Medicine: Capsules, Feb. 28, 1955

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¶ After medical societies and health officials protested, Maryland state legislators turned down an appeal for legal recognition as physicians from the state's 100-odd naturopaths (who treat diseases by "manipulation, diathermy, and exploitation of the body's natural curing powers").

¶ Two University of Louisville researchers, Dr. Alex J. Steigman and Dr. Murray Lipton, have developed a color test to indicate whether a child is protected against polio. The method: Hela cells (easily grown cancer cells) are mixed with polio virus, an indicator dye and a blood sample. Incubated at 36° centigrade for a week, the mixture is then examined for color. If the child is fully protected, the mixture will be yellow; if not, red. The new method, say the Louisville doctors, is cheaper ($25) than previous tests, requires less time than tests using monkeys, and will enable many more U.S. medical centers to determine the effectiveness of anti-polio vaccination drives.

¶ Known cases of hepatitis (a liver infection accompanied by fever and jaundice) have tripled in the U.S. since 1952, reported the U.S. Public Health Service. The ailment now ranks fifth (behind measles, VD, scarlet fever and streptococcal sore throat, and TB) in prevalence among communicable diseases; last year 49,722 cases were reported (up nearly 50% from 1953). Present standard treatment: rest and a highprotein, liquor-free diet.