20

hepatitis.  The results so far indicate that the intravenous adminfstratien
of large quantities of human albumin to such patients is life-saving; they
are tided over a critical period until they can resume the manufacture of

their own plasma proteins.

  STUDIES ON l?NXUMOGOCCI. THE CAUSATIVE AGXXT 01" LOBAR PNEUMONIA

             Dr- Averv and associates.

     For a number of years Dr. Avery and his associates have been
studying the phenomenon of transformation of one type pneumococcus to

another.  The results of these investigations are of great biological

significance, as well as being of importance in understanding certain

phenomena associated with disease,  It has been shown that one type of

pneumococcus, grown in a medium containing an extract from another type
of pnemacoccus and rabbit serum containing antibodies against a rough

form of pneumococcus, will be transformed to the type of pneumococou#.
from which the extract just mentioned was obtained. This phenomenon has
been designated transformation of one type of pneumococcus to another,
For several years., Dr. Avery and his associates attempted to identify the
active principle in the pneumococcus which is responsible for transforma-
tions, and have shown that the substance Is desoxyribonucleic acid. This
finding uncovered new biologic activities of nucleic acid. Then, Ihr.
Avery and hi8 associates were able to purify a desolryribonuclease which
Is capable of destroying desoxyribonucleic acid, and the enzyme has been
used extensively in studying the transformation phenomenon.

    aS mentioned above, rabbit serum containing anti-R antibodies
is also essential to produce transformation experimentally. During the
past year, Dr. Avery and his associates have been studying the factors
in the serum which are needed to bring about transformation. So far they


have been able to show that antibody is active in the phenomenon by virtue

of the fact that i", aggl.&tinates ~nemec3cci ir,to cfUnps.  At least,

similar conditions of clumping brought about in the absence of antibody,

provided other conditions are suitable, permit transformation to occur.

They have also found that a dialysable factor in the serum is essential;

and, finally, they have demonstrated that a globulin factor is necessary.

This globulin factor is found also in the spleen and thymus, particularly

of calves.  Work on these serum factors has unearthed interesting facts,

and will be continued.

            RESPIRATORY DISEBSES

      Dr- Horsfall and associates,

Dr. Horsfall and his associates have continued to study

respiratory diseases, particularly primary atypical pneumonia.  In spite

of the fact that most of the hospital beds were used for patients with

acute infectious hepatitis, at least thirty patients with respiratory

diseases were admitted for study and treatment.

     Intensive investigations on patients with various acute

respiratory diseases have demonstrated the futility of attempts to make a

diagnosis in the absence of abundant laboratory data, Even the presence

or absence of pulmonary consolidation appears not to be discernible con-

sistently without adequate roeatgenological studies.  Among acute

respiratory diseases the distribution of clinical manifestations overlap

sufficiently to preclude the possibility of reaching a speoific diagnosis

in individual cases on clinical grounds alone.  Detailed investigations on

the etiology of each case of respiratory disease coming under study have

served to highlight the inadequacy of present knowledge, and have cast

doubt on the validity of data commonly thought to have etiological import.