NEW CLUE TO OH OF CANCER?

Northern Advocate, 29 November 1937, Page 7

NEW CLUE TO OH OF CANCER?

United Press Association.— By Electric Telegi aph—Copyright.]

(Received 10 a.m.)

NEW YORK. November 27.

The science editor of the “New York Times.” Mr. William L. Laurence, says a mysterious substance, so far unidentified, has been found to be the most powerful agent known for producing malignent tumours in the stomach of rats. This promises to yield an important now clue to the origin of cancer.

The discovery was announced before the American Philosophical Society by Dr. Leonard Rowntree, director of the Philadelphia Institute for Medical Research, and four of his associates. The substance was created when crude germ oil was extracted from germs of wheat and two other unnamed cereals by other.

Important Discovery,

It was emphasised that the substance was not found in commercial wheat germ oil or other cereal oils. These oils were not extracted with ether, but were obtained by expression, or squeezing cereal germs. The latter process produces a substance harmless to animals.

The discovery is very important, says the writer, because it is the first plant product found capable of producing cancer by feeding. Present cancer-causing substances produce the disease only after prolonged injection, and only certain living parasites hitherto have been known to produce cancer in animals by feeding. Invariably Fatal. It is pointed out that the available evidence indicates that the new cancer agent is neither vitamin 5 alphabetically nor associated with compounds. Whether ether creates a new chemical substance unnaturally present in cereal germs, or releases a malignant substance otherwise held in check by a combination of other substances, has not been established. Tumours so induced in .100 albino rats have been invariably fatal.