The Washington herald., 1914-11-13
MEAT AS CAUSE OF CANCER.
Specialist says the Disease Is Rare
Among veEetariaHH.

In the Medical Record DR.. L. Duncan
| BuIkley, skin and cancer specialist OF
New York. discusses the relation Of diet
to cancer. which, he says. evidently Is on
the increase, in spite OF the untiring ef-
forts OF innumerable research workers all
| over the world. That cancer is due TO a
parasite. DR.. BuIkIey thinks Is untenable.
"It II recognized by ALL" writes DR..
Bulkley, that the tissues develop and
are maintained by nutrition derived
from the food and drink taken. md
tumors all certainly grow by the same
means For years IL has been claimed
by one person after another that diet
has more or less influence in the pro-
duction OF cancer.
TT has been pretty clearly demon
strated that cancer is a disease OF CIV
iIization. increasing among those peoples
who had previously been free from II in
proportion as they become associated
with those who are more highly civilized
and as they have adopted their customs
and manner OF life and Diet this has
been shown in regard to negroes before
and after the civil war. and also as to
primitive people in India, Australia AZ
rica, Mexico. Brazil. etc.
|. with advancing civilization the diet
has become more and more complicated.
and luxury and oYereating have in
creased: this Is especially true OF meat
eating. and alcohol and coffee drink
ing The increase in the consumption OF
meat has been startling in many locah-
ties. and in England 1t has reached
yearly total Of 40 pounds per capita for
men, women and children. In addition
to large quantities Of FISH. game, poul-
try, rabbits. eggs, cheese, etc. Among the
weIl-to-do the meat consumption has
been estimated at between $50 and 30
pounds per year; all this is much more
than double the amount consumed hfty
years ago. and in the same time the
deaths from cancer have Increased over
fourfold.
rs it not possible and even prob
able that the relatively less increase
in cancer in New York City during the
last five years is in part due TO dietary
causes? Thus in 1913 the death rate was
So per 10000. against 70 for the average
OF the preceding five years. while the
highest increase was in Baltimore-lO5
against a. or II per 10000 to 3 in New
York City. 1t is known that we here
In New York City have vast hordes or
foreigners, many newly landed, who
still live as at home and are too poor
to buy much meat The Italians stin
live on macarOni. and cereals form
large part OF the diet Of those from
Southern Europe, etc. During a rather
extensive trip through the Far East I
was unable 10 see or even hear Of any
cancer although I met a large number
Of medical men and made inquiry re-
gardIng the same, and visited hos
pitals with a total Of many thousands
Of patients In Japan, Corea. China.
the Philippines. India. Siam and Egypt
l met the same response, that cancer
was rarely seen among those vegetal-
ian peoples.
Cancer has repeatedly been observed
to disappear spontaneously. and many
such cases are on record by careful and
competent medical men. In certain OF
these instances II has occurred in connec-
ton with a radical change in the mode OF
life and diet. but in the majority Of in
stances there Is no record OF the special
cause of its disappearance"
Referring to a skin disease known as
psoriasis" DR.. Bulkley draws an analogy
between 1t and cancer with regard to the |
use OF meat
"Just as psoriasis has been observed |
by many To disappear when the nitro |
genous supply was cut OF, so numerous |
observers, and the present writer among |
them, have seen unquestioned cancer |
steadily retrogress and even disappear |
and remain absent under a strictly non
nitrogenous diet.
For very many years have held the /
view that meat eating was productive |
of cancer, and have treated very many /
cases OF both recurrent and primary can
GER with an absolutely vegetarian diet.
with results in some cases which were
remarkable and most gratifying. But
have hesitated writing strongly on the
subject before lest should be misunder-
stood or mLsjudged, as in such cases re-
lance has to be placed on a clinical dag
nosis always verified by others), while
results claimed are always open to ques-
tion by some 1 have also feared lest