The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-05-01
SCIENTISTS SEEKING
A CURE FOR CANCER
DR.. Bra, the Microbe Expert,
Tells of Experiments.
A Serum to Aid Nature in Throw
ing Off the Poison.
Tests With Animals Before Applying
the Treatment to Human
Sufferers.

New York, April 30.-The Paris ,orre
spondent of the World writes as follows
under date of April 10:
| Il found DR.. Edward Bra. the expert
in cancer microbes on Wednesday. He is
a stout Frenchman of middle height, with
a large, good-u atured face, and short
cropped, stiff outstanding hair. His smile
| is broad and SLOW, and there are curious
reticences in his speech, as if he had some
| thing wrong with his throat or chest.
DIR. Bra occupies, with his wife and
| four children, fiat in the Place de Van
girard, remote and quiet quarter of Paris,
behind the 1nvalides and the Champ de
Mars and the Eiffel Tower, on the second
| floor of a modest dwelling overlooking a
public recreation ground in front and a
| long garden in the rear where he tortures
his animal subjects for the benefit of can
cerous mankind.
When l was introduced he was sitting
in small study at table on which be-
fore him were three small bottles We
spoke of cancer generally. Technically
speaking, DR.. Bra, as he stated in the
'Presse Medicale of February 2, has been
able, after great number of experiments
with 'carcinomes,' or cuttings from cancer
patients, TO isolate regularly a fungus
which apparently belongs to the family of
ascomycetes.' Popularity speaking, he has
been able to separate and recognize a
fungus microbe in the tumors of cancer
patients which it is probable he will in
six or eight months be able to produce in
animals and alternate or weaken for
| purposes of human incubation.
| Cancer said DR.. Bra, is found all
over the world, except in the region i'm
mediately on each side OF the equator. 1t
| is rare among children and the old, and
mostly attacks those especially women,
| between the ages of thirty and forty-five.
| When ii does attack child its progress is
| comparatively rapid, this rapidity. how
/ ever, diminishing in proportion TO the age.
1t is still a matter of discussion
| whether cancer is infectious or not, but
| evidently, if my theory is justified by
| results and cancer is due TO cultivable
| microbe, it is infectious. since the microbe
can be introduced into another's organ
| ism. OF course, you understand that the
| whole question is as yet in the stage of
experiment. Nor do / claim 10 have dis
| covered the existence of cancer microbe.
| Its existence has long been suspected, but
| hitherto, SO far as ! am aware il has not
been isolated-that is, distinguished from
! other microbes in the classification OF mat
| ter from the stage vegetable TO the stage
! animal, and consequently 1t has rever
been cultivated. 1t has never been so de-
veloped that it can be introduced into the
| body of an animal so as unerringly 10 pro-
! duce cancer and consequently cancer
virus for incubation
Then it is important to be able TO cause
cancer in animals % l asked.
"Of the utmost Importance, was DR..
/ se rarllN In
to be the cause of a given disease when
| It is found constantly IN the blood of the
| diseased person and when ii can be ex-
| perimentally reproduced in animals by in
! oculation. The microbe of cancer has been
studied microscopically by myself and 9TH
| ers 1t is probably fungoid, and what l
am now doing is taking it from caneerous
human growths and inoculating guinea
pigs and fowl and rabbits and dogs with
it to observe if it produces cancer"
| Forgive medical mans igno-
rance" / objected. Your efforts seem TO
me TO be toward causing cancer, not toward
curing it
The slow smile came along on DR.. Bras
face and he explained:
If | can put ii shortly / WILL he said.
IF you take a quantity of blood from a
vein or artery and allow 1t to settle you
| Will find that it thickens, 1t coagulates.
Oue part DtcoiLies soiiu anu iSu anu Hpi Jus,
and falls to the bottom of the vessel. The
other part floats on top and is a yellow
liquid serum. The solid part at the bot
tom of the vessel is composed so,ely of red
and white globules which in the blood's
normal state are in suspension, and in the
state of coagulation are imprisoned in the
red portion, the part coagulated. The
white globules are called 'leucophytes. and
though much less numerous than the red
globules have the power of absorbing and
digesting, In short, killing, uoxious mi
crobes.
by happy arrangement of nature
these white globules, when Inflammation