Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • 44

mm Iltm New Miracle Drug, Difficult to Obtain, Saving Sufferers By FRANK CONNIFF I aitertal NEW YORK, Sept. 11. White-sheathed nurses hover over a hospital bed where the breath of a child patient comes in an agonized wheeze. The air is taut, as death reaches for another victim of its lethal lackey, septicemia. A sure-fjngered doctor, armed with a tiny tube, pauses for a moment, holding a miracle weapon that can still mean life to the doomed patient, Research Council, controls cation of the rare drug.

The response was negative, on the ground that the drug would not help In her particular case and that it as too scarce to war rant experimentation. GIRL 11NALLY DIES To the 111 girl this was equivalent to a sentence of death. For days she lingered on, kept alive by repeated blood transfusions. On August 25 she died. Penicillin might have saved her if there had been enough to go around.

In several other cases enough penicillin has been allotted to save a patients life always with the consent of the government, which exei rises complete conti ol of the drug, and distributes it democratically, with regrrd to the gravity of the patients case, rather than his wealth or standing Twenty -five hundied dollars wmith of the diug, for Instance, was used recently to cure Joseph Passeser, a New Yoik Navy Yard fireman suffering from septicemia. On the other hand, pleas from doctois of moie than one rich and piomlnent patient have been rejected. Sl'FPLY SCANTY Production of penicillin Is a long and costly process because it must be grown from mold cells and go through elaborate processes of Incubation and decantation before use. Sixteen laboratories are now licensed to produce It, but the supply Is still far short of the needs of the armed forces. While the complete powers of the drug are not yet established, doctors say It Is more effective than sulfa drugs in many bloodstream Infections, and that It cures staphylococcic cases which defy all sulfa treatments.

Also, unlike the sulfa drugs, it is free from toxic effects. It has been found semi-miraculous in its cure of such virulent diseases as osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone marrow, pneumonia, diphtheria and nearly all staphylococcic infections. One part of ptalclllin dissolved in 85 million parts of water is potent enough to halt the growth of bacteria, permitting them to fall easy victims to the white corpuscles, the bodya "military force" against bacteria. FORMED BY MOLD HELPED BY PENICILLIN Scarcely believing her little daughter is alive, Mrs. Lawrence J.

Malone bends over 2-year-old Patricia Malone in a New York hospital. On August 11 doctors said Patricias death was a matter of hours unless penicillin Interafttlonikl Newt fhuto tells its own story. Herculean efforts are being made to put the new wonder drug into quantity production for United States fighting forces. Production of the new miracle drug Is described by authorities as a long and costly IWWI could be obtained. Thrpugh the New York Journal-American, one of William Randolph Uearsts newspapers.

United States Public Health authorities were persuaded to release enough penicillin to treat the child. The above photo, made a week later, ixa ami'gCTF'Sttj Now!" he says, and wonderworking penicillin begins to drip into the veins ol the youngster, restless In the grasp of fever. FEVER RECEDES Hours pass, and the childs fever recedes. In the morning the patients eyes open. In a few days interest in life rekindles.

A iew more days and the case is written off as out of danger. And science, ever ready to acclaim a potent puncher in its endless war against disease, chalks up another victory for penicillin, the miracle drug of 1943. Yet not every one can have penicillin, even when it is a matter of life or death, Production of the new microbe-killer Is a long and costly process, and the bulk of it Is allocated to the United States armed forces, which need it to fight deadly wound Infections. The scarcity of the drug has been tellingly diamatized recently through a number of cases, each Involving advanced cases of septicemia and calling for immediate administration of penicillin if the patient was to survive. In some it has been possible to obtain the drug.

In others all pleas have been denied, and the sufferer has had to face the torturing prospect of dying with aid in sight. WES NEW YORK CHILD Perhaps the most thrilling demonstration of the drugs poweis was Its recent use In the case of 2-year-old Patricia Malone, of New York City. On August 11. little Patricia, a patient In Lutheran Hospital, faced Imminent death ftom the ravages of staphylococcic septicemia. Doctors gave her seven hours at most, to live unless a supply of penicillin could be obtained.

But, owing to wartime restrictions, the drug was not. available. In their extremity, the anguished parents, Mr, and Mrs. Lawrence J. Malone, of Jackson Heights, phoned the New York Journal-American, one of William Randolph Hearsts newspapers, and asked lor help.

1 Available sources of penicillin jwere immediately canvassed by reporters and it was found a supply could be obtained, with Army permission, from the E. R. Squibb and Son laboratories at New Brunswick, N. J. DRUG RELEASED Proper officials were contacted, and, after learning of the circum-etances, gave the necessary orders to release the penicillin.

It was rushed 50 miles bv car with a police escort and administered to the child by her physician, Dr. Dante Colitti, a little in advance of the time-limit that had been set on her life. Because of the advanced stage of the disease, It was doubted the drug would be effective. But within 12 hours the babys fever receded and two weeks later she was pronounced on the road to recovery provided no new complications arose. Physicians at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore credited penicillin with saving the life of 9-year-old Drema, Dent a few weeks ago.

The Dent child was admitted to Johns Hopkins suffering with as-teomyelitis of the right ankle. Sulfa drugs were administered, but to no effect. PENICILLIN SAVES HER Luckily for her. Johns Hopkins Is one of the 22 American hospitals permitted to use the drug for research. As a last resort Injections of penicillin were given.

The child rapidly Improved and soon was off the danger list. Less fortunate was 19-year-old Marie Barker, of Chicago, a sufferer from a form of staphylococcic septicemia. Her soldier sweetheart, Sgt. Elmer Peters made a direct appeal to President Roosevelt for penicillin. The request was referred to the National Institute of Public Health at Bethesda, Md which, in cooperation with the National EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE Journal-American, helped to get some penicillin for Patricia Malone, 2, who faced death from septic TAe following letter was sent to Pub Usher William Randolph Hearst, Sr after one of bis newspapers the New York She Is bow progressing very well, and with Gods assistance Will shortly be back with us.

I do not believe that anyone will ever understand and appreciate the deep sense of gratitude which the babys mother and I have for the entire organization of the Journal-American for what they performed for us. It is heartening to know that there still remains in the world, under present conditions, a spirit of kind thought and consideration for ones fellowman. Permit me, through these means, to express our heartfelt thanks and undjlng Itude for what has been done. With every good wish, I remain Very sincerely yours. LAWRENCE J.

MALONE. portion of the penicillin, but was tnftuccessfuL It was suggested that I contact the New York Journal-American, which publication had humanitarily taken Interest, in the past, In cases of this nature. Mr. Paul Schoensteln, city editor at 220 South Street. New York City, upon learning of the facts in this case, threw the forces of his entire staff behind an effort to obtain and deliver the serum to the Lutheran Hospital in our behalf.

Through the unceasing efforts of Mr. Schoensteln and his staff the drug was released by the governmental authorities In time to keep the baby with us. 8311 34th Avenue, Jackson Heights, Long Island, August 19th, 1943. Mr. William R.

Hearst, 1 McCloud, Wyntoon, California. My Dear Sir: I am the father of little Patricia Malone who Is confined In Lutheran Hospital In New York City. As you no doubt know, our baby was taken to the hospital suffering from a severe septic poisoning. On Wednesday afternoon of last week, practically all hope was relinquished for her recovery unless the penicillin drug could be obtained from the Army authorities. I endeavored to have the authorities release a r-aKirarani "itTroirnnfiw While it is called a microbe-killer, penicillin resembles the sulfa drugs in that it actually only arrests bacterial growth.

However. that is enough in most cases. The miracle drug is formed by mold, like ordinary cheese and bread molds, grown In the laboratory. Prodigious efforts," according to the government, are being made to step up production. Its precious secret was discovered by accident in a London laboratory 14 years ago.

Dr. Alexander Fleming was peering at a group of culture plates In St, Marys Hospital when he noticed a strange thing. All of them were swarming with bacteria, but around a spot of green mold on one plate was a ring of clear fluid. It was apparent something was affecting the bacteria. In high excitement, he succeeded in isolating the substance, which was christened penicillin In recognition of the mold-cell fiom which it derives, penicillin notatura.

BROUGHT TO U. S. LV 1941 Tried out on lower animals, the fluid was found effective. Its development for general medical use was slow, however, and it was not until 1941 that it was introduced into the United States. Physicians still caution against popular tendencies to regard It as a cure-all for all infections.

However, its results are marvelous In staphylococcic septicemia of types that formerly were regarded as Incurable. And, after wars end at latest sooner, If possible penicillin will be available to all another mighty step forward In Science's constant struggle against disease. International News Fboto discarded. Filtrate running into the large can Is mirrobe killer. This is only one of many processes in producing the new wonder drug.

PRECIOUS HARVEST The method of harvesting penicillin by decantation. Mold matter inside jars, from which penicillin springs, is PENICILLIN GIVEN TWO HERE faith in the drug. It may be. they pointed out, it was an instance of too little and too late. Johnnys case.

In particular, might have been helped If additional quantities of the drug were obtainable, but his nurses said only one unit was alloted each patient. They made a last minute appeal the Army controls the supply for another shipment of penicillin, but it didn't arrive in time and they admitted they had no assurance It could have prevented his death. One of the doctors treating Ruth Irene, whose parents live near Apollo, described her condition as very low." She added: "Nothing short of a miracle will help her now. Penicillin was no good In this ease. I doubt if anything could have helped.

She needed a miracle from the first In both cases, the drug was Doctors Hold Faith in New Bacteria-Killer rushed here only after Army approval for Its release was obtained. In Johnny's case. Gov. Martin interceded to get the release. Ruth Irene the first to get the rare drug had failed to respond to the usually-effective sulfa drugs and several blood transfusions.

The sulfa drugs also failed In Johnnys case. Johnny was stricken with progressive osteomyelitis of the skull. Month after month, surgeons chipped away at his skull to curb the Infection. He had been ill since December. Patients Get Small Quantity Of Magic Drug Penicillin the magic cure for so many had little effect In two recent Pittsburgh tests.

Johnny Delach, 18. of McKees Rocks, died of a rare bone disease in St. Margarets Hospital despite emergency Injections of the hard-to-get and much-needed drug. And, in two weeks, the usually-effective serum has failed to change the critical condition of three-months-old Ruth Irene n-nlnger, ill with a frequently-fatal infection. In both eases, hospital attaches stressed that they have not lust i ENLARGEMENT A strange resemblance to an angry little old man is shown In the mUrostopie enlargement of penicillin nutatum.

central principle of new wonder drug that cures hopeless eases of septicemia whenit can be obtained. UNTO TUN AT i ss Marie Barker. Chicago septieemia victim, looks at photo of soldier sweetheart. Sgt. Elmer Peters, who made a direct appeal to President Roosevelt for penicillin for her.

The request was referred to the International News Prrvie National Institute of Publie Health and refused. not arbitrarily, but berause of a heart compliration that, in the opinion of doctors, would have made it dangerous to use in her case. Miss porker died August 25. -ECTlOff 4 PACI 4 Pittsburg!) Siudty SUM-TELEGRAPH SEPT. 12, 1944 1 I 1.