Medical Serendipity Highlighted By Classic Discoveries
A Journal of the American Medical Association feature notes serendipity as a key driver in medical progress. It cites Fleming penicillin and van Leeuwenhoek bacteria as famous accident findings and recalls Jenner smallpox immunity and Laennec’s stethoscope origin as pivotal lucky breaks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Journal of the American Medical Association
Fleming
van Leeuwenhoeck
Winston H. Price
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health
Edward Jenner
30 Ton Killer Roams California Coast
Los Angeles reports a 30 ton killer whale roving the California coast. Dr. Richard Boolootian of UCLA notes the whale preys on cormorants for sport, sometimes enters four to five feet offshore, and displays porpoise like playfulness. He adds there is no record of the animal killing humans.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Los Angeles
California
Santa Monica
Monterey Bays
Richard Boolootian
University of California
Boolootian
Visual Checkups Aid School Work
Chicago reports that about 450 textbooks must be studied yearly across grades one to twelve and over 90 percent of school failures stem from poor reading. Many slow readers have normal or superior intelligence but are hindered by visual problems causing frequent stops per word and rapid fatigue.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Comics TV Mix With Good Books
Mrs Doris Ryder Watts a visiting lecturer at the University of California Los Angeles argues parents should not present books as only a duty while condemning comics and television. She says this leads children to view books as unpleasant like castor oil and to seek thrills in comics TV or movies instead.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Los Angeles
Doris Ryder Watts
University of California
Watts
Farm Acres Increase From 174 To 215 By 1950
New York report shows the typical American farm grew from 174 acres in 1940 to 215 acres in 1950 and is projected to reach about 220 acres by 1960. The study notes continued consolidation and larger farm sizes in the mid century.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Sea Partners Clownfishes and Sea Anemones Studied
Smithsonian researchers Frederick M. Bayer and Robert R. Harry Rosen describe symbiotic links between Palau Island anemones and clownfishes in a Sloan Smithsonian report. Anemones shelter fishes from danger while clownfishes dart among tentacles and even nibble hosts, with recognition by sight and chemical cues guiding host selection.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Palau Islands
South Pacific
Frederick M. Bayer
U. S. National Museum
Robert R. Harry Rosen
Economy outpaces personal savings in postwar era
New York report shows the economy expanded about 20 percent from 1953 to today while personal savings barely kept pace in dollar terms and actually lagged growth in income. Government figures from the U S Department of Commerce highlight the divergence in a period of continued prosperity after World War II.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
U.S. Department of Commerce
Opportunity for Health Education in New York Schools
A record 40 million students in the United States, one third more than in 1950, creates strong openings for school health education according to Metropolitan Life Insurance. The death rate for 5-17 year olds fell to 6 per 10,000 in 1956 due to infection control, but accidents cancer and heart disease remain main life risks. health cannot be judged by mortality alone.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
United States
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Home Ownership Linked to Higher Incomes in 1950s Data
Federal Reserve survey shows households with incomes of 5000 dollars and up now own just over half of nonfarm homes nationwide. In 1949 less than one third of such income units owned homes, while those earning 7500 dollars or more approach eight in ten owners versus seven in ten in 1949.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Federal Reserve System
Zebra facts clarified by scientists
Scientists state the zebra is a light colored animal with dark stripes, not a dark animal with light stripes. The remark notes the orientation of stripes and body color.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Irregular Heartbeat Not Fatal Threat in Family Study
A New York man lived 38 years with auricular fibrillation before dying at 94. The condition ran in a five generation family of 113, with 22 members affected. Dr. Gould outlined the hereditary pattern and common symptoms in Archives of Internal Medicine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
New Yorker
New York
William L. Gould
Albany
N.Y
Archives of
Internal Medicine
American Medical Association
Gould
Farmers Shift Dependence as Nonfarm Income Rises
A U S Department of Agriculture survey shows farm operator families earned 6.9 billion dollars from nonfarm sources in 1955, totaling 19.3 billion and representing 36 percent of all income. The rise reflects growth in nonfarm employment, savings returns, and retirement benefits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Bureau of the Census
20 Years Added To Lifespan Since 1900
New York report shows average life expectancy rising about twenty years since 1900. Vital statistics indicate birth life expectancy reached 69 years nationwide with improvements for white men from age 20 to 65 and higher likelihood of reaching 75 for those who reach 65.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
National Office of Vital Statistics
Mortality Up Slightly During Past Year
New York report notes 1957 US death rate at 9.6 per 1,000, up from 9.4 in 1956, amid widespread Asian influenza. Since September, acute upper respiratory diseases disabled about half the population for a day, per National Health Survey.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
National Health Survey
Eye dominance split among the public
A Chicago study notes that 60 percent of people have right eye dominance, 25 percent left eye dominance, and 15 percent alternate. The article compares eye preference to handedness and explains the distribution across the population.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
African Buds Add Romantic Touch to Home Cooking
Flower buds from Zanzibar and Pemba add aroma to American kitchens. Clove trees, once money, grow 30 to 50 feet high and are picked by women and children and climbed by men. Buds are dried on concrete platforms. disease threatens Zanzibar clove trees and research echoes Livingstone’s era.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Zanzibar
Moluccas
Indonesia
National Geographic Society
Pemba
David Livingstone
Heart of Africa
Family Insurance Reaches Peak In 1957 Growth
New life insurance protection in 1957 hit the record high of 66.5 billion dollars with ordinary policies totaling 46.2 billion. The Institute of Life Insurance cites stronger service and new policy plans like the family plan and adjusted premiums as key drivers of the jump from 1956 and a surge surpassing pre 1925 levels.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Institute of Life Insurance
Institute
Lyon Celebrates 2000th Birthday Some 1958 Lyon Fair Set
The French city of Lyon marks its 2000th anniversary with an year long celebration. In April President Coty will open the Lyon fair featuring museum exhibits lectures religious ceremonies parades light and sound shows and operas in Lyon's ancient theater. Lyon rivals Marseille as France’s second largest city with a population over 470000.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Lyon
René Coty
Paris
Marseille
France
Eye Care Important For School Success
New York report from the Better Vision Institute urges annual eyesight exams for children. It notes 25 percent of U S schoolchildren have vision problems, causing daydreaming or blurred reading after short study periods.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Better Vision Institute
America
Five observatories of the International Latitude Service
Data on star observations are provided to timekeepers surveyors and map makers by five observatories near the 40th parallel. Two are in the United States at Ukiah California and Gaithersburg Maryland, with others in Sardinia Japan and Soviet Turkistan.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Star Data
Washington
International Latitude Service
United States
Ukiah
California
Gaithersburg
Maryland
Sardinia
Japan
Soviet Turkistan
Predict New Type Family Doctor Will Soon Appear
Chicago reports prognostication by Dr. Julian P. Price a AMA trustee about a coming general practitioner type in 30 years. He foresees continued specialization, growth of group clinics for ambulatory care, and a new generalist blending internal medicine pediatrics and psychiatry with office orthopedics gynecology and surgery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
American Medical Association
Julian P. Price
Price
Florence
D.C
Tons of Care For National Headache
A Rutgers professor notes Americans rely on vast headache remedies with 7000 tons of aspirin yearly. He explains doctors know the brain is pain insensitive and headaches arise from arteries and veins pressing on pain nerves.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Newark
Morton J. Rodman
Rutgers University College of Pharmacy
State University
Cuban Curiosities Added To Institute Collection
Reptile and amphibian curiosities from Cuba join the Smithsonian collection via David Hardy a University of Maryland graduate student. Notable items include bulletproof lizards large iguanas 3 to 4 feet long that resist bullets and revive after apparent death. Hardy collected others from limestone outcrops and Cuban coast islands using a noose for capture.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Cuba
Smithsonian Institution
David Hardy
University of Maryland
Hardy
How Tranquilizers Work on the Brain
UCLA scientists show reserpine acts directly on brain areas to calm. The drug affects brain stem regulating mechanisms and the reticular activating system which governs wakefulness. Previously researchers linked calming effects to serotonin flow.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Los Angeles
University of California
Home taught engineers on the rise in national education
Chicago report notes about ten percent of licensed engineers are home taught. In 1955, more than 32 000 people enrolled in home study engineering courses via correspondence schools across the nation, reflecting growing reliance on distance learning.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
College Students Of Today Not As Wild As Formerly
UCLA Assistant Dean Adolph Brugger notes medieval and 18th century university records show frequent offenses from quarrels with tradesmen to cutlass duels and riots. He cites Oxford Town and Gown riots, and Leipzig penalties for aiming at professors, arguing today’s students are not as wild.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Los Angeles
University of California
Adolph Brugger
UCLA
Brugger
Town and Gown
Oxford
Leipzig
Sesame Seeds Enter U S Markets As New Crop
Washington reports sesame seed is now grown commercially in the United States. The crop supports stock feed, medicine, and cooking uses. Sesame oil, resistant to rancidity, supplies salad dressings, shortenings, cosmetics, and drug carriers including penicillin.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
United States
House Flies as Test Organisms for Cancer Compounds
The USDA reports house flies may serve as rapid screening organisms for tumor inhibiting compounds. Insect physiologists found several anti cancer chemicals block ovarian growth in female flies, aiding sterile insect control research. Flies reach maturity in just over two weeks and require minimal space, enabling large scale low cost lab testing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
U. S. Department of Agriculture
USDA
Jetliners to Fly Cross Country Soon
Washington reports Americans may travel New York to California for lunch and be back by dinner as jet airliners debut. Current cross country flights take eight to ten hours with pistons. jets could replace them by autumn 1958. Jetliners fly at high altitude, reduce noise with silencers, and zip over states rapidly.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
California
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Chicago
Civil Aeronautics Administration
Air Travel Up In Domestic Passenger Growth Since 1935
New York report highlights rapid rise in air travel domestic airlines carried 679 000 passengers in 1935 and about 26 million in 1953. The Twentieth Century Fund notes the surge mirrors the jet age expansion and broader transportation demand.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
New Twentieth Century Fund
Also Mentioned on This Page
Rene Theophile Laennec
U.S
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