U.S. increases penicillin production.

U.S. increases penicillin production. White rabbits are llined up in a row for injections of penicillin to test a shipment of the new drug for pyrogen before it leaves a plant in the U.S. to be sent to the armed forces. If the animals develop an abnormally high temperature indicating that pyrogen, an element which produces high fever, is present, the entire lot is rejected. Twenty-one new penicillin plants have been erected in the U.S. in 1943, and in March, 1944, American plants were able to speed up production to 40,000,000,000 Oxford units of the precious drug, as compared to 425,000,000 units turned out in June, 1943. Almost all the penicillin output is reserved for use of the armed forces, but with the increase in production, more will be released to civilian populations.