New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-05-31
HUMAN CANCER Z
IN PLANT LIFE
Department Of Agriculture Thinks
Analogy Is There.
SIX YEARS SPENT IN STUDY,

~VVV@ss ~a' Soso " - SO0OVO " o0Se
tsria and Easily Transmittsd-Dis.
oovery Recommended to Students Of
Cancer Problem a. We'll a. Orchard
Growers and Farmers.
The department Of agriculture has
In press bulletin entitled "Crown
Gall-1ts Cause and Remedy" which
promises not only to revolutionize
present views respecting the nature of
various overgrowths in plants, but
also to throw light on the cancer prob
lem In men and animals.
This bulletin deals with a widely
distributed and harmful disease of or
chard trees and other plants. This
disease is commonly known in the
United States as crown gall, but 1t
may occur not only on the crown Of
plants. but on roots and shoots.
The disease has been known for a
long time, and under the superstition
that it was infectious and injurious
various states have made quarantine
laws against it. The disease has been
ascribed to various causes without
satisfactory proof, and many persons
have been led to believe that 1t was
not due to any organism. The expert
ments detailed in the bulletin show
clearly that the gall is due to bacteria
and is infectious, being readily trans
mitted not only from plant to plant OF
the same kind, but also to many plants
Of widely different families.
Bacteria Cause Of Disease.
The bulletin shows that the growth
is not only of itself injurious to the
plant, but also may form an open
wound through which other parasites
are likely to enter, such as the fungus
of root rot and the bacteria which
cause blight of apples and pears.
The bulletin recommends that the
inspection laws now in force In the
various states be continued and en-
forced. 1t shows what plants 1t Is not
advisable to use as crop following a
CALLED one. 1t describes the life his
tory and cultural characters OF the or
ganism involved, points out the Diff
culties through which it was Isolated
and identified, gives numerous Illus
trations showing the nature of the tu'
mors produced and the time Involved
in their production when pure cultures
of the organism were used, shows that
the organism has q wide range of host
plants and that the overgrowths pro.
duced are in many ways anatomically
and otherwise strikingly like those
found III certain malignant animal tu-
mOrS.
The cause of cancer Is unknown, and
a majority of animal pathologists at
the present time are inclined to regard
it as nonparasitic, chiefly, however, be-
cause no parasite has been found. The
bulletin shows that similar argument
might have been advanced with equal
force some years ago against the para
site nature Of crown gall.
No good reason can be adduced why
cancers should not occur in plants as
we'll as in animals, and If these plant
growths are truly cancers then 1t Is
extremely probable that micro-organ
isms Of some sort are also the melting
cause in sarcoma and carcinoma. Tu-
bercle diseases occur in plants as well
as in animals, and specifically they re-
semble these growths, but not struc-
turally nor in the groupings Of the par
aste.
Trouble In Discovery.
I,o1 thncn y11OI1f RI.
mors are not abundant in the tissues,
sometimes very rare, are hard to see
and difficult to stain. They perish
readily both in the tumor and in cul-
ture media, are difficult to cultivate
from the tissues unless one knows the
technique, do not form abscess cavi-
ties, after the manner Of the tubercle
diseases, but multiply in limited num-
Der within the tissues and apparently
only inside the cells, which their pres
ence stimulates into rapid division.
The disease metastasizes readily and
on this account is cut out with diff
Guilty. The organism loses virulence
easily both inside the tumors and In
culture media, and finally If the plants
are not destroyed by It they seem to
acquire partial or complete immu'
nifty. ..--
The bulletin should be not only OF
very great Importance to the orchard
ist and grower Of dollhouse plants, but
also to all specialists who are inter-
ested in the cancer problem, inasmuch
as in the present uncertain state OF
research on that disease any clew
whatsoever becomes of Importance. 1t
is not claimed that the organism here
described is itself the cause Of malig-
nant animal tumors, but only that IN
many respects the growths produced
by it are suggestive Of malignant AMI
NAL tumors and that probably some
similar parasite lies at the bottom OF
the malignant phenomena of such
growths.
The bulletin involves team WORK
done by four people in the department
of agriculture covering a period OF SIX
years, and the total number OF ex-
reriments involved amounts to thou
sands