Doctor Frog

Ephesians 6:14-16
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

The accidental discovery of a frog’s secret may provide a giant leap for medical science.

For years, biochemist Michael Zasloff had been surgically removing the ovaries of African clawed frogs for research. After surgery, the frogs were returned to their tanks. The tanks offered conditions very different from a hospital recovery room. The water in the tanks was alive with bacteria, parasites, fungi and viruses. Yet, the frogs’ surgical wounds healed without infection almost every time. After five years, Zasloff finally realized that something unusual was going on.

Frogs, like the rest of us, have their immune system. However, the normal immune system does not work well at the low temperatures in which frogs are usually found. So Zasloff began studying the frogs’ skin. After months of work, he finally discovered two previously unknown proteins in the frogs’ skin that kill a wide range of bacteria and fungi. He learned that the frogs have a second, independent defense system to help them live in a potentially fatal environment.

Zasloff named the new proteins he discovered magainins. He chose the term from the Hebrew word magain, which means “shield”. In the Old Testament, God is often called our “magain”, our shield. Clearly, His special love and care in helping His creatures in a dangerous environment extends even to frogs!

Prayer:
My Lord and Savior, You are my shield from sin, death and the devil. Let me never doubt Your love and protection, even in the most dangerous of conditions. If You so care for frogs, I know You care even more for me! Amen.

Notes:
Beard, Jonathan. “The Good and the Bad of the Ugly.” Discover, Jan. 1988. P. 42. Photo: African clawed frog, taken by Michael Linnenbach and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.