New-York tribune., 1910-02-14
CANCER CURE NEAR 2
Report of State Laboratory
ENCOURAGING.

Albany, Feb. IA strong hope OF cur
ing cancer. or at least greatly ameliorating
the condition OF cancer patients by means
OF inoculation, is held out in the report of
Harvey r Gaylord. director of the cancer
la laboratory of the State Department OF
Health at Buffalo TO be submitted to the
Legislature tomorrow This hope is based
on extended experimentation during the last
year in the inoculation or vaccination of
various animals, mainly rats with the can
Ger virus.
1t appears says the report that where
the resistance of the animal Is not suffi-
GENTLY awakened by one inoculation of the
tumor this resistance can be heightened bS
repeated doses and in a considerable pro-
portion or cases Immunity can be raised
TO point which will bring about cure.
i Is needless 70 point out that this process
or repeated vaccination. which has cured in
the proportion Of twenty-five TO forty in
rats, might well be applied to those cases
Of late cancer in human beings in which
surgery has nothing TO offer and the out
look IS hopeless. Such experiments can, OF
course, be undertaken only where patients
are under the direct eye and control Of the
experimental. IF suitable quarters for such
patients could be found there is no doubt
selves of the opportunity 10 try this treat
ment'
It was found in treating animals that
where only one fnoculation was made the
animal usually died, whereas when a num-
Der Of successful inoculations were made
the resulting tunofs We're smaller, and after
reaching a certain size, spontaneous recov-
cry would set in and in the ma jority Of
cases the tlIrnors would disappear. leaving
the animal immune. The report continues ::
AS ve strongly urged the Legislature in
our eighth and ninth annual reports. the
time has come when we should begin ex-
per1mentatiOn with human beings. To do
so II is necessary that number Of patients
should be maintained for this purpose. The
only basis on which work of this kind can
be done is where the patient submits him
self for experimental purposes, and II Is
necessary under such conditions that the
state should pay the maintenance OF the
patient. It is impossible 10 undertake syS-
tenlatic work Of this kind unless a sUt1-
cient number OF patients can be placed ur1-
der observation, to make The figures SUM-
cIently conclusive 10 corrooate any cohcis
sions which may be reached Funds sum
cient 10 enable US 70 maintain ten pausnTts T,Is
L this work is TO be undertaken
Other investigations Of far reaching i'm
portance conducted by the laboratory in the
last year have had to do with the prevalence
OF many forms Of cancer in fish and the
| possibility Of infection by human beings. II
has been found that cancer Of the thyroid
in particular is of very frequent occurrence
in fish OF the trout family 1T is q very
ren1a rka bic coincidence" says the report
that the area Of the United States which
includes the greatest concentration OF hu-
! man cancer cases Is almost identical with
| the area through which the various mem
| bers OF the trout family are distributed
! Commenting on the theory that a posi-
! bic contagion OF cancer might be distributed
! to human beings through the medium Of
! water. the report points out that cancer is
| most prevalent in the well wooded. well
waJered and mountainous regions and along
| sea coasts. Cancer is more prevalent in
/ rural districts than in cities.
/ Statistics are given to show that cancer
/ continues TO increase The report says that
| in the United States IL has increased from
/ q in 100000 population in 1850, TO IS ii
! 1900, an average OF about So in 1901, and
! an average Of more than 20 in 1905 Sta
| tistics given show that in New York Stat.
| in 1909, 1854 cases of cancer were reported
10 13,948 cases Of tuberculosis.