Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-15
DR.. G. eETToN MASSEY
On Governments Cancer Experiments

On Governments Cancer experiments
TT IS to be hoped that the action OF the
/ Government in taking an active interest,"
in cancer MAJ throw definite light on sohe
features Of tho diseas" which nav" thrS inr
cvaded solution by PHYSICIANS WorkinE !"
private practice, says DR.. IT,. be!'oh Hi'H
Soy. who has long made a study OF the 'hFS-
te"icS Of cancer. :. -,
The cause Of cancer is uncertain. saiG
Tr. Massey. ''Hlthough II Is my PERSONA
he,icf that it is some external hVlnS 'n'ns
Of rrotozoal type which reaches uS IRON an
external host probably from m animal on
which il is rarastirnl. The cauS" must DC
IN n class by itself. If SO. for protozoa thht
"" know of ar" the causes or Sucn diseases
as malaria. yellow fever and probably small
Iox. all Of which are contagious diseases
which is not true of cancer.
"Nnlaria. yellow fever and smallpox are
general infections from the start. Wnlle eau
crr-- and let III" emphasize this-iS posi-.
lively known to be local diseaS" wheh
first appears in tho human body ana re-
mains a lo<al disease for sufficient time 10
admit Of n cure in most cases, II people only
knew il.
Not Constitutional Disease
Some physirians still regard it as
constitutional disease, but l believe that this
is a mistake, though ! am not i'll possession
Of exact knowledge in the matter. l thihR
cancer grows something like the huge masses
Of cedars one secs along the Perkiomen drive.
The soil is favorable for ccdars, but only an
ignorant person would say that they grew
there without seed.
probably tn" difficulty in cancer is IN
miStaking appropriate soil Tor appropriate
soil plus the germ. and this is question
which wo hope that the Government can
decide Now that the Agricultural Depart.
incnt has successfully revealed the nature OF
cancer in the daisy plant, let us hope that
# will turn its attention to the human body.
g., Of
ton would doubtless lead to prevention.
which j.. the main thing, and, secondly. to
the development of cure III the nature OF
n vaccine or serum which might make It
vO,siblc for patients even in the advanced
Stages 10 be cured But while we are wait
ing to learn the true nature of cancer. it
~..ould not be forgotten that cancer is now
being cured daily if properly treated in its
early stages.
Cure Sometimes Comes First
The apparent anomaly Of cure being
! known before the true nature Of the disease
! is fully understood IS nothing unusual in
medicine MalGri;f, for example. was curod
I in ancient Peru by the us" of Peruvian bark
from which we obtain quininc and this took
/ ulncc 800 or 800 years before the nature
, and tho cause q, the disease were known or
/ ludrrgtOOd And Quinnc still renal ms the
: Nc.r cure for malaria. although we are
. rluil'v nuprcnching the stage OF having no
malaria 70 cure. due to the discovery Of the
cause.
'Tlc same rning may b" said for yellow
, fnyor. Witch was known and treated long
before thr cause wna discovered. except that
NO cure for IL Nps cvtr discovered. 1t wa%
one ~ the fcM diseases which completely
bofiad medical sricncc for many years until
luc discovery 4 The cau&" and the ensuing
means of prevention wiped it out
"Canccr nov stands fourth in the list OF
'hc most deadly Diseases, being exceeded
only BY tuberculosis heart disease and kid
ne, troubles. Therefore there is every need
for th" Government as we'll as the private
practitioners to do everything possible to
discover She cause and give ~ the best
methods Of prevention and possible cure.
More Prevalcat in Older Countries
AN interesting fact about cancer seem,
to hr that il is more prevalent IN the oldci
civilized countries than in til" newer ones
In n study Of IT." cancer ratios S0mr year,
nro ! found that the American statistics
then available showed that the prevalence IL
rhp United StHics va" eight 10 ten years
lrhird TINT Cf England and Wales, and tho
came ratio has continued almost exactly cvCi
since,
AS late rs twenty-five years ago cHnroI
was considered m"UrHblc, and il was over
considered uncthcHl I" attempt to cure il
, II i, true thai the ethics did not say so il
80 many words. but the code of cthic, Of
the musicians of this country discourage,
,lnimH for n cure for any -Callrd<inrlIr
able disease, thus Cr"ating the presumptioi
that cancer wGS iHcurabc,
.'It ~ usually of the utmost importnnr,
to begin the treatment Of any disease at a,