The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-17
"CANCER HOUSE" HAS
NO TERROR FOR HIM
Growth May Be Transplantcd,
hut Is Not Infectious.
Says DR.. Bashford.
MAKES TESTS on MICE
Imperial Research Funds Direc-
tor Describes Results of
Series of Experiments.

Special corse'pondence 20 TnE svN.
LoNDoN. May DIR. Il. Z. Bashford,
director Of the Imperial Cancer Research
Fund. has delivered a lecture on Tho
Gearing Of Comparative and Experimental
Investigations on the Association OF Can. e
Ger with Chronic Irritation
Referring 10 a question that has been
much discussed lately, whether certain
houses or districts are "cancerous." Or.
Bashford said:
~ am frequently asked whether an
ancient family mansion should not ba
burned because OF the occurrence OF can
Ger ~ successive members OF the family.
] am frequently consulted regarding the
anSieties of persons who wish to occupy
a house In which patient has died OF
cancer. ! invariably reply that should
have no objection TO Occupy a so-oalled
cancer house myself. and give my rsa-
sons"
Cancer, he said. lie 20 frequently . causs
Of death that ultimately one woman out
OF seven and one man out OF ten above
the age OF 3S die OF II. Aggregatione OF
cases OF cancer are bound to occur IRE
quently In the same area, whether Il 10
a large one or merely a small house, or
even single room. In men the question
OF hereditary predisposltion cannot bs
worked out, but In mice Il has been found
Of cancer Of the t>>sast by breeding from
mothers (througn two generations
grandmother, mother) affected with this
condition. This IL not "a general but a
specific predispositlon. and does not apply
TO cancers in other parts nor increase the
general susceptibility.
Elsewhere in his lecture Dr. Bashford
said that In the research funds labora-
| tories two new growths--tumors-ha
! been transplanted In the dog, rabbit.
| guinea pig. rat and mouse. For reasons
| OF convenience the mouse had been most
! frequently used, The experiments on
/ other animals showed that the conclu-
| sions arrived at in regard TO the mouse
! applied 20 them also; since they APP
piled TO tho dog they will also apply 10
| man.
Native and racial custom. IL has been
| discovered, ~ capable W altering the dis
| tribution (location) OF the discasg. For
/ example. cancer OF the skin of the ubdo-
| men occurs frequently In India and can-
GER OF the floor OF tho mouth is az fire.
Quent In men as In women---a state differ
ent from that prevailing in England AMI
| America. The most instructive instance
| OF this. however, is the occurrence q
cancer ut the root OF the rlgh, horn vi
draught cattle, but never at the root OF
the left horn con which the yoke does nos
press). These observations were really
unintentional experiments and as suc1
were OF the greatest value. Chr"pr I'm
tatlor. however. is not the only cause ~
cancer. although II often points OUt t'c
site at which cancer should develop
Transportation Not Infectious.
Cancer. DR.. Bashford declared. can be
transferred from one animal TO another
or the same species. The process Is nor,
however process of Infection bur an
actual. transportation. compare BILE TO the
transplantatlon OF plants ia IA garden.
All the forms OF cancer common to men
occur in mice, yet during the last twelve
years healthy MICE young and old, had
been housed with mice naturally suffer-
ing from cancer and mice inoculated with
1t without there resulting In any case q
higher frequency OF cancer among those
healthy mice than occurred In mice not
so exposed.
, The property OF progressive growth Is
the characteristic OF cancer which must
be controlled II cure Is TO be found.
Every animal tissue produces, when
growing. resistance to Its growth. Growth
Is accompanied by resistance. When tle
; growth OF n tumor becomes very rapid
u simply means that this power to pro.
duce resistance has been lost II In
J erroneous to suppose that a stimulus to
growth Is necessary to cancer: the
truth - that continuous growth becomes
possible because OF the loss OF a him
drance to growth. The whole problem
focuses itself into the question of tho
, study of growth and Of the forces which
correlatc 1t and control It in the human
body.
we know little OF growth" DR.. Bash
ford declared. land the facts I have been
retailing to you are really the first In
sight we have been able to obtain into
how growth can be controlled and the
powers OF progressive growth acquired
Two Interesting facts have pmprgad
II is certain that an increase OF cancer
is not taking place in some parts OF the
body, while a large increase. on the other
hand. IL recorded for other parts The
question of diagnosis has. however, to bs
] considered. The second fact Is that In
4 certain localities-face lips and breast
o disease Increases up to the end of life,
> but IN others after attaining to "A max
I iinum growth the disease falls or to the
end of life.