Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-25

A last definite step has been made in
~ the great struggle against cancer, that
terrible scourge of humanity
A specifc agent causing cancer in chickens
has been discovered. II was discovered by
DR. Peyton Rous and Or. James B. Murphy,
the roted scientists OF the Rockefeller lnsti-
tute in New York They do not as yet call It
a germ, because they do not know enough about
Il IN GOV whether that is the correct term.
This discovery is the latest and most i'm
,ortant fact in the worldwide research into
the nature of cancer that is Interestingly do
scribed by Professor Leo Loeb in an article
in the current Popular Science Monthly The
writer is attached to the Barnard Skin ana
Cancer Hospital St. Louis and is brother OF
Professor Jacques Loeb, OF the Rockefeller
Institute Leo Loeb carries his discussion or
the subject up to the work OF Rous ana
Murphy.
The agent OF cancer now discovered by them
remains virulent after being passed through
alter that will exclude many microbes. and
after being dried. frozen and mixed with gly'
cerine.
This is an important step toward treating
The disease, because II furnishes specinc
cause that can be experimental upon In the
laboratory with view to preparing rem.
edy. In the preparation of all the serums and
vaccines that are now 80 successfully used IN
curing other diseases. the discovery of spe-
cifc germ or agent was always preliminary
step
Hitherto It was quite uncertain whether
there was any germlike agent In cancer
whether of men animals. All that was
known positively was that there was always an
abnormal growth of cells In the disease. Many
scientists argued that there was specific
germ or agent causing this condition, but the
majority argued that the mere overgrowth OF
the cells wa. the disease. Proof OF either argu-
ment lacking.
Drs. Rous and Murphy report their expert
ments in the current number OF the American
Journal Of Experimental Medicine They sum
lnarze their discovery In the following words;
"A causative agent has been separated from
three chicken tumors OF very different sort
namely a spindle-celled sarcoma, an osteo.
chondrosarcoma, and spiudiecelled sarcoma
peculiarly assured by blood sinuses. This was
accomplished after the tumors had been trans
planted repeatedly and their malignancy en-
HANGED Each of the tumor-producing agents
IS distinct entity In that II gives rise only 10
Erowths of the precise kind from which il has
been derived. All pass through Berketeld cyl
inders impermeable at the same test TO small
bacteria. and two Of the three retain their activ-
~ in tumor tissue that has been dried or glycer-
mated All are strikingly dependent for their
action on derangement OF the tissue with which
they are brought in contact. The general find
ings strongly suggest that the agents are OF
about the same size and OF the same natural
class"
AnOtner interesting uiSNNNeIN Heut ny tAc
investigators was that an Irritating substance
mixed with the causative agent greatly in
creased the rapidly of the cancer growth and
he virulence OF the disease The infectiye
material was mixed with the powdered ala
tomaceous earth which the Germans call "Kie-
seiguhr"
When the healing process began, in the
formation Of rreactive tissue" the filtered ma
terial from cancerous chickens sloughed off the
kieseguhr and began to build up cancer cells
NTH great rapiditv II was like sowing seed In