CANCER VIRUS

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 31 August 1925, Page 5

CANCER VIRUS

WONDERFUL PHOTOGRAPHS.

TRACKING DOWN ORGANISMS

WONDERS OF THE MICROSCOPE

BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION- -COPYRIGHT

LONDON, Aug. 29. Enthralled scientists of the British Association at Southampton gazed on a screen on which were shown, by means of a lantern, viruses of cancer shown by Mr J. E. Barnard, the now famous miscroscopist, whose discovery, in conjunction with Dr Gye, created a: worldwide sensation. “We believe,” said Mr Barnard, “that we are really asking you to look at filter-passing virus associated with malignant human growths. It should be possible in the not distant future not only to photograph these living, organisms, but to give a sort of cinematograph representation of the life cycle of the organism. Moreover, we are hoping to be able to use such a short wave length that we shall be able to work in a vacuum microscope. That means that we shall be able to see. smaller viruses.”

Asked whether experiments were being made with scarlet fever, measles, small-pox and other diseases, Mr Barnard replied: “‘There are, almost more filter-passing viruses than known diseases, but we hope to catch the lot.. It means slogging away for a long time. Remember these fellows have not got labels on their backs. They have to be identified.”

Mr Barnard threw on the screen photographs of small bodies, showing tumerous growths detaching themselves from the parent virus. He. said he wished to emphasise that there were limits to the microscope at present, but there were great possibilities in the future. ’ ’

Mr Barnard explained, that the virus screened l had dimensions of nought decimal nought five of a micron. “With the ultra violet ray,” said Mr Barnard, “we can .photograph down to one-tenth of a micron, which is equivalent to one two-fifty thousandth of an inch.”

It is little wonder, says the Dally Chronicle, that the /uulienee was thrilled, because it foresaw the day when the smallest organism will be tracked down. Mr Barnard added that it should be possible eventually to secure magnification of three thousand times.