CAUSE OF CANCER

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 November 1931, Page 5

CAUSE OF CANCER

CELL THEORY ATTACKED j TWO ALLIED COMPONENTS [BY CABLE —PBESS ASSN. —COPYBIGHT.] (Received November 10, 2 p.m.) LONDON, November 9. “Cancer is cell reaction to a living ■intra-cellular virus, the reaction manifesting itself in cell growth and multiplication,” say Doctors W. E. Gye and W. J. Purdy, announcing the result of six years’ research, in the National Institute of Medical Resarch Publication, entitled “The Cause of Cancer.” Dr Gye previously, contrary to accepted medical opinion, urged that cancer was due to an ultra-micro-scopic virus. He now.claims that further experiments have confirmed this view,' and he says cancer is caused by two components, neither of which is able to act alone. One is a. virus, whereto is due the resemblance tumour agents bear to living things. The other is a “specific factor,” in the nature of an aggressive, carrying 'intensely specific cell-like characters of the tumour agent. Authorities claim that the. doctors’

discovery of filterable fowl tumours has destroyed the basis of the univer-sally-held cell theory, as the cause of cancer, but they. point out that although it is believed mammalia tumours contain a similar —not necessarily identical —virus, — they failed decisively to prove this theory. They add that if methods of handling mammalian viruses, and classification by immunity experiments, could be discovered, it would be possible to immunise a man prophylaetically against cancer. That is now the immediate urgent problem of cancer research.