The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-21
THE PARASITE
OF CANCER.

| number of circumstances have COM
bined of late to direct the attention of
the general public to cancer. One is the
declaration of a high English authority
that this dreaded malay fs increasing
in prevalence in Europe. Another is a
similar statement of Dr. Roswell Park
of Buffalo, who is at the head of a state
institution for the study of contagious
diseases. third is the announcement
from Paris that DIR. Bra has at last
found the parasite which has long been
suspected of causing cancer.
In England and Wales in the period
between 1910 and 1896 the death rate
from cancer increased from one in ev-
cry 5,646 Of population to one in 1,3O6.
The mortality from this cause in New
York state grew from 2303 in 1887 to
a, 456 in 1898, or nearly doubled in 10 or
IL years. And DR.. Park in recent adj
dress before the State Medical society
uttered the following prophecy: "If dur
ing the next ten years the relative death
rates are maintained, we shall find in
1909 that there will be more deaths from
cancer than from consumption, small
pun anu lypHOlQ IeVer combined
Again, the fact that the micro organ
ism responsible for carcinoma, if there
be one, has so long eluded the search
made for it is not convincing. There
are microbes too small to be seen with
the best instruments ever made. al
though their existence is beyond aues-
ton. But one of these days, with i'm
proved optical apparatus, it may be
DOSSihlo RI
gument applies to countless failures to
cultivate the germs of cancer artificial
ly. Perhaps a more suitable culture
medium, one more nearly resembling the
human body, may yet be discovered, in
which the cancer germ will propagate
easily. Improved methods are needed
in this line of research
One of the most striking reasons for
suSpecting that cancer is contagious is
the tendency of one particular locality
to be haunted by cases of this class
The frequent occurrence of the disease
in family points in the same direction
Moreover, incubation of animals with
certain organisms which are not de-
rived from cancer nevertheless gives
rise to tumors that look like malignant
specimens, although they finally disap-
pear.
! A different sort of experiment, but a
| rather more significant one, is the
| transpianting of bits of real tumors
from one animal TO another of the same
species Rats. horses and dogs have
| been treated in this way with notable
results. A great deal of this sort of
| thing has been done at Montpelier,
France by Bose; in Italy by San Felice
and Bonciali, and in Vienna by Gussen-
| bauer. Among the tests were the i'm
planting of portions of a cancer from a
man who had been dead three days in
one of the lower animals. Bose declares
that he has even been able to effect a
successful incubation of three human
subjects with cancer. Even were these
| last declaratio rejected there would
still remain the we'll known transplant
| tation of cancer from one part to an
other of the same person.
| Microscopic examination of eancerous
tissue has often revealed the presence
of minute objects, about whose real ma
ture opinions differ. One expert sus-
poets that they are species of proto-
goa dow forms of animal life CORE
spending to bacteria and to fungi in the
vegetable world; another takes them
for microscopic fungi, and a third is
disposed to regard them as cells of hu-
man origin which have undergone de-
generative changes Similar objects
have been associated with smallpox.
measles and other diseases. although
their exact character and their relation
to the malady have been yelled in
doubt
The announcement that DR.. Bra has
found a parasite which can be cultivat
! ed and which when used to inoculate
animals produces tumors like real can
GERS is accompanied with few details.
The man is not so conspicuous in the
world of science as some other French
psychologists. but that does not prove
| that he is mistaken.
| DR.. Bra makes no pretense OF having
found a cure for cancer. He has I'M
dertaken experiments such as would be
naturally tried by one who was ia
miliar with the mode of preparing anti
toXines for diphtheria, tetanus, bubonle
plague and yellow fever, but thus FAR
| without definite results These meas
ures can be taken only after the germ OF
a disease is identified and is cultivated.
But if he has done no more than to find
| the parasite itself he has achieved
notable triumph. Confederation OF his
announcement will be awaited impa-
1;