Tashkent Monkey

From the far depths of Central Asia, from Tashkent whence great Tamburlaine's hordes of horsemen pounded to conquer their known world, went news last week more significant in import than in fact.

The fact was that the blood had been drained from a monkey. Its heart and lungs ceased functioning. For 55 minutes it lay dead. Then the experimenter, Prof. Mikhaelovsky, pumped the blood back into the monkey. It revived and tried to bite the experimenter's hand. Inference: blood contains some element that stimulates the heart to beat; death is not always irreparable.

More significant to science was the news that such experiments are conducted at the Mid-Asiatic University at remote and romantic Tashkent, in the wilderness east of Lake Aral and north of the Hindu Kush. Before the Russian 1917 Revolution only eight Russian cities had universities. The Soviets have set up a dozen more in districts which they control. All are staffed by men who, radiating Communistic culture, are intent on obtaining scientific proofs for their materialistic theories.