SCIENCE-SUPPLEMENT 



a, region of practically no difference in height 

 sueli as would cause errors in scale, it is admir- 

 ably suited to this method of surveyino-. 



VACCINE THROAT SPRAY FOR ^^" 

 PNEUMONIA 



J.T may soon be possible to spray your throat 

 'titiA so become immune to pneumonia infection. 

 Dr. Russell L. Cecil and Gustav I. Steffen of the 

 Hygienic Laboratory of the V. S. Public Health 

 Service, warkdng at BelleTue Hospital in New 

 York City, have completed experiments on mon- 

 keys that suggest that considerable immunity 

 against virulent pneumonia can be obtained by the 

 mere spraying of the tliroat with pneumococcus 

 vaccine. 



Monkeys can be completely protected against 

 pneumonia by injections of the vaccine under the 

 skin, and recent tests prove that injecting the 

 vaccine directly into the trachea or windpipe, lead- 

 ing from larynx to lungs, is just as completely 

 effective. Although throat spraying did not pro- 

 duce complete immunity in the ease of monkeys, 

 the bacteriologists believe that it may prove ef- 

 fective when used on a human being. They found 

 that moukej's when having their throats sprayed 

 closed tlie opening into the windpipe and the vac- 

 cine did not get a fair chance to act. The human 

 trachea could easily be reached by the spray and 

 immunity produced. 



Protection against pneumonia produead by 

 isprayioig or injection of vaoeiiie into the wind- 

 pipe probably extends only as far as the cells 

 *hat would be first attached by the microbes pro- 

 ducing pneumonia, as tests indicate that a pro- 

 tective substance is not formed in the blood as in 

 the case of smallpox or similar immunization. 

 Further tests to amplify the experimental data 

 and perfect the methods are to be undertaken in 

 order that practical use of' protection against 

 pneumonia can be achieved at the earliest possible 

 time and the greatest possible safety. 



During- the war, Dr. Cecil and collaborators 

 tested the prophylactic value of pneumococcus 

 vaccine on recruits in the XJ. S. Army and found 

 that the eases of pneumonia were few in the or- 

 ganizations that were treated with vaccine , in- 

 jections under the skin. There were some severe 

 reactions at the time of the inoculations, however, 

 and further research was thought adrisable before 

 active immunization against pneumonia would be 

 practical in civil life. For this reason experiments 

 leading to the spraying method were undertaken. 



The vaccine used consists of a salt solution sus- 

 pension of killed pneumococci, the microbes that 



produce pneumonia. As many as 120,000,000,000 

 pneumococci are used in a single vaccination ex- 

 periment. 



In 1920 pneumonia was responsible for 137.3 

 deaths out of every 100,000 people in the United 

 States, and in fatality it was outranked by only 

 tuberculosis and organic heart disease. la 1918, 

 when influenza deaths mounted to the high total 

 of 300.8 per 100,000, frequent pneumonia as an . 

 after effect caused a pneumonia death rate in that 

 year of 2S6.2. 



Through the use of pneumococcus vaccine and 

 further experimentation, it is probable that these 

 high rates will be greatly reduced when the vax;- 

 cdnation against pneumonia is practiced widely. 

 Eventually it may even be possible to control this 

 respiratory disease ais completely as smallpox, pub- 

 lie health experts believe. 



GLUCOSE RECOMMENDED AS AUTO 

 RADIATOR ANTI-FREEZE CHEMICAL 



Glucose is recommended as a preventive of 

 automobile radiator freezing by Dr. Charles H. 

 LaWall, Department of Theoretical Pharmacy, 

 Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. 

 ' ' For four wihters past I have successfully em- 

 ployed commercial glucose with unquestioned ef- 

 ficacy and with no detrimental results whatever^" 

 explaned Dr, LiWalJ. 



lis bp'.eves that glucose is superior to anti- 

 freezing mixtures containing denatured or wood 

 alcohol, glycerine, or some chemical salt such as 

 calcium chloride. The ordinary confectioners ' 

 white glucose is preferred, although on one oc- 

 casion he used the glucose sold for table use. 



The amount necessarj' is between 15 and 20 per 

 cent, or about a pint and a half of glucose to a 

 gallon of water. The glucose may be mixed with 

 enougli warm water to completely dissolve it and 

 then added to the remainder of the water in the 

 radiator. No further addition or attention is 

 necessary except to replace the water lost \)j 

 evaporation. When warm weather arrives the 

 radiator should be emptied, rinsed out and filled 

 up with plain water. 



' ' In addition to using the mixture practically 

 for four 3'ears with satisfactory results I also 

 performed some experiments to determine the con- 

 gealing point of such a mixture," said Dr. Lar 

 Wall. "I found that it begins to get slushy at 

 atoout 10 degrees above zero Fahrenheit, but that 

 it dOiBS not actually freeze and harden even at 

 6 degrees below zero Fahrenlieit. ' ' 



' ' Glucose docs not corrode nor affect metals ; 

 in fact, it prevents such action by virtue of its 



