The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20

| During 1910 the number of vivisection ex- lperiments on animals in the British Isles reached 95.731. Of these close on 5000 ex- perments were conducted with anaesthet- ics, and the remainder without.
 | It was explained in the report issued on Saturday that in no case had I cutting operation more severe than a superfc al venesection been performed without an- aesthetics. In no instance was a certif- cate dispensing with the use of anaes .he.- les allowing for an experiment involving a serious operation.
 | In a very large number of the eXper- ments undertaken without anaesthetcs the results are negative, and the animals suffer no inconvenience whatever from the linocculaton. These experiments are therefore entirely painless. In the event of pain ensuing as the result of an inoc- ulation the animal must be killed under anaesthetics as soon as the main result of the experiment has been attained.
 Tn the course of cancer investieat:ons during the year nearly 500OO experiments were performed mice being used for inc most part.
 Striking facts in reference to the fight against cancer now so sedulously Naged by science were made public at the annual , meeting of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, and some reassuring opinions werc , expressed It is stated that there is TO 5 such thing as "cancer houses," and that y cancer Is not catching; also that the dis ease generally is not on the increase Sir William Church, in moving the ad option of the annual report said an analysis CT the deaths from cancer for The years I 1901-9 showed that for males the main a increase was due 10 cancer of the almen- tary canal, especially of the stomach, the liver. and gall bladder. the skin showed
 but slight or no increase. For females the : increase also fell mainly on the intass ma
 tract. Dr. E. F. Bashford stated in his report that the study of the occlrranct of cancer in mankind and in domestieatet animals in widely separated parts of tht globe showed that the practice of peehlial customs Involving the subjection os par tcular parts of the body to chronic irrita
 tion) provoked the disease in sitlation and organs from which it was absen
 when such customs did not obtain. was taasonable to suppose that ;he ire quency of cancer would be dimnlshed ed . such practices as the use Of kaugri 1
 Kashmir, the chewing of betel iut an
 the eating of very hot rice were 1iscon
 tinued. It was also reasonable to ass1m
 that the introduction into England o
 these exotic customs would greatly in
 crease the frequency of cancer m thl
 country. The irritation was ceally a
 important causative factor of cancer va
 an assumption justifiable only for cor
 tain forms of cancer occurring in partie
 ular regions The breeding experimen,
 which had been in progress for man
 years. the report continued. had nov
 yieled upwards of eC00 mice of known an
 cestry and age. The data showed tha
 heredty played part in the deveoDmen
 of cancer of the breast in the mice. A all age-periods the disease was more fire
 quent when the mother, or either isfond mother. or all three. had died from can
 cer of that organ. Dealing with the ex tperiments made regarding individualit lof cancer would thus appear 10 nave bee placed at least beyond all further dis
 cussion It has long been maintained i Igarious forms on the basis of deduction Arawn from historical (micrcscopicab cX Examination Of the tissues at the site IF xl primary lesion and from the nature ha y ba&n vehemently combated.