Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATION. 307
of the tumor or so injure the x factor that petent to throw aiiv light on this phase of
the natural immunity brings about the ret- the subjejt. (Gaylord)
rogression of the tumor. In this wav it is (8) The conclusive experiments of caupossible
to explain those tumors which are car of the uterus by CuUen demonstrate that
not affected by the X Ray, and also the the disease is auto-infectious,
fact— winch has been frequently observed (9) The existence in most large cities of
—that tumors which are being favorably cancer houses, i. e. houses in which sucaffected
suddenly begin to grow in spite of cessive occupants have developed the discoiitnued
treatment. ease. These observations are becoming too
Ini support of the parasitic or infectious frequent now for it to be possible to explain
nature of cancer, the following arguments all such instances bv the excuse of a mere
have been adduced from the modern re- coincidence.
search into cancer: The ideal treatment for cancer, therefore
( 1 ) An analogy exists between certain would be to destroy the infected and pathochange
in th epithelium in cancer and those logical cells and the germs or parasites not
occurring in the epithelium in certain of the only in the growth, but also those which
acute exanthemata notably variola and have migrated beyond into the apparently
sheep pox. known infectious diseases, healthy surrounding tissues, without open-
(Gaylord). ing up any lymph spaces or other avenues
1 2) lumors m mice are almost never of infection. Tliis I believe can be best
found ulone. In breeding establishments, accomplished by Mercuric Cataphoresis, a
where one case appears it is always accom- method which consists in driving into the
panied by others. Healthy mice, brought diseased tissues by electrical action the libin
contact with mice with primary tumors, erated ions of zinc and mercur.\—both pow-
acquire the same. ( Murre! ). erful antiseptics and j
germicides.
api^earance of sarcoma of a rat -^ careful study of this method and my
in a cage which had contained rats inocu- observations and the results tn the treatment
with sarcoma points to the possibility of 24 cases of cancer with it, formed the
A gradual transformation of normal
cells into cancer cells occurs at
subject of a communication which I presented
to the American Electro-Therapeutic
Association at its meeting in New York in
September 190d. The paper was summar-
I * .; ) The
j
i lated
I of cage infection in this form of cancer,
! (Gaylord)?
I (4)
I epithelial
i the margins of priinarv cancers. (Orth) '^^/^ '" ^'^^ following conclusions, viz:
.S The (
transformation '" ^^''?'''',
) of an adenosar- J^^' Z^^^.T
^P^^'!^'^'^' ^
^^f
I
Icoma '^'
into '' a sarcoma "^ '^''^"'
(I- hrlich is ) most Th h^r/h/ Proliferations '"If ?
easily explained By
mto the ap-
assuming the transfer- ^'°'^'S' Y S^
eiice of an infective factor fr^, n the epithe- S'e ai^d' imnr^'' '':'f"T''" n"""
limn into the connective .i.sue of the^tro- ^J:, ^tScaric^^i^^^'Tl^fL^
and most important action is due to the seu,i.
The epithelial cells of the deeper lective action of the current, which forces
I •,,.,„.
layers of warts, after successful treatment I
the diffused chemicals along the paths of
I with
the X-Ray, no longer proliferate to cancer proliferation, because these have
I torin a new wart, but reproduce normal greater couductivitv than the normal tisskill
(I'erthesJ. showing that [
the stimulus sues. Besides a true selective action also
.to iiroliferation has been removed, and that results from the fact that cancer cells sucthere
remains eiiithelial cells capable of ;
cumb more quickly to the diffused cheminnrnial
proliferating function. cals than normal cells.
I
/ ) The unknown factor in cancer is ap- (2) It is incapable of producing an auto-
,pareiitly added to normal epithelium from infection of the edges of the destroyed area,
Iwhi.hitcan be removed leaving normal because no infected cell or germ can exist
.epilhelium. Through the proliferations of within the effective radius of its energy
[the cells of the cancer, which increase enor- (3) The bloodless character of the appliilmously
this factor (i. e. infective agent) cations, even in situations where the vascuinust
of necessity gradually increase in larity is great, and the toxic and stimulalamount.
The increase in bulk, through ting effects of the current more than coun-
Itraiisplantation in mouse lumors, is associa- teract the depressing and untoward effects
(ted with increased virulence. The only in old patients, and in anv patients, when
(known agent which can fulfill these condi- the size of the growth requires prolonged
jtioiis IS a living organism. The unknown application. After the applications the
'tact(,r may be an ultra-microscopic organ- patients make rapid recoveries, because
.ism, or one that is simply undemonstrable. they have not been weakened by the loss
IFiltration experiments in infectious diseases of blood attending the use of the knife or
ijof unknown origin or etiology are not com- curette.