San Antonio Evening News from San Antonio, Texas • Page 23

cience 7 A 5o Cry If You Life, for to Do So Releases from the Lacrimal Glands "Lysozyme," Which an Eminent British Physician Has Just Discovered Is Nature 's Most Powerful -A Germicide. 0 i-. Florence Reed in an Emotional Outburst--Such a Scene Has Saved Lives Because the Tears Releasing a Quantity of "Lysozyme" Have Killed Germs That Might Otherwise Have Entered the System. Sir Almoth' Scientist, Perseverence Resulted in the Discovery of "Lysozyme." potency of a 'tear drop, so long guaran- I teed by poets alone, has now become a scientific truth. As a result of experiments conducted in the laboratory of Sir Almoth Wright in Bt.

Mary's Hospital, London, there has been discovered the existence in human tears of a re- toarkable substance. This substance he has called lysozyme and one tiny drop of it will destroy millions of bacteria. Sir Almoth suspected its existence for a long time. After six months of experiments he was able to show its existence conclusively and to demonstrate its power to exterminate bacteria. Thus far this substance has not been isolated.

When this is accomplished, scientists believe that the most powerful germ-destroying agency known to man will then be available for use. The germicidal properties of tear drops were first publicly demonstrated by Dr. Alexander of Sir Almoth's staff at a recent conver- of the Royal London. In the vpresence-of several newspaper men he took a tiny drop tear in a pipette and gave it as a lethal -dose to a good many million bacteria -which clouded the liquid in a test tube. Almost immediately the tear Jjssolved every germ in the tube.

'Ha further explained 'that this secretion Jy- Bozyme-- was present, in nearly all the tissues of the body and in most of the secretions and excro- tions. It was at work all the time, he said, destroying many kinds of bacteria. 'But in" the ae- cretions of the lacrimal or fear glands, a very high distillation of this potent juice took place, which made the teardrop a reservoir of great power. Dr-; Fleming has not yet an- nounced. what are the constituents lysozyme, or.even, if- it is' capable of being Other scientists have ventured the opinion that the substance may be a very strong salt concentration and in that way.

derives its sower. According to the accepted a tear. Is "a drop of the saline liquid secreted by the lacrimal. gland, for moistening the'surface of the eye and washing away, foreign bodies. Ordinarily the tears are conveyed away by the lacrimal canals to the laerimal sac, whence they pass into the inferior meatus (in the nose) and mingle with the mucous secretion, but under the influence of strong emotion or by spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the eye, as in coughing or immoderate laughter, they overflow the cheeks." But tears not only wash away foreign bodies, they dissolve such bodies are not too large.

Almost everybody has had the experience of getting some tiny particle in-his eye and having- it dissolve there. And from this common experience, Dr. Fleming built up an hypothesis which has resulted in the present discovery. Sneeze and Kill Germs Commenting on the London scientists' Announcement a New York editorial writer said: "Nature has many ways of protecting the body. There is salt 'in tears and salt is one of the greatest protectors.

Salt, acid and violent shaking are deadly to germs. When you sneeze you kill gerins, just' as you would be killed if aa elephant stepped on you." To this the London scientists' claims as to the'tear drop seem entirely credible. Ha doesn't see anything unreasonable in hope that ultimately human tears can be utilized to immense advantage in medicine and chemistry. 'But before that time comes the problem of getting a world's supply of tears organized, will have to be solved. It is unlikely thafc an artificial method of pro- The Gish Girls--Lillian, the Movies' Most Copious Weeper, Has Enough Tears t5 Destroy Billions of Jane Cowl, the Stage's Greatest Weeper, May, Have a New Value Placed on Her Tears.

du'cing tears will lie discovered. From Dr. Fleming's statement it is gathered that the peculiar processes of the. lacrimal necessary to the creating of The only plentiful sources of supply, therefore, are beings. So now the maiden's tear, long celebrated by Xmvspaper Feature 1022.

lovers and makers of verses, has a commercial 'value. The possibilities suggested by revaluation of tears are many and widespread. Will young women tfho are particularly adept ct the exercise, start weeping for a living, just as hundreds of people now sell their blood to hospitals at the rate of $40 a pint? Will some unscrupulous person kidnap Jane Cowl or Florences-Seed or the Gfsh girls, force them to cry continuously and then bottle up the tears for sale? Will mothers stand around waiting for their babies to start wailing in order to catch the golden drops as they suggestions are fanciful, to be sure, bat are well within the limits of the The chances are that a "class of professional weeoers will spring Up from whom medical men and chemists will be able to obtain all the tears af are needed. But even professional weepers can't make them flow afwill all the time. For the occasions when the Primal glands' become stubborn it seem appropriate for the weep to bring into use an onion--or perhaps a bit of gas such as was used during the war.

Nature's Protective Germicide This gas induces such a copious Sow thai ono v-unded by the downpour. No ill after effects are experienced from the use of the gas, so it could be used freely. One commentator, however, has suggested that if nature has placed lysozyme in human tears, they were placed there for the protection of each human being. In other words, if any one (cried too copiously for outside consumption, it -tvould take away chemicals needed for the cleansing of his own body. In that case science might have to turn where.

Dr. Fleming declares that while lysozyme appeared nowhere else in such abundance as in human beings, there are traces of the substance in tissues of the lower animals and certain vegetables such as the-turnip. But could be utilized profitably, the fatal possibilities in excessive tear losses might bring about some fearful consequences. The tragedy of the- maiden who cried herself lo death might then 'figure, prominently, in. the newspaper--or at least in the melo'dramatic of that day.

The scenario would go something like this: The Unscrupulous Bounder offers his hind In marriage to the Banker's Beautiful she rejects him scornfully. The determines that he will have her at all-costs''and thafc even if he cannot win her he will at. least break her spirit. A Comedy of Tears He hires a gang of ruffians. They the B.

B. D. and take her to a hut-in- woods where the awaits her. They tia ier up to a.post in the centre of the cabin. Bounder taunts her, hoping that she wilTbwrst into tears.

But the maiden being proud, only tosses her head. The U. B. then produces an onion. She weeps, but not enough.

He then goes outside, closes the doors, hermetically all cracks, and rioods the cabin with lacrimogene, or tear gas. The beautiful maiden is slowly -weeping herself to death, when Peerless, Paul dishes up in his low-sjupg plane and rescues her. sponges up the tears, Bells them and with money thus acquired with his to life of ease and Other possibilities of the new discovery not so farcical. If tear drops do become valuable --righteous laws will have to be made in. order to prevent exploitation of innocent persons- Meanwhile Dr.

Fleming is continuing periments in an effort to isolate lysozyme. Sir Almoth Wright, in whose laboratory experiments have been conducted; it one of most prominent scientists in England. Ha awarded the Fothergillian gold Medical Society of London, the by the International Medical Congress, conte prize of the Academie des mad many others. He is also the author of many works, chief among -which-are "Principlea of Microscopy" and "Studies Sir Almoth is generally thought to be the flgor a George Bernard Shaw had in mind when ha, wrote "The Doctor's Dilemma." He has been referred to facetiously in England as Sir Almost KgikU.