A discovery which is justly regarded as one of the greatest of modern times is that of the first of the sulphanilamide drugs, made by Domagk in 1935. It has led to spectacular improvements 1 the treatment of pneumonia, meningitis, puerperal fever. and many other bacterial diseases, writes the Scientific Correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian." It may, however, be surpassed in importance by a discovery recently made by Rene Jules Dubos, a bacteriologist of French birth, working in the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research at New York. It is possible to make this forecast because Dubos's discovery has arisen from a more profound scientific conception than that which led to the discovery of the sulphanila. mide drugs.
Dubos has been guided by an original eentific idea which is pregnant h revolutioner discoveries. He was educated in an agricultural institute and became interested in the pheno omen of decay. It well known that any plant, animal or organic substance ultimately decays and that the process of associated with bacteria. This is a on place. But Dubos, with inspiration has shown how it can be powerfully d for the discover! of new methods of curing disease.
He accordingly took some sample of soil from different sources and mixed them together with phosphates and other minerals, and then added to the mixture three sorts of bacilli of the type which produce respectively pneumonia, blood poisoning and boils. He cultivated this mixture for two years and then took a small amount of it into a pure culture of the boil bacilli. He found that these boil bacilli were damaged within 48 hours.
After further work he found that this damaging effect was lated with a special bacillus, which he succeeded in extracting from the mixture and cultivating by itself. Still further research showed that the damaging effect is due to a definite substance produced by this bacillus. He injected lutions containing the substance into mice suffering from virulent pneumonia and discovered that they had a curative effect, He now drove after the substance itself with all the resources and skill which the Rockefeller 1n: ie commands. Vast quantities of the parent bacillus e cultivated, and presently the active substance was obtained in association with a prot or jel like material. Finally fifteen grams of the substance were obtained free from the protein, in a pure crystalline form. It melts at 230deg. C., is sparingly soluble in water, and has a molecular weight of about 1,400.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.