DISEASES OF WAR

Franklin Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 20, 21 February 1940, Page 3

DISEASES OF WAR

CONQUERE DBY SCIENCE Gangrene, trench nephritis, and epidemic encelpbalitis—in short, ail the major diseases that scourged the armies in past wars—can be checked now, according to Professor Louis Marlin, director of the Pasteur Institute, reports a Paris message to the “Chicago Tribune." in addition, modern army medical services have speeded transportation o l ' battle casualties, and arranged treatment that give Hie wounded the best chance of recovery. Every French soldier must be vaccinated no fore leaving for the trenches. Professor Martin says that for the first time in medical history antigangs ene serum is plentiful. Furthermore, lb ore is the possibility of a triple vaccination in one. which will protect millions of allied soldiers from diphtheria, tetanus, and typhoid.

Soldiers are now protected against diseases like trench fever and arench nephritis, which were comparatively unknown before tise last war. The Pasteur Institute now can provide ruiou vials of anti-typhoid vaccine v.dthin 48 hours and 50,000 doses of-anti-tetanic serum a day. Last spring more than 1000 horses capable of producing anti-toxin serum were evacuated near Paris. hree weeks later a laboratory improyised by five doctors furnished 670,000 doses o' the scrum necessary for the vaccination of class 15 against typhoid. Professor Martin said the horses were treated to furnish the valuable scrum in about five or six weeks, whereas in 1914 it took six months, and in 1918 three and a half months lo arrive at inferior results. . During the last war the Pasteur In.dilute produced 6,000,000 doses of serum, which was distributed among the Allies and the Red Cross.

Production Developed Means ol' production are considerably developed and huge reserves are available to treble the output. Special sanitary, hygiene, and pathology corps have been added to the French army medical service. The strategical and tactical employment of medical units have been paid particukv attention to with reference to the

collection, evacuation, and distribution of the wounded.

Thirty groups of French surgeons today are operating in forty surgeries near the front under a new lighting system that is not affected by explosions or atmospheric conditions. Special trains equipped with the latest medical apparatus will transport major cases inland. Thousands of Parisians daily wait in line at the Hospital St. Antoine to have tlieir blood tested. They have pledged to he available whenever their type of blood is needed to replenish the many “blood oanks.” “Universal donors” have given large quantities of blood, which can be kept in perfect condition for at least two weeks. This blood was sent to hospitals at the front. Dr. Alexis Carrell, Nobel Prize winrer in medicine in 1912 and former member of the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research, has been named bead of a special mission in the cabinet of public health by Minister Marc Ru cart. Turing the last war Dr. Carrel helped develop a new sterilising solution for treating wounded soldiers and a mechanical means of application which was accepted by all military hospitals.