Capsules

> Since surgeons first discovered that talc, a finely powdered mineral, could be toxic, they have stopped using it on the skintight rubber gloves they wear while performing operations. Now, according to the Lancet, there are indications that the starch used as a substitute may also be unsafe, leading to a potentially dangerous postoperative condition called "starch peritonitis." The condition, which develops anywhere from ten to 40 days after surgery and produces fever, cramping and abdominal pain, was first believed by doctors to be the result of intestinal obstructions. But those who reoperated discovered no blockages but pearly white nodules on the peritoneum, or abdominal sac. Tests and experimental treatments demonstrated that steroid drugs effectively combatted properly diagnosed starch peritonitis, and the lumps disappeared. The Lancet's editors urge doctors not merely to rinse off the starch substance, as that could worsen matters by clumping the starchy residues; they must wash the gloves off vigorously and then wipe them thoroughly with sterile towels before picking up their scalpels.

> The search for cures for the myriad forms of cancer has taken U.S. researchers to many countries. Now, it is taking them through the Iron Curtain. Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Elliot Richardson announced last week that U.S. and Soviet scientists will exchange anticancer drugs so that each drug may be subjected to full clinical tests in the other's country. As a first step in carrying out an agreement reached during President Nixon's recent visit to Moscow, the Soviets will send the U.S. three drugs, which they have been using to treat cancers of certain white blood cells in the lymphatic system, thyroid and bladder cancers, and breast and ovarian tumors. In return, the U.S. will provide the Soviets with three drugs used experimentally against lung, skin, brain and intestinal cancers. The scientists will also trade research personnel and furnish each other with volumes of technical data concerning the safety and effectiveness of the chemicals. The Soviet scientific material must be translated and evaluated before the drugs can be tried in this country. This means that it will be at least January before the Soviet substances can be offered to selected American patients, perhaps even years before doctors have accumulated enough evidence to determine whether the drugs work.

> If a woman of childbearing age does not know whether she has ever had rubella (German measles)--and most women do not--the ideal time to vaccinate her is right after the birth of her first child. So says the Medical Letter, an ad-free newsletter published by a group of authoritative physicians. The reason behind the suggestion is simple: a woman who has just had a baby is not likely to become pregnant again for at least two months (although contraception should still be continued), and is therefore equally unlikely to expose her fetus to the risk of congenital rubella. Rubella vaccination of young women at other times is hazardous because they may be pregnant and not know it, or may become pregnant while the virus used in the vaccine is still in their systems.

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