On the Nature of Old Age and of Cancer
Authors: H. Gilford
Journal: BMJ (1913)

A-3ONG tlle many facts wlhiclh have beeni gathered together about cancer, I suppose that none is moire striking than its close association witlh the degenerative periodIs of life.But, tllouglh particular attentioni lhas been given to this peculiarity, its bearing on the pathology of cancer is apparently not yet understood.Tlle most obvious inter- pretation is tllat tlle cancer itself is notlhing more tlhani a manaifestation of old age.B1ut to all appearances so incon- sistent are tllc cancer clharacters witlh tllose wlichl dis- tinguisli thle olcl age change, that suclh an explanation is too improbable to be entertainled.Nothilg, indeed, seemiis tmiore unlilkely tllan that the vigorously growing cancer cells, puslling tlle tissues before tlhem or tlhreading their way along tlle lymph spaces, slhould be smitten witlh the same blialgt as thlat wlhiclh accounts for tlle ever-increasing decay and incapacity of normlial senescence.But a little considerationi miiay sc-ve to slhow that the comparisoln betweeln tl cancer process and-tle senile process is not quite so remote as appears on tlhe surface.Thoualg Ailich, of thew.orkhtlhat is being done uponl canecr does not explaini cancer, it tendcs to, clear tlle way for an cxplanatioun.Tllus it seemiis positive tllat, tlhough cancer may be started by tlle operation of external agencies, its real origin is naot ex-trinsic but muust be lookled for in tlle pepversi-o0 6f -soind fintrinsic coinditioni.Tilis narrows tlle sc'obie of inquir'-considerably, for the intrinsic processes of tlhe body capable of such1 perversion 1are few il nuumber.. Indeeed, it apparently confines the searclh to one of tle-five basic properties of growth, developilent, reproduction, llutritioni, andc iiiiveunitytIn seeking f6r.thle clUe -toA t'he pa-thology of cancer, probably each of.tllese five processes has now been well scrutinize(l, and iione m-lore tlioroiglily thaln developmeint, for there iS miiuclh inr dlevelopmenit to suggest that it containis the' ex'planatioii of wllich we are in searelh.CAN-CR'R--A DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGE.One feat'ure of cancer suggestive of a developm-enital origin is the variability in its rate of growtlh.Such varia- bility seemis to be sponitaneous or innate and reminiscent of tlle chlanges wlhich clharacterize development, sollne being diuLrnal, others seasonal, others marking an epoch of evolution, and yet others arising from mnore recondite causes.Hence whlen we see a mass of cells sprouting from one of thle organs or sturfaces of the body, and notice that for no apparent reasonl its growth is at one Atime,quickenec, at ailother retarded or even arrested, we are reminded of thc rlhytlmical or cyclicalchauges of normal development.Anotlher suggestive circumstance is the way in wlhicl the rapidity or malignance of caincer is influenced by the development of its lhost.Generally speakinig, tlle earlier in life the cancer begins, the miiore rapid is its course, tlle greater its inalieopance.In other'words, its malianance is as a rule in inverse ratio to the age of the individual affected.But nothing, perlhaps, points more definitely to cancer ()ON-rflE NATUIlI AiND {F)I