New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-15
Continued from fourth page.

the work Of the pathoogist. the findings
of the committee are interesting in that
IL is pointed out that the undertakers use
Il as means OF securing business; the
| others Try TO prevent autopsies on the
basis Of some religious prejudices.
our foreIgn-born population" the re-
port says. accustomed 10 the matter
Of autopsies in the countries from which
they come. would not think Of Directing
! 10 them here were il not for the prompt
| ings OF the undertakers or burial socie-
| ties"
one u the pathologists connected with
| large hospital in this city, speaking of
/ what IS called the absurdly small proper
| ton OF autopsies 10 deaths i'm the hos
| pitals attributed IL TO the influence Of
undertakers in trying to prevent autop-
sies.
They seem 10 get wind of the death
Of the patient" he said. before this
has happened and they will approach
the family with the promise that no
mutilation will be allowed If they are
given the job Of managing the funeral"
Study of Cancer.
The fact that We know to-day the di-
rect causes OF many diseases does not,
the committee insists. allow US to dis
pense with the services Of the autopsist
and microscopic If. for example. it
should ever be proved that cancer We're
| an infectious or parasitic disease. these
men say, we should be no nearer the un-
| derstanding of the nature Of the cancer
Gus process than before.
Continuing. the report says:
For the most important question would
| remain unsolved namely. how any para
site could induce cells to grow charac-
! teristicaly and necessarily to the de-
struction of the whole organism. But.
after "A disease is established In a per-
| son. is II not Of great consequence to
know what visible changes i'm cells and
tissues lead TO or are associated with
such destructive action"
Il need only mention the difficult ques-
! ton of dissemination OF cancer cells
and their growth In distant parts of the
| body" says Or. Oertel "Only full
understanding of the factors determining
these phenomena will allow an lntelli
| gent treatment.
Another Illustration: We know that
| diphtheria is caused by a specific micro
| organism, and also that 1t may be con-
| troiled largely by its antiserum. But the
character of the diphtheritic process in
| the throat and what other changes the
disease produces in the body can only
be solved by careful post-mortem inves-
tigation.
This gives us information about i'm
portant features OF the disease For ex-
| ample. child may have died very uneX-
pectedly during what appeared TO be a
mild attack OF this disease. We are at
a perfect loss to understand why until
we examine the heart. and find IL marked
ly and Unexpectedly diseased. This is
| information we could never derive from
a study of the cause OF the disease. but
I II we find post-mortem evidences of IL in
many cases OF diphtheria we are just-
fled In concluding that diphtheria is a
disease which exhibits a marked tenden-
cy toward characteristic involvement
OF the heart.
But fact thus established by autop-
sy is Of the greatest practical impor-
lance, for IL directs the attention OF the
physician to what he must carefully
watch and guard during this disease
Such examples, he says, could be read
lly multiplied. many Of them very COM
plicated and therefore still unsettled and
under investigation, for there are many
diseases i'm regard to whose causes or
mode Of action We are still uncertain