The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-04-22

Be Destroyed, Disooverer Says-Posi-
tive Cure Not Yet Promised, How
ever-Methods Explained.
The discovery of a serum which kills
cancer poison and which, physicians
believe, may prove to be a cure for
cancer has been announced by DR..
Howard w. Newell instructor Of pa
thology at the Boston university school
of medicine.
At the seventy-third annual meeting
of the Massachusetts Homeopathic
Medical society, which took place re-
Gently, DR.. Newell announced his dis
covery. The announcement followed
three years of research work, he said.
What he has found, he explained, is
a chemical process for the extraction
of poison from a malignant tumor in
man and with this poison obtaining
from rabbits serum which when mix
ed with the original serum in the prop
er proportions wholly nullifies the poi
sonous properties Of the tumor extract.
Will Experiment on Humans.
DR.. Newell soon will experiment on
cases of cancer in human beings. Ev-
cry patient to be inOculated with his
serum must first have been declared
by a committee of five surgeons to be
a victim of cancer.
DR.. Newell describes how, from cases
Of operable tumor where a diagnosis
of cancer (carcnoma) had been posi-
lively established by clinical and by
microscopical findings, the freshly ex-
\ tirpated malignant growth was freed
from fat and eXtraneous tissue, cut
into small pieces. boiled for several
hours in water and then filtered and
how the filtrate was acidiied and
boiled and filtered again to remove the
proteins.
"This filtrate," said he, was exactly
neutralized and the solution was evap-
Grated on the water bath to a sirupy
consistency. This sirup was carefully
extracted with pure alcohol, and the
i extract after the removal of the alco-
! hol by dlstillation was repeatedly treat
/ ed with ether. The residue, insoluble
4 in the ether, was then dissolved in
water, and the solution was rendered
! strongly acid and again thoroughly ex-
4 tracted with ether.
"This time the ETHEREAL extracts were
collected, the solvent removed by dis
= tillation, and the final residues again
were dissolved in water. The aqueous
solution was rendered alkaline, boiled
for half an hour and again filtered.
On the spontaneous evaporation of the
filtrate long, white, needle shaped crys-
tails separated, and these were purified
by repeated recrystalization in water.
"These crystals in their purified form
are the basis of the subsequent In
vestigations," he said.
Experiments on Rabbits.
"While up to the present the exact
chemical nature Of the active tumor
extract is not known, its capacity to
produce anti-bodies could be studied
experimentally to advantage. To this
end series of immunization expert
ments were undertaken with healthy
adult rabbits.
"These were used with one-tenth of
cubit centimeter of the tumor solu-
tion. Ten days later an immunizing
dose of ten milligrams of the active
substance formed in the body of the
guinea pigs was given. Ten days later
# a second solution was used. This dose
had been sufficient to kill nonimmuniz-
ed rabbits in twelve hours. Three
more immunizing doses were given at
ten day intervals. In period of fifty
days the animals received sixty-fOur
milligrams of the toxic substance, di-
vided into six doses.
Hope Cure May Be Found.
II "The serum from these rabbits when
mixed with the original tumor solution
in the proportion of ninety-nine parts
of solution to one part serum complete
ly immunized all other rabbits and
y guinea pigs from the action of the origi-
nal solution, though double the death
dealing dose was administered in ev-
cry experiment.
"The serum from the animals immu-
nized contains substance or mixture
of substances which possesses the pow
er of antagonizing the toxic action Of
& the tumor substance This has been
+ demonstrated by use of the serum Ell
ther previous to or simultaneous with
+ that of the tumor poison. In both
events no effect is observed from guam
= titles of the poison which If used alone
would produce rapidly fatal intoxica-
= ton.
"With the simultaneous use of poi
son and anti-body it has been shown
that one part of the latter will effec-
tually antagonize ninety-nine parts of
the former"
Funds For Polar Expedition.