investigation is ample human drama cloaked 

 from the layman by such chemical names as hydroxyethylhydro- 

 cupreine, apocupreine, ethylapocupreine, hydroxyethylapocupreine, 

 and other necessarily abstruse terms. Briefly, the problem was less 

 to find a compound effective with pneumonia and allied diseases than 

 to find one that would not harm the eyes. Certain of the cinchona 

 alkaloids were known to be effective in treating pneumonia, but they 

 were not to be used without great probability of eye damage. Such 

 a dilemma is, of course, a challenge to the chemist and to the physician. 

 The results so far indicate the discovery of cinchona alkaloid deriva- 

 tives, as new compounds, which give the profession of medicine what 

 it has long sought — a safe treatment of all types of pneumonia which 

 will not harm the human eye and therefore can be both effective and 

 safe. 



To date, close to 80 preparations have been tested biologically by 

 the medical collaborators. Some were found to cause no eye disturb- 

 ance, but to have little activity with pneumonia. The most promising 

 drug found, showing greater activity against the disease, lower 

 toxicity than any of the others, has also been tested in scores of clinical 

 cases, which have demonstrated a very high tolerance in the human 

 being to the drug, absence of any untoward visual results and a high 

 proportion of recoveries from severe pneumococcic infections of all 

 types. 



The investigations must go on, the clinical trials must be conducted 

 on a wider base, production of the compound on a large scale must be 

 undertaken. All these projects are now under way, and the chances 

 of ultimate success are very promising. 



When trained minds and proper facilities are applied to specific 

 problems, practical solutions are expected. If they were not forth- 

 coming — that would be news. 



Fifty years ago, Europe led the world, chemically speaking. Far- 

 seeing men predicted even then that in another half-turn of the century 

 the chemical leadership of the world would pass to America. This 

 change has come about, and the American Chemical Society as an 

 organization deserves a large share of the credit. The scientists of 

 each nation have worked with might and main to surpass one another 

 in chemical discoveries; and the advantage that we have gained has 

 been largely due to the cooperative spirit generated by our society 

 activities. A nation must be able to stand chemically alone unless it 

 would be subservient, so utterly does present-day civilization depend 

 upon chemistry for a thousand-and-one everyday foods and materials. 

 And it grows more and more apparent that to help one's country to be 

 chemically independent is the profoundest kind of patriotism. 



