hree members of the staff of the Louisiana State university
medical school will leave this week for Nairobi, Africa, where they will study hardening of the arteries in baboons.
They have chosen baboons for their experiments because hardening of the arteries in baboons closely resembles hardening of he arteries in human beings.
When they reach Africa, they will sacrifice and autopsy 300 baboons in their native habitat, explained the trio—Dr. Hppry CMcGiUJr., and Dr. Jack P. Strong, members of the staff of he pathology department of the Louisiana State university medical school, and Dr. Joseph Mil-ler, medical school parasitologist.
It's all part of an experiment being made possible through a grant from the Louisiana Heart Association, all part of an overall study being financed by the National Heart Institute and other agencies.
"We could, of course, have had the 300 baboons shipped to this country, for our experiments," explained Dr. McGill. "But, in addition to the advantages of studying the animals in their native habitat, it's cheaper this way. It would have cost at least $30,000 to ship them to this country."
Dr. McGill said, in autopsying ;he animals, the sicentists will looking for tissue changes in the inner linings of the arteries,! with particular emphasis on the! aorta and the large arteries of the heart and of the brain.
The scientist said they may' discover that some baboons de-| velop hardening of the arteries when they reach a certain size; that others develop hardening of the arteries when they reach a certain age. J
"But regardless of what we discover," he added, "it will all be used as a basis for future study. We don't care if a baboon! shows no signs whatever of | hardening of the arteries. Or if he has a well developed case. We just want to know."
