Capsules

P: Using injections of absolute alcohol near the spine, Dr. William S. Derrick has successfully cut the pain of 82 of 87 cancer patients at the University of Texas' M. D. Anderson Hospital. By blocking a section of the sensory nerve running from the affected part of the body to the brain --a tested technique--the injections relieve pain for up to six months, can easily be given again if the nerve returns to life. Advantage over narcotics: the injection is non-habit-forming, does not wear off quickly. Advantage over surgery sometimes performed to kill pain by cutting a nerve: the injection is simpler, can be given even to greatly weakened patients.

P: Searching for a preventive for radiation sickness, Richard R. Overman of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine announced that a drug called amino-ethylisothiuronium (AET for short), a sulfhydryl-related compound, has been 100% effective in protecting monkeys from the immediate effects of lethal radiation. AET was developed at the Atomic Energy Commission's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Still to be determined: the drug's long-term effect on the treated monkeys and any possible application to humans. Working on another AEC project, Overman is testing the effect of bone marrow injections on radiation damage. High doses of radiation disrupt the normal production of blood elements, causing dangerous anemia and other side effects. Using a technique first developed on mice, Overman has saved monkeys after exposure to normally lethal radiation (700 roentgens) by injections of bone marrow from nonirradiated monkeys.

P: Patients handicapped by the loss of speech may express themselves through a book called Silent Spokesman, by Wayland W. Lessing, a Chicago welfare worker. By pointing at the book's pictures and diagrams a patient can flash, among other messages, what friends he wants to see, where he has pain, and such complicated thoughts as: "I want a 21-inch television set." Cost of the book: $1.50.

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