THE CURE OF CANCER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVLI, Issue 10, 6 September 1911, Page 44

THE CURE OF CANCER.

“For the first time it is fully demon* etrated that it is wrong to make state, ments of a disquieting nature about ths increase of eancer in general.” That is the most remarkable thing that has bees said for years about the moat dreaded of all human diseases, and it is Dr. Bashford, the general superintendent of research and director of the laboratorici of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, who says it. Such a declaration, eomic.g as it does from the highest authority, should demolish the widespread impression that cancer is a disease which is increasing its hold on the race. This is the good news contained in the report on the progress of the Cancer Research Laboratories towards the discovery of a cure for this, the most horrible scourge of mankind. Though we are assured that the investigations of the past years have been of the utmost importance, it does not appear from the report that any particular progress has been made in the direction of discover in« a cure for the disease. Certain facts’, however, have been established, which ar<j no doubt, of the greatest importance. For example, to use the scientific jargon of the report, it has been proved that “the relation of each malignant new growth to the affected animal is a newone, parallel to that obtaining between the organs of the body and the organism as a whole.”

"More precise conceptions have been obtained,” Dr. Bashford states, ‘‘of tba influence of heredity- in place of the indefinite and contradictory views previously current.” It has been ascertained that during the period 1901-1909 the increase of deaths attributed to cancer was referrabla to certain .anatomical regions, and not to others.

Among men, the main increase was in the alimentary tract, especially the stomach, whilst among women it was also mainly in the stomach and intestines, but also affected the breasts, while other parts showed little or no increase. Most of the increase chiefly affected the higher age periods.

It has also been established that tho practice of peculiar customs, involving the subjection of particular parts of tho body to chronic irritation, provokes tho disease in situations and organs from which it is absent when these customs do not obtain.

“So definite,” writes Dr. Bashford, “is the evidence of the mediate causation of certain forms of cancer by chronic irritants. that the possibility of variations in the eancer deathrate must be admitted as regards particular organs and regions of the body. The possibility of a variation of the main incidence of cancer, in conformity with changes in certain customs, must also be admitted. As the result of the most elaborate experiments, Dr. Bashford claims that "the individuality of eaneer would thus appear to have been placed at last beyond all further discussion. ... A long step has thus been taken in defining the direction in which the future investigation of eaneer is alone likely to be profitable.”

A number of eases of natural healing of spontaneous malignant new growths has been observed in mice hffeeted with spontaneous eaneer, and Dr. Bashford concludes that the changes leading to natural cure appear to depend, as in propagated eancer, on an altered condition of the cell and its contents, rather than on an alteration in the general condition or constitution of the affected animal. “Means must be devised.” be states, "for elucidating the nature of the change in the cell before curative measures can be discovered.”