Evening star., 1933-04-02
MORE DATA GIVEN
ON CANCER GERMS
Health Officials Say Discovery
Opens Highly Promising
Line of Research.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY IHOMAS n. HENRI.
Further details of the startling Can
Ter germ discovery made in the labora-
tory Of the United States Public Health
Service here were made public yester-
day as world wide interest was shown
"a the first scientifically controlled DEM
oiastration of the production of a ma
lignant growth from micro-organlsm.
Public Health Service officials were
especially anxious to avoid giving the
impression that Drs. T. j. Glover and
b. L. Engle, independent investigators
working under their supervision, mad
found a cancer cure" Instead, 1T
was pointed out, they have opened up
b highly promising line OF research.
The micro-organism itself Is not pre-
risely identified. 1t is described as
sspore bearing"
From the details made known yes
terday it seems to have acted with great
Sapidity from the time it was OBJ
tadned from a human breast cancer.
In the case reported it was inocu-
lated in the breast region OF female
guinea pig on November 5. Three days
later. according to the report, "a
rather evenly distributed infltration
was noted in the region of incubation.
This slowly became localized into a
Well-defined indurated mass about 2:3
rentimeters in width and 3.4 cent?
meters In length. 1t was noted on
December % that isolated nodular
areas were developing IL the region. :"
Swellings Continue.
Less than a month later, on January
le. 1888, these nodules were found to be
enlarging and two weeks later 1t was
found that glands in the region Of
the animals groin were nelarging, so
that they could be distinctly felt. Both
the nodules and the gland swellings
continued to enlarge until Febru-
ary "a.
Then the animals began to show
signs of increasing weakness. On
February % it had become very weak.
1t was chloroformed and the body
turned over to Surgeon R. D. Lille
for a pathological examination.
There is little doubt, Public Health
Service officials explain, that the con-
ditions found by DR.. Lille actually
wore those of cancer. 1t had done two
things distinctive of such a malignant
peoplasm. First it had invaded and
destroyed muscular tissue at the point
or entry. Second, 1t had set up areas
al. malignancy in far-remcved parts
OF the body, the lymph glands.
Health Service officials say, that the
results could have been accidental.
That the specific organism is respon-
sible is not absolutely proved, but it
Is regarded as certain that in the
culture with which the guinea pig
was inoculated was something which
caused the growth Of a cancer In an
animal quite resistant to malignant
neoplasms. The responsibility Of the
nnicro-organism seems by far the most
plausible.
= Avoid Interviewers.
Doctors Glover and Eagle are max
ing no announcement except through
the official channel Of he Public
Health Service and are avoiding inter-
viewers after making what may con-
stitute one of the outstanding medi-
cal discoveries of the age. The claim
is such q challenge to accepted ideas
OF cancer origin that Public Health
Service officers expect the most search
ing questioning of the results.
The startling discovery comes long
after any hypothesis of cancer germ"
generally had been abandoned by the
medical profession. Effort after effort
to ind such micro-organiSm had
proved fruitless. Various minute organ
1sms were found ip cancer tissue, but al
most without exception they failed to
produce cancer under controlled condi-
tions. The case has been slightly diff
ferent In the case Of "hlterable virus"
Studies based on the hypothesis that one
cause Of cancer may be family OF ultra
microscopic living particles.
One Of the outstanding cancer dis.
coveries Of the present generation was
that Of Barnard and Guy, two English
Snicroscopists, who about five years ago
found that certain types Of cancer could
be reproduced in chickens by a specific
virus together with specific factor"
from the animal to be inoculated.
The value of the discovery by the two
Washington doctors. it is pointed out
must be gagged by the fact their work
has met the rigid standards Of the
Hygienic Laboratory, whose extreme cau-
tion Is byword in the medical world.
The diagnoses of the original breast
Dancer of a woman and the induced can
tEcr in the breast of the guinea pig were
hot made by Glover and Engle, but by
Experienced Public Health Service path
piog1sts Of high repute In the medical
world. The chance Is slight that any
factor has been overlooked that might
Eiscount the results Of the experiments.