Evening star., 1926-08-21
HERED|TY Y|SSEEN
AS CANCER ENEMY
SeIective Mating Could Wipe
Out Disease, Plant Sci
entiStS Hear.
By the Associated Press.

ITHACA, n. Y, August H.-Man
can become immune to cancer. but
probably never will because society
cannot direct the mating Of men and
women resistent to the disease. as is
done with animals. in the opinion or
DR.. Erwin F. Smith Of Washington,
who is attending the international
congress of plant scientists at Cornell
Experiments with animals have
shown that not only is 1t possible TO
breed a race entirely resistant to
cancer, DR.. Smith said. but also to
breed another race 100 per cent can
cerous. 1t is believed the same would
apply to the human race. were it pos
sible to direct the mating destinies Of
man.
DR.. Smith, former president of the
American Association of Cancer Re
search, and recognized as leading
on cancer in this country,
believes that cancer Is caused by an
organism, or parasite, and that the
organism which produces cancers or
tumors on plants is the same as that
which affects the human body.
His own experiments with plants.
he said, have shown that the cancer
organisms produced are not unlike
those obtained in rats fed on nema-
todes taken from the muscles of the
West Indian cockroaches found
around sugar factories or in ships en-
gagged in the West Indian trade.
Operations May Cure.
Cancer, he believes. may be cured
by operation, If discovered in time.
Superficial cancers and those near
or on the skin and easily reached
may be overcome by proper and skill
full use of radium and the X-ray. In
this connection, however. he pointed
out that many supposed cures can
not be called such definitely until the
elapse of time has brought no re-
currence. of the malignant growths.
Repeated contact with SCOT. coal
tar. paraffin and anilines are believed
to be among the common causes Of
cancer. with possibly a more common
cause, in DR.. Smiths opinion. the
arsenic brought into the body through
continued use of tobacco. DR.. Smith
pointed out that cancers most common
in men We're those of the mouth. throat
and stomach, caused possibly by con-
tact with the arsenic sprayed on to-
bacco as it grows in the field and
used again as preservative in the
storage sheds.
The passing Of five years. or dec
ade, he believes, may demonstrate
the correctness Of this theory because
Of the increasing use of tobacco by
women, who now are susceptible
chiefly to cancers of the breast. stom-
ach and uterus, but who do not now
have to any extent cancer of the
mouth and throat that may be caused
by contact with the arsenic of to
bacco, and which now affect men.
May Change Characters.
The character Of plants may be
changed by grating with the D1ost
advantageous method, that of fore
ing two widely different types to
merge, DR.. Lucien Daniel of the Uni
today.
Outlining his experiments with
plants which produce tubers, but not
seeds. and plants which produce seeds
but not tubers. DR.. Daniel said he had
obtained plants having both tubercles
and seeds. In other experiments
plants which normally flower but once
g. year were made to flower cOntin-
uously for a time.
"Demonstrative are results of ex.
periments with Helianthus tuberosus
and Helianthus annuus." he said.
"Tuberosus normally reproduce en-
tirely by tubers and annuus by seeds.
TuberOSuS was grated on annuus and
the tuberosus produced not only aerial
tubercles, but 36 seeds from which
were obtained IA plants showing GER
tain differences in vigor, habit and
Towering.
Character Is Transmitted.
"Tubercles from certain of these
varieties grew into plants with aerial
as we'll as underground tubercles, a
character induced by grating and
transmitted to the next generation
This new variety, Helianthus tuberosus
dangeardi. has transmitted the ac-
quired character for four years"
Scientists saw in his announcement
the possibility Of obtaining seeds for
different varieties from tuberOus
plants, such as the potato.
External environmental factors. as
Well as internal factors. influence the
sex character of Towering plants and
Of the lower order OF animals, Prof
Charles T.. Allen Of the University of
Wisconsin said.
The Towering plants. he declared,
appear to be Influenced by mutilation,
length of daily period of Illumination
temperature, and the depth, water
content and chemical constitution o..
the soil.
Development of sexual characters In
metaZoa, animal life of the lower class,
he said. is believed to be influenced by
temperature, relative abundance of
food. water content of the egg, free
o-iH 20 -.
presence CIR absence Of larger indi-
vidual of the same species, amputa-
ton of a part of the body and infesta-
tion by a parasite. all comparable wit h
external factors influencing sexual ex-
preston in the Towering plants.
DefOrestation Harms Fish,
Wholesale destruction OF forests has
changed the diet of the animals.
harmed the fish in lakes and streams
and threatened generally the delicate
balance between the lives of plants
animals and man, said E. n. Munns
of Washington yesterday.
Mr.. Munns, representing the United
States Forest Service. said that to
attack the problem Of preservation
of timber resources from the stand =
point of biology. geology. pathology
and kindred subjects. the Govern
ment should establish special re-
search fellowships. They would. he
I said. enable the service to recruit
the highly trained men needed. AL
growing things. Mr.. Munns assert
ed. suffer by the cutting of forests
The disappearance OF nut-bearing
trees forces animals to change their
diet to seeds and buds. The wipine
out of large timber stands raises the
temperature Of water in the streams
and lakes, resulting, he added. in
harm to fish which require stable
temperature for egg Matching.
Given trained personnel. suitable
equipment and means, men capable
of leadership. cooperation through
out the forestry science and a study
of forestry from the viewpoint OF