The Elbert County tribune., 1915-01-01
copyright. 1914. by A. S. Gray)
MORE ABOUT CANCER.

lem of growth. II this be true. then the
search for the cure" or for the pre-
yention OF cancer leads us inevitably
into the broad field OF biological study
of reproduction. because, as Haeckel
says. reproduction is nothing more
than growth of the organism beyond
Its individual mass. which erects
part into a whole" Unfortunately, be-
cause OF this fact, there is but litt&e
hope of any immediate and material
check being put on the scourge.
The prevention of cancer is clearly
a matter of individual initiative, just
az is the prevention of fire.
firmly believe that any consistent
evoluuonist can. after a comparatively
superficial examination of the biolog-
ical facts pertaining to the most log
ical theory as to the cause of cancer,
maintain himself immune not only to
that disease. but also to many other
unwholesome and distressing condi-
tions apparently closely allied thereto.
The word consistent" is used ad-
yisedly because few of us are consist
ent eyolutionists. We are hyphen-
ated evolutionists. evolutionists by
profession, but not by conviction. 1t
Is the fashionable doctrine now and
we must always be in fashion and do
and think exactly as everybody else;
but down in our secret souls we cher
ish lot of superstitious nonsense
that makes disciplined knowledge i'm
possible and that is menace to the
whole world of orderly thought Be
sides, it requires a considerable effort
deliberately to start out to achieve a
comprehensive understanding of any
given subject. and we really haven't
the time to do that. If this we're not
the real situation it is very obvious
that most of our physical and social
ills would speedily be corrected.
So long as individual nutrition is
abundant individual development pro-
ceeds. but at the slightest hint of dam
ger to the individual through arrest of
nutrition reproduction is hastened.
Life is very flexible and very per-
sistent and will not be cut off. On
every hand we have evidence of this
principle. Trees always die first at
the top. but 1t is at the top, too. that
they first flower and mature their fruit.
This principle will be found operative
all through the vegetable kingdom and
1T is the same with animals, including
the human animal.
Rapidly growing plants and animals
do not reproduce, and it is not until
the ability to absorb nutrition is
checked-that is to say, not until the
cells have reached the limit of nutri-
tion absorption, or until normal growth
and maturity is reached-that repro
.duction is possible. Here again we
| find the same phenomena: The poorest
and most starved and puny are the
most prolific. And it is the same with
the human race.
1t Is among the poor and the under
fed in our city slums or in the inferior
producing sections of the country that
you will find the least indications of
race suicide" By keeping this idea
in mind we shall not be surprised to
discover that among the highly
nourished rich families in the better
| parts OF our cities and on the highly
productive soil of the country in gem
eral we find but few children in the
| law well worth the consideration of
some of our eminent Statesmen" The
phenomenon of decreasing birth rate
confronts every nation progressing in
well distributed wealth, and 1t is not
matter to be reached by legislation.
Only starvation will correct it, and
conversely a perfectly logical way to
exterminate the slums of our large
cities would be to feed the inhabitants
The slums would not then swarm
with Ill nourished children" because
nature. recognizing life to be secure
from danger of starvation, automatic
ally would reduce the number repro
duced, just as she does In the corn
field, the flower bed. the apple orchard
or among the wild weeds of the field
or the forest.
Obviously 1t is easy now to apply
this same universal law of propagation
to the billions of individual lives that
constitute our bodies, provided we
have trained ourselves to think
straight. From the instant of impreg-
nation an intense cell proliferation
multiplication by division) begins and
normally continues along definite bio
logic lines to maturity. Maturity is
that state wherein the individual cells
reach the limit of their nutrition alb
sorbing ability, the normal reproduct-
i've functions come into play and a
biological balance of the entire organ
ism is maintained for the normal life
period of the organism. all parts
OF which are composed of stable
adult cells. But If the organism
is persistently deprived of some
essential cell element, those starved
cells, acting under the lash of hun.