THE CAUSE OF SCIENCE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 77, 14 March 1935, Page 8

THE CAUSE OF SCIENCE

Researches by Doctor EXPERIMENTS ON HIMSELF ‘‘He was simply sacrificing himself in the cause of science, and trying to benefit the community, and, in fact, the world.” Such was the explanation put forward in a London court lately by counsel defending Arne Gustaf Holmquist, aged 24, described as a brilliant Swedish medical student, ot Devonshire Terrace, Hyde Park. Holmquist was charged, as an unauthorised person, with having attempted to obtain two grammes of a dangerous drug from a firm of chemists in London, and with being in the unlawful possession of one gramme of the drug. When arrested Holmquist stated that he was frying to enter London University. He added: “I use the drug in experiments on myself to further mv research on the subject ot drugs. “There is no doubt,” remarked | prosecuting counsel, “that for his own researches and experiments Holmquist has sought to obtain this drug.” The drug, continued counsel, was specially beneficial in cases of great pain, and was five times stronger than morphine, from which it wns derived. A detective described Holmquist as the son of a retired banker in Stockholm. He studied medicine at the university there, and came to England in November last. He intended to apply to the Home Office to remain in Eng land to further his medical studies and take the degree of Bachelor of Medicine. The authorities wore shown the results of his research work in chemistry and pharmacology written in German and English and signed by him. Addressing the magistrate, defending counsel observed that unquestionably there wns a very brilliant future for Holmquist, which would bo n groat advantage to society. At Stockholm University he qualified as a Bachelor of Medicine with honours. In 1931 ano in 1934 the university made him a special grant to proceed to the Paris Pasteur Institute, where ho carried out research work on tho liver in connection with slecpy-sickness. In 1933 the Nobel people made defendant a grant of £5OO to proceed to Switzerland to study and make research into the causes of mountain sickness. Holmquist went to England because he thought there was greater scope there. Then he proceeded to do what many other enthusiastic young men had done before in the cause of science. Having no opportunity to experiment on others, he began to cx"periment on himself. Defendant, said counsel, had become acquainted with the drug in Sweden, and as a result of experiments he found he was able to reduce the quantity without any overwhelming desire to continue. He found it did not. give the exhilaration that morphia did. One of the effects, though, was to increase the sugar content of the blood, and, having ascertained that increase, he gave himself an injection and proceeded to open a vein to treat his blood with Insulin, tho drug used for sugar diabetes. “Defendant is not a drug addict at all,” counsel proceeded. “lie could have got the drug without any trouble in Sweden. Although not a doctor in this country, he is a doctor there. The furthering of his scientific knowledge is for the benefit of humanity.” The magistrate told Holmquist that ’he must have known he was doing something against the laws of the country, but at the same time he was not like the ordinary drug addict who obtained a drug to gratify his own desire. While Holmquist used the drug from a scientific point of view, however brilliant he was, it was dangerous for him to experiment in this way. The magistrate instanced a recent ease in which a young man in th* cause of scientific experiments killed himself, and observed that he did not want other young men to take such a grave, risk. In discharging Holmquist under the Probation of Offenders A''t. on payment of £l5 costs, he intimated that he made no recommendation for deportation

Three thousand opium addicts have been given permits in Calcutta, India, to continue the habit under rational allowances cei l died by doctors. Tin* aim of this is to prevent the yoiin/er generation irom acquiring Iho habit Bears are becoming so scarce in Bulgaria that the Minister of Agriculture has directed that all young bears nowin captivifv arc to be returned to the I forests. Bear-leading is » favourite wupation among Bulgarian gipsies