The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-20

Chapter .. The father of medicine.
whose skill in diagnosis has perhaps never
been surpassed. distinctly mentions malaria
as an illness calculated 10 leans the hu-
man body OF many other more dangerous
Ills.
Another oid-time physician whose name
is scarcely known nowadays. Truka de
krzowitz. professor OF anatomy in Tirnau.
Hungary, published a book in 1U5. in which
he collected evidence from all times and
Chimes showing the malaria 10 be a great
factor in fighting cancer. The book is in
Latin and very rare nowadays. but l hope
that for the good OF physicians the world
over II Will soon be translated into mod
ern languages and published broadcast.
AN ANCIENT BELIEF.
II became especially interested IN the por-
tion Of the book reporting how. in one par
ticular instance. cancer Of the breast was
cured by the incubation OF malaria-there
is nothing new under the sum-. YOU see.
If that was possible once. with the old
crude methods. why should it not be possi-
bic now. when science and surgery are so
far advanced2"
At the same tim~e-leaving Won Leyden's
recent discoveries out Of the question-we
are pOwerless 10 cope with cancer except
with knife in hand I'D 70 this very day.
These old examples led me to investi-
gate malaria as a means for fighting the
more deadly disease. Professor Gebhardt
proved many years ago that healthy peo-
pie inoculated with the blood Of malaria
patients take that disease, and Gebhardt's
experiments were corroborated by the
greatest Italian medical investigators and
by numerous practitioners.
And. as everybody knows, a mosquito.
having his ill of malaria blood, will act as
promptly as any medical incubator.
But we can go still further: After caus-
ing malaria. we can cure it. We can let
fhe Illness proceed just as far as necessary
and then stop it. And this is what makes
st valuable as a cure There would be nc
use trying 10 save n person from cancer
and at the same time kill him with malaria.
THAT much known. there need be no
conjunction about employing malaria as
a medicine. 1t is different with other pol
sons, though; I do not think any physician
has a right. or should be allowed. to ex-
periment on cancer patients, even such as
are In the last stages Of the disease, by
transferring upon them. by incubation, in
durable maladies or maladies that are
rarely CuIdDlt- Il REFER 10 a certain puySl-
clan who. relying on Busch's discovery
that cancer and erysipelas cannot exist in
she same ~body-one killing off the other, as
St were-inoculated cancer patients with
erysipeias. The physician claims that he
stopped the growth OF cancer, but as he
does not simultaneously announce that he
IS able 10 control erysipelas Cas we can
control malaria). his experiment was dan
-arrnrg 81 ,-., gq.
RISKY EXPERIMENTS.
Another physician acted as unprofes-
EionaIly by inoculating cancer sufferers
with consumption. claiming that consump-
tion and cancer cannot exist side by side,
IN assumption wholly false and unfounded.
This individual. at least. did not do any
harm, for as he extracted the consumption
bacillus from animals. it refused to take
which fact may. or may not, argue in favor
of Professor Koch's theory that man can
not catch consumption from animals.
LAS explained. incubation by malaria can
have no such bad effects as the maIady
may be terminated by simple means at the
physicians pleasure. one maj say. In
determining on malaria as the remedy for
cancer I had furthermore I'm mird that
the people OF the tropics. where malaria
kst common are uncommonly free from
ANGER. VThis conclusion I reached after
studying the entire literature on the case
eppsrtaining to all countries and chimes.
Fin-tiy. L addressed myself 70 noted phys
icians In the hot countries. the majority of
whom informed me that cancer was known
by hearsay only in the parts where they
practice. A friend OF mine, DR.. Pagel, re-
siding on the island OF Borneo, wrote TO
say that in twenty years he had not seen
a single case Of cancer.
"Still I admit that the question ought to
be more fully ventilated and inquired into.
Physicians practicing in semi-tropical coun-
tries and in countries like the United States
where the summer heat is very intense and
malaria common. should gather statistics
and help TO decide the question of the re-
lationship between malaria and cancer.
"In the meanwhile. however, malaria
should be used as a remedy against
cancer. My own experiences were most en-
couraging and even at worst there is moth
ing Ivt, and any cancer patient would be
glad to bear. for a short time at least. the
additional annoyance OF malaria, If there is
hope that his life may be saved in the end.
And there is hope"