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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1987)
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"A Family Recreation Center" Phone: 260-9184 Open Bowl With Us On Weekends Mon.-Fri. 9 am-5:30 pm Saturday 10 am to Close 8:30-Close & Sunday 12pm to Close & Page 4yThe Battalion/Thursday, October 1, 1987 Texas farm grows flowers to combat effects of cancer McALLEN (AP) — On 900 acres of McAllen farmland, Dick Wiese- han grows onions, cantaloupes and lots of greens. It’s what he grows on his other 100 acres, however, that makes Wie- sehan Farms unique. Along with his son Roger, Wiese- han grows lots of purple — Mada gascar periwinkle, a slender, star- like flower used in the manufacture of cancer-combating drugs. Of the medicinal properties of the periwinkle, Dr. Ian Scott, Texas A&M distinguished professor of chemistry, said, “It’s an old discov ery.” Folk medicinists have used peri winkles as remedies for various dis eases for centuries. In the 1950s, Scott said, scientists discovered that the extract of the tropical periwinkle has some "very good properties for reducing tu mors in mice.” After initial experiments, drugs from the plant were purified for hu man use. When given to patients, the ex tracts caused the aisappearance of certain forms of leukemia and “were quite useful in treating human solid tumors,” Scott explained. Periwinkles, or Vinca rosea, are grown throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Wiesehan, a Valley farmer since 1943, says he’s always had a reputa tion for “specialty items,” and was asked 15 years ago by a pharmaceu tical company about growing the plants. The first year, he took a chance and planted about five acres to see if Valley soil would be favorable to the production of the chemical com pounds valued in treating certain forms of cancer. The plants are valued for the chemical compounds vincristine sul fate and vinblastine sulfate. Vinrristine, which is marketed as the drug Oncovin, is used primarily in combination with other drugs. It has been used in the treatment of several forms of cancer, particularly leukemia. Vinblastine, marketed as Velban, is primarily used in the treatment of Hodgkin’s disease. The biochemistry of the drugs still is being investigated. Vincristine sulfate and vinblastine sulfate arrest cell division at a crucial stage, although scientists still don’t know how or why this happens. Dr. John Laszlo, vice president of research with the American Cancer Society in New York, referred to vin cristine as a "landmark drug." "Vincristine made it possible to obtain complete remission for chil dren with acute leukemia for the first time," he said. Scott said despite the plant’s use fulness, periwinkle cultivation and production currently is relatively un wieldy. “Unfortunately, the tropical peri winkle makes very small amounts of this drug,” Scott said His research is directed at making the production of cancer-combatting substances “a more efficient proc ess,” he said. “It’s a very slow business and very complicated,” he said. For the past 20 years, Scott has been researching the genetic struc ture of the plants, trying to under stand the biochemistry “that will turn on these good genes for making these drugs.” He says his research, which is sponsored by the National Institute of Health and the American Cancer Society, won’t put Wiesehan out of business, but some day will possibly provide him with a genetically al tered strain of the periwinkle. Meanwhile, Wiesehan continues to corner a unique niche in a unique market. Weather Watch Supre grant; execi = Thunderstorms 99 ™ Drizzle <l\j - Freezing Rain Hr 3= Fog ^ = Lightning * Snow «« m Rain ^ • Rain Shower Sx - Ice Pelleu Valid: Noon today Sunset Today: 7:10 p.m. Sunrise Friday: 7:18 a.m. Map Discussion: The Great Lakes area will have cloudy, cool and rainy weather, while the rest of the nation enjoys fair and mild conditions of the high pressure system, with an exception in southern Florida where showers will persist. Forecast: Today. Fair and mild with a high temperature of 82 degrees and northeasterly winds of 7 to 12mph. Tonight: Fair and cool. Light northeasterly winds and a low temperature of 52 degrees. Friday. Continued fair and mild with the high temperature in the low to mid 80s and east-northeasterly winds near 10 mph. Weather Fact: Heat balance: The equilibrium that exists on the average between the radiation received by the earth and atmosphere from the sun, and that emitted by the earth and atmosphere. Equatorial regions receive more energy from the sun than they are able to radiate, while higher latitudes receive less. The excess of heatis carried from low' latitudes to higher latitudes by atmospheric and oceanic circulations and is radiated there. Prepared by: Charlie Brenton Staff Meteorologist A&M Department of Meteorology Representatives contrast beliefs of religions for MSC Great Issues By Doug Driskell Staff Writer It is unfortunate the conflict in the Middle East is labeled a holy war, a representative for the Islamic faith said Wednesday night in Rudder Theater. “Literally the Jihad means strug gle for central justice,” said Dr. Steve A. Johnson, executive vice president of American Islamic College in Chi cago, at a comparative religions pro gram offered by MSC Great Issues and the Muslim Student Association. “Whenever there are people be- dll ing oppressed they will have to zele to ove struggle to overcome that kind of oppression,” he said. “If you take a look at Jihad, the conditions for the use of force are very close to the tra ditional Roman Catholic doctrine of the just war theory where there are severe limitations on the just inter ment of war and equally severe limi tations on the actual use of force within the war.” The Islamic faith opposes the in tervention of outside forces, he said. “The situation today is not to es tablish peace in that region, but to force people to accept one idealo- logy over another idealology,” John son said. Another speaker, Dr. Carrin Dunne, said sometimes Christianity has ignored the beliefs of others in the period of intense missionary work. She believes people should be offered the Christian faith and should choose for themselves. Dunne, a lecturer in religious studies at Rice University, com mented on the role of religion in sci ence and technology. “As science and technology in crease, our ethical responsibility in- Photo by Robert IV. Rizto Dr. Steve A. Johnson speaks on Islamic thoughts and beliefs at the comparative religions program presented in Rudder Theater Wednesday night by MSC Great Issues. Other religions that were represented at the program were Christianity and Judaism. The program was moderated by Dr. Richard W. Stadelmann, assistant professor of humanities at Texas A&M. creases, too,” she said. “What the growth of science and technology does is it expands the realm of reli- because it offers new chal- gion, lenges, questions and responsibili ties.” Rabbi Lawrence Jackofsky, re gional director for the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, said scientitic knowledge for human benefit is important. “In Judaism, things are open to scrutiny,” he said. “T he Sabbath laws can be broken to save a life. That takes precedence over anything el- There are limits to this technoiof ical gain, he said. “As technology progresses there must be a moral voice to speak oui when technology goes too far,”' said. “Science and religion from the Jewish point of view do notconilid at all, but go hand in hand.” *#”STORM THE GR0VE!!% TEXAS TECH YELL PRACTICE THURSDAY OCT. 1 7 P.M. AT THE GROVE LOOKOUT LUBBOCK* BEAT THE HELL OUTTA TEXAS TECH! Prepared for the future. Yours and ours. 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Moran’s n ford, said, “I [ust goes on a erything tha doesn’t surpr Police arr< hours after A he refused to in her disapp woman’s pers at his home a of pants. He car and the pa Moran was nude and bar the hospital, and loss of 1 stab wounds morning. Her disapp massive s< Franklin case rious ever in S A& de By Bi Older dog: master’s call, bark of fello their hearing of a hearing Texas A&M’s Medicine. Dr. Patrici board-certifie gist in the sta inform peon aids. She said or five phone owners who a “Dogs are cause of bet care,” she saic up there in ye is going to sta used to. “We have ment to deter them, and in i aid won’t wor in a deaf dog the dog will ] it." To determ loss a dog ha auditory-evok administered, clicks are set c mine if brail from the soun Luttgen sai for dogs that ness, in whicl partially intac still can send i the brain to Tech i coulc oil pr DALLAS tential exis tion in U.S. said overw main top pi dustry puts logical adva During i one needec Frank Scht ling Techn nual meetir troleum En “The pn cent of all t world have country,” I “We’ve foui If the inc vive on thes eral new m have to be vances in d said. Robert C of Mobil 1 ducing Ser dustry’s re< ogy is just consolidatic