MARGARET SANGER
1
327 rhesus monkey (Macaca iaulatta) and the African guenon (Oercopithecus aethiops) by putting yellow- fever virus into the gastro-intestinal tract through a stomach-tube. They have also found that virulent pantropic yellow-fever virus can survive for at least 15 days in the cockroach, Blatella germanica. Taking these two findings together, non-biting arthropods must be considered as possible vectors of yellow fever, ’especially as many species of monkeys are known to eat grubs and insects in addition to their mainly vegetarian diet. Since the first isolation of the yellow-fever virus, continually improved methods for the immunisation of human beings against the disease have been evolved. The inoculation of dead virus, even in large quantities, has been found to be quite ineffective either in protecting experimental animals from the disease or producing immune bodies in the blood of humans. The aim has therefore been to secure a strain of living virus sufficiently attenuated to give satisfactory immunity without producing marked reactions. Such an attenuation was found to occur after many passages through tissue culture with minced chicken embryo, first carried out by Lloyd, Theiler and Ricci. At first it was thought necessary to give large amounts of immune serum at the same time as the virus. This was highly unsatisfactory, both because of the discomfort to the patient and the difficulties of obtaining large quantities of human immune serum. For over two years now the virus has been given subcutaneously without immune serum both in America and London with good results and little after-effect. However, the finding of Findlay and MacCallum that monkeys can be im- munised by oral administration of their vaccine virus opens up the possibility of human immunisation by this route. This would greatly facilitate the administration of the vaccine especially under jungle conditions. So far attempts at human oral immunisa- tion have failed, probably because the virus is destroyed by hydrochloric acid. MARGARET SANGER FEW of us are so lacking in the spirit of adventure that we cannot enjoy reading about the work of pioneers. Margaret Sanger, pioneer of birth-control in the United States, was born to poverty and member- ship of a long family. From an artistic and erratic father, a friend of Robert Ingersoll, she early imbibed a political philosophy essentially radical in outlook. Later, under hard and primitive conditions, she trained as a nurse. This experience, coupled with her early upbringing and subsequent work in the slums of New York, provided an ideal culture-medium for the growth of feministic and other " advanced " ideas. Convinced that family limitation was an urgent and necessary step in the progress of human welfare, she set to work, in defiance of the law, to spread information about birth-control among working-class mothers. Such conduct naturally brought her to grips with the Federal Government, and, to avoid trial and imprisonment, she fled first to Canada and later to Europe where she continued her work. In England especially she received much sympathy and encouragement from many dis- tinguished persons, among them Havelock Ellis, H. G. Wells, and Lord Dawson of Penn. So domin- ated was she by the importance of her task that she became estranged from her husband-who inci- dentally suffered imprisonment for forwarding one 2. Lloyd, W., Theiler, M., and Ricci, N. I., Trans. R. Soc. trop. med. Hyg. 1936, 29, 481. of her pamphlets through the post-and was obliged to remain separated from her three children to whom she was devoted. After visiting China, India and Japan, she returned at length to the United States where she stood trial and was put in gaol rather than abandon the cause she had at heart. These are a few of the facts revealed in an autobiography 1 written with skill, modesty, humour and simplicity. It is the story of a long and ultimately successful fight for an idea, waged with quiet persistence by a physically frail woman who hated the limelight. On Aug. 11 Prof. G. GREY TURNER, of the British Postgraduate Medical School, is sailing for South America on behalf of the British Council, which endeavours to promote professional contacts with foreign countries. He will visit Buenos Aires, Rosario, Cordoba, Montevideo and Chile, and will return in October via Canada and the United States. At a meeting of the council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England held on July 31 it was decided to apply for a supplemental charter to give the college power to grant a higher dental diploma entitled " master surgeon dentist." The college will also ask for power to elect annually to the fellow- ship not more than four members of the college of 20 years’ standing. The death is announced of Prof. RICARDO JORGE, professor of zoology and anthropology in the Univer- sity of Lisbon, and formerly president of the public- health council of Portugal. For many years he was Portugal’s delegate to the Office International d’Hygiene publique and he was recognised as an authority on smallpox and postvaccinal encephalitis. INDEX TO "THE LANCET," VOL. I, 1939 THE Index and Title-page to Vol. I, 1939, which was completed with the issue of June 24, is now ready. A copy will be sent gratis to subscribers on receipt of a postcard addressed to the Manager of THE LANCET, 7, Adam Street, Adelphi, W.C.2. Sub- scribers who have not already indicated their desire to receive Indexes regularly as published should do so now. 1. Margaret Sanger. London: Victor Gollancz. 1939. Pp. 494. 16s. THE LANCET 1M YEARS AGO August 3, 1839, p. 693. From the evidence of Sir Astley Cooper before a parliamentary committee on medical education. " If I had a son to educate to the profession, I should give him a preliminary education, which should continue to 18 years. Besides what boys are generally taught, that preliminary education should comprehend Latin sufficient for medical purposes, enough Greek for him clearly to understand the derivation of the terms employed in science (as it facilitates exceedingly the acquirement of medical knowledge), and mathematics to a certain extent, to teach him how to reason. Having thus educated him in a preliminary way, I should put him for seven years to some hospital. * * * Whilst he was engaged as a pupil I should be disposed to send him for a season to Edinburgh, principally with a view to his following a course of clinical teaching. * * * After having passed a season at Edinburgh, he should spend, I am disposed to think, the seventh or last year of his education abroad ; and that would bring him to the age of 25...." "
Transcript of MARGARET SANGER
327
rhesus monkey (Macaca iaulatta) and the Africanguenon (Oercopithecus aethiops) by putting yellow-fever virus into the gastro-intestinal tract through astomach-tube. They have also found that virulentpantropic yellow-fever virus can survive for at least15 days in the cockroach, Blatella germanica. Takingthese two findings together, non-biting arthropodsmust be considered as possible vectors of yellowfever, ’especially as many species of monkeys are
known to eat grubs and insects in addition to theirmainly vegetarian diet.
Since the first isolation of the yellow-fever virus,continually improved methods for the immunisationof human beings against the disease have beenevolved. The inoculation of dead virus, even in
large quantities, has been found to be quite ineffectiveeither in protecting experimental animals from thedisease or producing immune bodies in the blood ofhumans. The aim has therefore been to secure astrain of living virus sufficiently attenuated to givesatisfactory immunity without producing markedreactions. Such an attenuation was found to occurafter many passages through tissue culture withminced chicken embryo, first carried out by Lloyd,Theiler and Ricci. At first it was thought necessaryto give large amounts of immune serum at the sametime as the virus. This was highly unsatisfactory,both because of the discomfort to the patient and thedifficulties of obtaining large quantities of humanimmune serum. For over two years now the virushas been given subcutaneously without immuneserum both in America and London with good resultsand little after-effect. However, the finding of
Findlay and MacCallum that monkeys can be im-munised by oral administration of their vaccine virusopens up the possibility of human immunisationby this route. This would greatly facilitate theadministration of the vaccine especially under jungleconditions. So far attempts at human oral immunisa-tion have failed, probably because the virus is
destroyed by hydrochloric acid.
MARGARET SANGER
FEW of us are so lacking in the spirit of adventurethat we cannot enjoy reading about the work of
pioneers. Margaret Sanger, pioneer of birth-controlin the United States, was born to poverty and member-ship of a long family. From an artistic and erraticfather, a friend of Robert Ingersoll, she early imbibeda political philosophy essentially radical in outlook.Later, under hard and primitive conditions, shetrained as a nurse. This experience, coupled with herearly upbringing and subsequent work in the slumsof New York, provided an ideal culture-medium forthe growth of feministic and other " advanced "ideas. Convinced that family limitation was an
urgent and necessary step in the progress of humanwelfare, she set to work, in defiance of the law,to spread information about birth-control amongworking-class mothers. Such conduct naturallybrought her to grips with the Federal Government,and, to avoid trial and imprisonment, she fled firstto Canada and later to Europe where she continuedher work. In England especially she received muchsympathy and encouragement from many dis-tinguished persons, among them Havelock Ellis,H. G. Wells, and Lord Dawson of Penn. So domin-ated was she by the importance of her task that shebecame estranged from her husband-who inci-
dentally suffered imprisonment for forwarding one
2. Lloyd, W., Theiler, M., and Ricci, N. I., Trans. R. Soc. trop.med. Hyg. 1936, 29, 481.
of her pamphlets through the post-and was obligedto remain separated from her three children to whomshe was devoted. After visiting China, India andJapan, she returned at length to the United Stateswhere she stood trial and was put in gaol ratherthan abandon the cause she had at heart. Theseare a few of the facts revealed in an autobiography 1written with skill, modesty, humour and simplicity.It is the story of a long and ultimately successfulfight for an idea, waged with quiet persistence by aphysically frail woman who hated the limelight.
On Aug. 11 Prof. G. GREY TURNER, of the BritishPostgraduate Medical School, is sailing for SouthAmerica on behalf of the British Council, whichendeavours to promote professional contacts with
foreign countries. He will visit Buenos Aires,Rosario, Cordoba, Montevideo and Chile, and willreturn in October via Canada and the United States.
At a meeting of the council of the Royal Collegeof Surgeons of England held on July 31 it wasdecided to apply for a supplemental charter to givethe college power to grant a higher dental diplomaentitled " master surgeon dentist." The college willalso ask for power to elect annually to the fellow-ship not more than four members of the college of20 years’ standing.The death is announced of Prof. RICARDO JORGE,
professor of zoology and anthropology in the Univer-sity of Lisbon, and formerly president of the public-health council of Portugal. For many years he was
Portugal’s delegate to the Office International
d’Hygiene publique and he was recognised as an
authority on smallpox and postvaccinal encephalitis.
INDEX TO "THE LANCET," VOL. I, 1939
THE Index and Title-page to Vol. I, 1939, whichwas completed with the issue of June 24, is nowready. A copy will be sent gratis to subscribers onreceipt of a postcard addressed to the Manager ofTHE LANCET, 7, Adam Street, Adelphi, W.C.2. Sub-scribers who have not already indicated their desireto receive Indexes regularly as published should doso now.
1. Margaret Sanger. London: Victor Gollancz. 1939.Pp. 494. 16s.
THE LANCET 1M YEARS AGO
August 3, 1839, p. 693.From the evidence of Sir Astley Cooper before a
parliamentary committee on medical education." If I had a son to educate to the profession, I should
give him a preliminary education, which should continueto 18 years. Besides what boys are generally taught,that preliminary education should comprehend Latinsufficient for medical purposes, enough Greek for himclearly to understand the derivation of the terms employedin science (as it facilitates exceedingly the acquirementof medical knowledge), and mathematics to a certainextent, to teach him how to reason. Having thus educatedhim in a preliminary way, I should put him forseven years to some hospital. * * * Whilst he was
engaged as a pupil I should be disposed to send him fora season to Edinburgh, principally with a view to his
following a course of clinical teaching. * * * After havingpassed a season at Edinburgh, he should spend, I am
disposed to think, the seventh or last year of his educationabroad ; and that would bring him to the age of 25...."
"
