St Johnsbury Academy - Lamp Yearbook (St Johnsbury, VT)

Page 13 text:

THE ACADEMY STUDENT 11 they are caused by the streptococcic germ. Its most recent use is in aiding the healing of open wounds and it has proved most helpful in hospitals. It is being used on a large scale in war areas with great success. Now sulfanilamide is a part of all soldiers’ first aid kits and the soldiers have been instructed to take sulfanilamide as soon as possible after being wounded. Formerly blood poisoning caused the most deaths in war, but since sulfanilamide prevents blood poisoning, this use is one of the most important and timely of all the uses of the sulfa drugs. Now when soldiers are brought into hospitals, although they have ghastly wounds, their general condition is good and they have a much better chance of living because they have taken sulfanilamide. However, since sulfanilamide proved very toxic for some people, a search started for another drug which would prevent this toxic condition. This search is still continuing and several other drugs have been found. Two of the guiding principles in sulfa research are: (1) The new drug kills the same germs more quickly. (2) The new drug shows a definite tendency to kill the germs of another disease. The third one, which 1 have mentioned, is that it is less toxic. The first result of this search was sulfapyridine and this is used most specifically for pneumonia. Then the search continued and the chemists have found new uses for these first two and also new drugs. Two of the new drugs were sulfathiazole and sulfadiazine, which did about the same work and were less toxic, but required more time. Sulfathiazole is used to a great extent in combating staphylococcus infections, chronic sinus infections, and for pneumonia. It is one of the more important drugs in use. Sulfadiazine has been found very successful against meningitis. Also, it is used for severe burns and can even be used on burned eyes. It is also effective for pneumonia and streptococcus infections. One of the most outstanding sulfa specialists thinks that it may supplant all the other sulfa drugs. The most recent sulfa drug is sulfaguanidine, which is used in combating intestinal diseases, such as cholera and dysentery. At the present time it is being used under war conditions in the Far East, China in particular, against these diseases. As a word of warning, these drugs, or any drug for that matter, should never be used without a physician’s advice. The sulfa drugs are extremely strong and without proper knowledge can do much harm. Today the medical profession is saving lives and alleviating suffering with sulfa drugs, hut the ideal drug is yet to be found. In time it will appear and begin its greater work for the good of mankind. The field opened by these miracle-makers is extensive beyond imagination, the opportunity is unlimited and the research of the chemist only begun. Surely for us all here is interest and inspiration; here is a miracle being unfolded in our time, as miracles have unfolded in the past when the mind of some man or woman has been ready to grasp and hold them. —Katharine Powell

Page 12 text:

10 THE ACADEMY STUDENT VALEDICTORY ESSAY MODERN MIRACLES People have said that the age of miracles is past, but this is not true. It is only the scene of the miracles that has changed, for many of the miracles of today take place in the chemical laboratories of the world. One of these miracles has been tbe discovery of the so-called sulfa drugs, which is the general term for sulfanilamide and its derivatives. While it is not my purpose to set forth a scientific study or to solve any medical problems, I do wish to give a little general information about these important drugs and to express interest in and appreciation for the efforts of those scientists who are working to bring health to human kind. Contrary to the common belief, sulfanilamide is not in any way related to sulfur, a substance often taken in the Spring with molasses, but sulfa, is a product of sticky, ill-smelling coal tar. Although these drugs were released only after very complete tests covering a period of years, there were at first some very unfortunate incidents. Because the people in a certain part of the country desired liquid medicine, the sulfanilamide was made into that form, but was put up by a poorly trained laboratory technician and distributed in great quantities, without any tests. Soon disturbing reports began coming in and it was found that the solvent in which the sulfanilamide was dissolved was proving very harmful, causing the death of many people. This incident nearly ended the story of the sulfa drugs just as they were about to be released. Lack of complete knowledge concerning their use caused further harm. Sulfanilamide was used at random with little regard for the proper amount and the proper care. However, knowledge was soon more widespead and the sulfa drugs began their spectacular work of curing illness. Although the theory of how these miracle-makers work is very complicated, it can be simply stated thus: the sulfa drug combines with the food supply of the germ and the germ dies. The brief history of the sulfa drug is interesting. The first sulfanilamide was made in 1908 in Germany. Little was done in this field until the early twenties, when the Germans found that sulfanilamide, with other substances, made an excellent dye. In the early thirties, there were several reports of this dye being used successfully on streptococcus infections; and soon after, a French chemist found that it was the sulfanilamide in the dve which was bringing about these results. It is only since 1936 that much has been done here in America, and since then the American chemists have made great advances. It is interesting to note that sulfanilamide was not a chemical discovery, but that actually the credit should go to a German dye company. As a medicine, sulfanilamide has brought spectacular results and is used mostly for streptococcus infections, and for meningitis and pneumonia when

Page 14 text:

12 THE ACADEMY STUDENT SALUTATORY ESSAY “LIFE HAS LOVELINESS TO SELL” “The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” This beautiful and familiar psalm is one example of the rhythm which sixteenth century translators carried over from the Hebrew writers. Hebrew poetry is based on balance, repetition and the strophaic measure. The strophe, in Greek drama, “was the full circle made by the chorus while walking about the altar, chanting the ode.” In verse the strophe means one completed round or cadence. It would seem that ancient Hebrew writers anticipated the modern poets, for their psalms and prayers achieve their effects through the medium of so-called free verse. Walt Whitman, with Leaves of Grass,” blazed the trail for free verse in America. Many of Amy Lowell’s colorful and vivid poems are written in this form. Free verse is much like natural speech. Its rhythm depends on the emotional pause. Life is rooted in rhythm and therefore the ear must be far more specialized to appreciate the deep feeling of the free verse form. As D. H. Lawrence said, “I think more of a bird with broad wings flying and lapsing through space than anything when I think of metre. It all depends on the pause—the natural pause, the natural lingering of the voice according to the feeling—it is the hidden emotional pattern that makes poetry, not the obvious form. It doesn’t depend on the ear, particularly, but on the sensitive soul. And the ear gets a habit and becomes master when the ebbing and lifting emotion should be master and the ear the transmitter.” When I was asked to make a poem from a long list of word-pictures. I decided to use free verse. The material was a list of beautiful things which members of our class had compiled. Beauty gives rise to emotion in some way or other; and therefore the most effective presentation of the ideas would be in a natural emotional pattern. A love of beauty—something deep within That stirs when you see the sunset Or hear the bird’s evening call, Something that responds to familiar, friendly things. I know—you know—that a love of beauty is inborn. Youth finds beauty everywhere.