New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-24
From The Tribune correspondent

From The Tribune Correspondent
London, May l6.-In an address dellV-
cred recently before the Insurance IN
s,itute Newcastle-upon-Tyne Sir Thomas
Oliver. professor of medicine at Durhap
University, reviewed the question oi
cancer houses at considerable lehs.i
and furnished some striking instances
lie cited the case of a village in Norway
with 500 inhabitants in which, until lie"
years ago when eight cases OF the dls-
ease occurred, there was never known 10
be more than one cancer patient per an
mum.
For MANY years medical men have been
attracted by the question whether cancer
can be acquired from living in a house
previously inhabited by a sufferer from
the disease Instances are not iacKihs
which seem TO support the idea that sofie
form of infection does persist In certain
buildings. for references to cancer
houses" abound I'm medical literature.
According TO DR. Armande, eleven
deaths occurred in seven years IN Il
French village of 40 inhabitants, all In
tho same block Of houses. Three years
,atar there were seventeen cancer pa
, tIents in these houses. In another house
in different locality five deaths oc-
Cured from cancer in one house over
period OF thirty years All these patients
belonged to different families. hst Oh
1Ot2 houses in Paris in when persons
had died of malignant disease was Drawn
-, ond n watch instituted. Already In
tueIve Of them successive cases OF cancer
have been noted.
Nineteen on One Street
Another remarkable series OF cases "-
Cured in a short street not one-t"eil'i VI
a mile long in small town. Ihe house'
I'm this street were entirely residential III
ffteen wears dS93- 1909 there died OF mai's-
rort disease i'm this street nineteen per
sons and a dog. Several of the houses az
counted for more than one case cav"
CT rhoras comments: LAS In nearly ali
the patients there was no heredi'arE mo
tory Of the disease. the large nuhloer "
deaths has suggested that the Ha''ei 10
more than Il coincidence =,
ro,,arko hle case cited in The Pract-
TONER in 1889 dealt with the history VI
two cottages built under one roof IN tle
fire, of these a man died of cancer me
cottage was then occupied by married.
oo,,r,e The husband died OF the disease
.u,o wars later and the wife ten years
Ioter Three maiden ladies then loon
the house. TWO OF these Subsequently
died OF cancer.
D,Arcy Power further quotes case
where three women who in successloi'
occupied particular bedroom all ui."
of a malignant disease. The remarhao'o
feature of this case was that the secohu
victim had lived twenty years IN 'he
house before she moved TO the injected
room. and the third eight years. No iur-
Their case occurred after the room hau
been thoroughly disinfected
The North of England furnishes several
examples somewhat similar to those cited
For instance, there is a yicarage III the
North Country with an evil reputation as
a cancer house" two successive lncuih-
bents having died there Of malignant dis
ease. In a large house in Somerset where
a man died of cancer many years ago,
hIs wife. his wife's second husband,
member of his family by his first wife.
ana "A ltsNN' SA'4~N
tins to the disease In another house IN
Scotland the cancer history is known 70
extend back through three generations.
Experiments on Mice.
Striking confrmatory evidence OF the
theory that houses really can play part
in the propagation of cancer was Afforded
BY experiments conducted some time ago
and reported In the medical press-with
an infected mouse cage. This cage was
purchased in the ordinary way from a
dealer because it had been noticed that
many OF the mice procured from his shop
for laboratory purposes were suffering
from cancerous tumors.
without having been cleaned. the cage
was installed IN the laboratory and new
mice put into IT, \ considerable percent
age of these fresh mice contracted the
disease, while those in another cage.
which was used as control experiment.
remained healthy. Even after the cage
had been washed the faint remained. and
repeated cearngs and distinctions were
necessary TO remove IT,
Cancer experts have lately found that
In certain districts there is far greater
immunity than in others. For instance.
G.. +. Green, the author Of the Cancer
Problem" statistical study, has ascer-
tanned that while cancer is almost I'M
known among tanners and paper makers,
who work daily in lime" il occurs fire.
qucntly among those brought into con-
nection with sulphur fumes. Further. he
discovered that UbaraUar OH
abound there cancer is prevalent. and
that where the chimneys draw" badly
the prevalence is increased-e. e.. small