DISEASES OF WAR

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21036, 12 February 1940, Page 3

DISEASES OF WAR

CONQUERED BY SCIENCE Gangrene, trench nephritis, and epidemic encephalitis—in short, ail the major diseases that scourged the armies in the past wars—can be checked now, according to Professor Louis Martin, director of the Pasteur Institute, reports a Paris message to the Chicago Tribune. In addition, modern army medical services have speeded transportation of battle casualties, and arranged treatments that give the wounded the best chance of recovery. Every French soldier must be vaccinated before leaving for the trenches.

Professor Martin says that tor the first time in medical history antigangrene serum is plentiful. Furthermore, there 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 trench nephritis, which were comparatively unknown before the last war. The Pasteur Institute now can provide 5000 vials of anti-typhoid vaccine within 48 hours and 50,000 doses of anti-tetanic serum a day. Last spring more than 1000 horses capable of producing antitoxin serum were evacuated near Paris. Three weeks later a laboratory improvised by five doctors furnished 670,000 doses of the serum necessary for the vaccination of class 15 against typhoid. Professor Martin said the horses were treated to furnish the valuable serum in about five or six weeks, whereas in 1914 it took six months, and in 1918 three and a half months to arrive at inferior results. During the last war the Pasteur Institute produced 6,000,000 doses ot serum, which was distributed among the Allies and the Red Cross. Production Developed Means of 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 arrny medical service. The strategical and tactical employment of medical units have oeen paid particular 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 of 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 their blood tested. They have pledged to be available whenever their type of blood is needed to replenish the many “blood banks.” “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 Carrel, Nobel Prize winner in medicine in 1912 and former member oi the Rockefeller Institute ol Medical Research, has been named head of a ypecial mission in the cabinet of public health by Minister Marc Rucart. During 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.