Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-01-01
PREVENTION OF CANCER.

Study OF the cause anu cu1o W -"
Ger has led to a vast amount OF re-
search work being done among tine
lower organisms. including fish. rats.
mice, dogs, rabbits and the like, ana
these Investigations have developed
many highly illuminating facts OF In
tense interest and significance to the
human family. .....-s g.
Bonnet in 1883 was probably the
first to note and describe species OF
cancerous disease of the thyroid gland
among trout. Following this sugges'
ton, investigators have found that
trout and other nsh quite generally
all over the world are afdicted with
what appears to be a carcinoma begin
ming In the thyroid gland and from
there spreading to the adjoining bones
and muscles. The disease attacks
chiefly dsh over two years old and the
general trend Of opinion appears to
be that its origin Is in some way con-
nected with the food supply.
Gaylord found the disease to be con-
stantly present or endemic in not less
than rs per cent Of the hatcheries con-
tanning salmonoids throughout the
United States, and that it became cpl
demic and attacked all classes OF fish
in general from time to time.
In one hatchery more than SO per
cent Of the tumors showed the struc-
ture OF carcinoma, while in an cpl
demic encountered In another locality
the growth was in general more like q
simple goiter.
Marine and Lenhart endeavored, by
a comprehensive series Of expert
ments, to discover any possible con-
nection between the ordinary goiter OF
fish and animals and the so-called can.
cerous affections Of the thyroid gland.
They discovered that young fish were
more affected than the old, that the
glandular engagements were checked
by the addition OF iodine to the water
Of the pool and that the removal OF
the fish to an open brook effected q
cure. These Investigators consider the
tumors to be directly related to the
water supply, but do not accept the
prevailing opinion that the disease IL
true cancer.
They consider that there are three
factors which, in some way still OBJ
scure, influence thyroid enlargement,
namely, limited water supply, over
crowding, and overlooking with high
ly artificial and incomplete food. They
found the water Of the hatchery was
not intrinsically goiter-producing. be-
cause fish did not develop the disease
unless one of these other factors was
also In operation. That Is to say, the
fish must either be fed with an In.
complete food, or the pool must be
overcrowded with fish, which in tho
end amounts to practically the same
thing. in order to produce the disease.
And II the incomplete food was re-
placed by complete food or the over
crowding was corrected, then recovery
took place even though the ilsh re-
NAMED In the same pool. L.
The significance of the above toshu.
mainly lies in the fact that 30 far as
fish are concerned the water Of the
stream is synonymous with food, be-
cause normally fish derive their oxy-
gen and all other food matter directly
from the water In which they live:
hence, If too many individuals are
crowded into given pool or the water
normally does not carry sufficient ma
terial to maintain the group the weak
er and less alert must inevitably suffer
deficiency Of necessary elements.
Whether these glandular enlarge
ments resulting from food deficiencies
are or are not true cancer is not ma
terial at this time, because we do not
yet know whether cancer begins as
malignant growth or whether simple
hypertrophy or enlargement is, in
some way not yet understood, convert
ed into a malignant disease. But,
granting that they begin as simple be.
nign engagements, as they undoubted-
ly do, we do not know and are gen.
orally quite unable to determine at
what stage an enlargement changes
from the benign into the malignant
type. Every enlargement should be
viewed with suspicion and concern
and should receive prompt attention
at the hands OF some competent per-
son. This care should also extend to
all hypertrophies: that is to say, to
all and any enlargaments or thicken-
ings of tissues anywhere in the body,
whether 1t be a gland or only the tis.
sues of the nose, because these by.
pertrophies or chickering's indicate a
tendency to overgrowth or hyperplasia
from q disturbance in metabolism,
lack of nutritive balance usually due
to some deficiency and quite certain
ir time to have grave consequences In
the development of some one of the
deficiency diseases If not of cancer.
F. A reasonable regulation of ones
habits and indulgences will easily per
NIT of the maintenance OF the spirit of
youth to the ends Of ones days, and
go far toward insuring one against
cancer and many other undesirable
diseases.
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also passed away, or at any rate. is no
longer understood as it formerly was,