Cancer Appears to Be Peculiarly a Disease of the
"Fittest," as It4 Preys Chiefly Upon- Those Who
Eat Regularly and Well and Take Best Care of
Their Health!
By PROF. DE KEATING HART, of
MY Ion; Investigations of the bud
Ject of cancer , have led me to
.the conclusion that the disease
!s due to cells long over-developed in an
Irritated area of the body.
They are over-developed like plants In
hothouses by a slow and prolonged in
crease of heat and food supplies. At the
end of a certain time they acquire he
reditarily the characteristics of over-pro-duction
and over-nutrition which distin
guish them.
I find especially that the nutritive ele
ment on which cancer feeds most abun
dantly like all other cells in active
development is glycogen (the form of
sugar secreted by the liver).
.' Well-nourished bodies and organs favor
the rapid development of cancer. Persons
enfeebled by age or sickness are less
subject to cancer, or at least to its rapid
growth. We know that cancer Is less fre
quent among the tuberculous than the
gouty. In the poorly nourished old per
son the tumor growth takes usually a
torpid form.
, Prosperous diabetics are the class of
persons most subject to cancer. The ex
cess of glycogen secreted by their livers
furnishes nourishment to the tumor. At
the same time the development of a can
cer in a diabetic causes a decrease of this
elimination of sugar. Indicating that the
tumor absorbs part "of the hydrocarbons
of the system.
In many ways we have found that gly
cogen feeds cancer. Fevers use up hydro
carbons, which change into glycogen in
the body and they often produce an
amelioration of cancer. When a cancer
Is removed from a mouse, secondary
growths in other parts of the body in
crease suddenly, indicating that there was
Just enough glycogen to feed the original
tumor.
' Professor Guelpa has found when dieting
persons for rheumatism and 'obesity there
was a marked decrease of cancers from
which they were suffering. Reduction of
food may have the effect of diminishing
cancer, but cannot be regarded an a
sufficient treatment.
I reject the theory that cancer Is of
mlcroblan origin and consequently I must
deny its contagiousness. The malignant
cells can be grafted, but npt inoculated.
It would require more time than I can
give now to discuss the subjects of "can
cer houses and cancer cages." I may
say. however, that the conditions of nu
trition and parasitism which I have found
explain satisfactorily the existence of
"cancer cages." As to "cancer houses,"
the very limited number of them permits
us to believe that they are simple coin
cidences. Is there a pre-dlspositlon of the body
to cancer? It Is true that my theory of
local irritation removes all idea of direct
heredity, because it shows cancer to be
only the result of a local condition - of
Why
I Ami a
ELIZABETH FREEMAN, known among
them as "Lady Betty," is one of the
WeniOBt, and In some quarters term
ed the fiercest, of the militant suffragettes.
By ELIZABETH FREEMAN.
SIX years of battle on English soil and
two termB in hideous Holloway Jail
have convinced me that militancy is
the only way to suffrage for women in
England.
For forty-five years they tried every
other method that is legitimate to secure
votes for women. It was Sir Henry Camp-
that Is now being followed. "You can never
win in this way," be said; "you must pes
ter and irritate."
The world is appalled, or professes to be
appalled,. by what are regarded as the out
rages perpetrated by militants in England.
"Are those women -crazy?" it demands.
"Why do they act in this way?"
' No; they are not crazy. At their head is
a woman who is not only sane, but who
Insists upon sane views and, sane acts by
her followers. Sane, and a saint When
I met Mrs. Pankhurst and took her hand
I felt that I was clasping the palm of a
saint, and so she is very generally regard
ed, even, by those who differ from her.
Why do they not forcibly feed Mrs. Pank
hurst when she is In prison? Because they
fear they will kill her and they know that
,lf Mrs. Pankhurst were killed the English
Government- would be overturned.- We
court forcible feeding. The -Government
fears 16 inflict It too far ltst pnbllo sentl- -ment
turn and rend It '- . i
Sane? Absolutely yes; and every act of
s Capsed
the Society of Medicine, of Paris
cellular nutrition. But If cancer Is not
hereditary there are certain general states
of Ill-health which realize more easily
than others the local conditions favoring
Its- development
These condi
tions we know are:
(1) Constant irrita
tion produced by an
agent within or
without the body.
(2) Constitutional
Irritability which di
lates the blood ves
sels and raises the
t e m p e nature. (3)
The amount of nu
tritive elements
present, Including
glycogen and salts.
The irritant, when
ft does not come
from without the
body, may be fur
nished by a chronic
Inflammatory condi
tion. Thus rheuma
tism and certain
blood diseases are
causes of prolonged
local cellular inflam
mation. A 1 1 m ents
which bring on irrit
ability of the blood
vessels, such as ar
terial over-pressure
and arterio-sclerosis,
dispose the body to
local reactions that
bring on abnormal
ceH formation. A
prosperous diabetic
person secreting an
abnormal quantity of glycogen will bring
to the Irritated cells a blood supply over
charged with nutrition. Some of the sev
eral conditions mentioned may be heredi
tary. We find that the age when a man
usually finds rheumatism manifesting it
self, when his arterial pressure becomes
marked and when he often nourishes
himself too abundantly for his physical
needs that is to say, the age from thev
fortieth to the fiftieth year is also the
age when cancer usually makes Its ap
pearance. If Injuries and blood diseases
are added to these conditions we need not
be astonished at the frequency and
gravity of tumor formations which we
Bee in such cases.
By the side of general predisposition to
cancer, the:o may exist also accidental
local conditions which occur particularly
In the type of person we have described
and provoke more easily the appearance
of a neoplasm (abnormal new tissue). All
cases of chronic local inflammation sur
rounded by congested sones, foreign bod
ies and parasites encrusted In the organs.
of theirs, no matter how it may appear In
its working out, has a sane and consistent
object. These so-called "wild women" are
wholly logical and entirely consistent .
Why do they act so? Because there Is
no other way to win their cause. In
America, where men are reasonable and
quick-witted, discussion and agitation will
succeed. But the onv way to convince a
Briton Is with a brlc Johnny Bull has
to be hit between the eyes with a brick
to startle him out of his smug compla
cency and make him think. In England
you have to reckon with slow wits and a
well-nigh unshakable obstinacy, and dras
tic spectacular means are the only ones
that will awaken them and make them
act.
Why do they act so? Because they
want to lay the trouble where it belongs,
at the gate of the Government They
"act so" because they -want to make the
British people bo uncomfortable that. they
will demand "what Is the cause of it?"
and when they will, and do. the suffragettes,
answer, "the Government Is the cause."
"Then let the Government stop it," the
Britons will answer, and the suffragettes
will reply,. ''Government cannot" "Then
turn out the" Government and get In a
new one that can stop the trouble," John
Bull will answer, and the problem will be
solved, ; : , i ? .
You do not kndw you la America, who
so glibly eritioisethe "wUd women" of
England, that thirty-six bills granting suf
frage to women have passed the House of
Commons and have been is topped by the
twenty Cabinet Minister and other de
u-a
Ctopyrlgnt ivl. tr the 8Ur Company.
by
OverMpprisMng
-ihi 1
Cancerous Tissue Under the Microscope the
Large Cells Have Developed Hereditary Appe
tite and Are Growing at the Expense of the
Others.
hard lumps In the sebaceous glands ot
the skin, dust and particles common in
certain trades which penetrate the skin
and respiratory organs and repeated In
juries are among the many causes which
bring on dilation of the blood vessels and
rise of temperature, by which the Irritated
cells are over-cultivated until they take on
definite characteristics of new growth.
What treatment can we employ to meet
such causes of the origin of cancer as I
have described. According to my Idea
the prophylactic treatment of cancer can
only be a form of normal hygiene. It may
be possible to cure or reduce the preva
lence of certain common forms of inflam
mation In women, to dissuade men suf
fering from the use of tobacco, but it will
be difficult to do away with slight forms
of irritation common in certain trades, to
remove in all cases foreign bodies that
are Invisible and painless and to prevent
miners from breathing the dust of their
mines. How under the threat of a doom
that may never arrive can we enforce
frugality on wealthy gourmands of mature
age? How can we check the over-produo-
Suffragette -
pendents of Government in the House.
Several times a majority of the members
of the House have been elected on pledges
to vote for woman suffrage and have
broken their pledges because Government
nnenieid tft their selfish motives. The
-
Elizabeth Freeman, Who Believes Militant Methods Must
Win In England
... drat Britain BJghts Xlearvl
Fulgurization or Treating with
Electric Sparks the Cancerous
Tissue, which Is More Sensi
tive to Electricity Than
Healthy Cells.
tion of glycogen at Its source? By what
method can we reduce the local vasomotor
irritability of persons with excessive blood
pressure? It may Indeed be useful to draw
the attention of sick persons to these
points, to watch them and to guard against
the danger which threatens them in so
many forms.
A grave obstacle to any specific treat
ment arises from the very "nature of the
disease. If cancer cells are of the same
nature as normal cells, what nourishes
one must also nourish the other and what
kills the one must also kill the other.
This consideration would destroy aH hope
of attacking the evil radically, If we did
not find that theover-nourished cells are
a little more sensitive than the normal
ones to destructive action. The selective
action shown in certain cases by the
X-rays -ad the experiments of Wasser
mann on mice tumors treated by selenium
are proofs of this.' Unfortunately the dif
ferences are slight, the curative radio
therapeutic dose is near to that which
destroys the normal tissues and a very
slight overdose of selenium will destroy
the animal treated as well as the tumor.
Another source of hope comes to us
. from known cases of spontaneous dimi
nution of cancer. Can, we not. one day
bring about what nature accomplishes by
employing the same means? We must not
fix our attention on the accidental cures
in which the organism has no apparent
part and which may be due to a simul
taneous infection, such as erysipelas. It
does not seem to me reasonable that we
should make use of a weapon which has
the double defect of. being uncertain in
its action against the disease and dan
gerous to the sufferer.
While It is difficult to observe the se
cret mechanism of natural ameliorations
of cancer, v-e may judge of it by cases
in which Improvement has been produced
by artlticlal, indirect treatment One such
method consists in removing the organs
associated with the Infected area and an
other in closing the principal sources of
blood supply. We know that many cases
of almost complete cure and remarkable
Improvements have been produced by this
means in cases of Inoperable cancer.
From these cases we may reason that
If we can cut off the food supply of an
Infected area through vaso-constrlctldn,
produced by some drug, for Instance, we
can cure a great number of cancer
growths, if not all. fTTwe can find a medi
cine which will check growth In a certain
part of the body without endangering the
rest, we shall no doubt have found a
specific remedy for cancer.
first class Is composed of the Cabinet Min
isters and their secretaries. The second
of barristers and others in the service of
the Crown. The third are persons whose
election expenses were paid by Govern
ment Fourth are manufacturers who de-
By
Our
001CS
Diagram Chart Showing Where
Cancer Most Frequently Occura
in Men and Women. The Sites
Are Ranged from 1 to 20 in the
Order of Their Relative Fre
quency. There exist many methods of treatment'
which have sometimes produced ameli
orations. Nearly all the anti-cancerous
serums have produced results of this
kind. How are we to explain their action?
The volume of many tumors Is greatly In
creased by the blood which fills them like
a soaked sponge. A medicament which
reduces the blood supply by vasoconstric
tion will suffice to diminish greatly the
apparent mass of the tumor. I have
found that a simple fever by using up a
large amount of hydrocarbons In the
system will diminish the food supply of
the cancer. The serums introduced into
the body usually produce notable in
creases of temperature, a form of fever.
ThuSi-may we explain the results obtained
frojn them.
would make special mention of the
remarkable results due to the employment
of collodial copper. Accepting my hypo
thesis of glycogenic over-nourishment as
the cause of cancer, Dr. Chatinlere be
lieves that copper is a means of reducing
a portion of 'the nourishing glycogen of
the abnormal cells and stopping their de
velopment for a certain time.
The theory of Irritation makes cancer
a perfectly local disease at the beginning,
and therefore capable of being cured by
local treatment If the disease nas ex
ceeded certain limits and attacked cer
tain organs or caused too grave an injury
to the body, it passes our present cura
Eli
zabeto
rive all their patronage from Government
as paper manufacturers. The fifth are
the owners of provincial newspapers that
have been subsidized- by Government
These classes are the obstructionists and
Pledge-breakers. Private bills, introduced
by private individuals not associated with
these classes," reach a certain point, the
second reading, and are killed by Gov
ernment influence. Suffragettes and their
friends have become convinced that the
bill to -pass must emanate from Govern
ment o r,
For example, people exclaim in horror
at the burning of a grandstand at the ball
grounds. "There Is no reason for such
horror!" A grandstand represents "little
intrinsic value so far as the timber that
composes it is concerned. But it stands
for a Briton's love of sport, and if you
strike him there you reach a vital spot
Astounded, enraged, he says: "What
does this mean?" "It means the Govern
ment won't let women have the vote, and
they want to tell you so," is the brick that
comes h,urtling between his eyes. "Then
let them have the vote and let us have
peace," Is the answer we confidently ex
pect to receive.
Women are going about securing suf
frage as men secured it. While the men
were trying to get it they laid the blunder
bus about them. When they succeeded
they placed the blunderbus on the shelf
and left It to rust So will women do,
I challenge any one to produce proof that
any militant ever did anything that was a'
menace to any life except her own. I my-" r
self went Into an empty house to 'assure
uJ' " 'ZL '
f
jfsr A
r j
i
L w'
p J
- - ' -
By Prof, de Keatincf Hart.
of the Sociely Medicine'
oi ran s. -.- ,,
tive power and we can only retard tts
consequences without preventing the final
disaster. Therefore we divide cancer Inie
curable and Incurable.
,lt Is generally stated that from the mo
ment when new growths appear, in parts
distant from the original tumor the can
cer, though apparently operable, Is cer
tainly destined to a more or less rapid
recurrence. In reality this Is not always
so, and I know more than one case In
which. In spite of considerable dissemi
nation of the disease, I have obtained
cures. .
This brings me to the curative treat
ment in which we combine surgery, . the
high frequency spark and various forms
of rays. For a long time It was believed
that only operable cancer was "curable.
To-day this cannot bs said. Many cases
in which surgery did not dare to Inter
vene are to-day cured. They have been
submitted to the action of the X-rays and
radium or, after having been operated on
contrary to therapeutic necessities, have
owed their cure only to the action of the
high frequency and high tension spark. I
admit that when there is no reason against
It an operable cancer should be removed.
To leave it In place and try to melt It
more or less slowly under the action ot
the rays 4s to give It an opportunity to
Infect i the body deeply during the time ot
treatment To remove the growth, leav
ing an opportunity to complete the surgi
cal work by appropriate therapeutlo
means, gives the sick man a double
chance of cure.
I must remind you that when surgery
could not attempt the bold achievements
of to-day the partial excisions "performed
on cancer often brought about reinfec
tions so rapid that many surgeons pre
ferred the use of caustics or the heated
Iron cautery to the knife. I would also
recall the goodresults that arsenlous acid
gave more tn&h once.
To-day the knife, has regained its su
premacy, and hardly any surgeon would
remove an operable caneer by any other
means. It is, however, far from satis
factory. In the commonest form of can
cer among women operations with-the
knife still show 70 per cent ot recur
rences at the end of three years.
I favor the association of the high fre
quency and high tension spark (figura
tion) with the surgical operation. The
great error which has given fulguratioa
a bad reputation has been the method of
applying It Many who used It thought
it was a means of destruction, a caustic
possibly more powerful than others, and
they tried to use It as a caustic. They
diminished the length of the spark, re
placing, tension by heating effects, and
they sought to destroy the tumor directly.
If you operate on your human cancer
patient according to the best technique
of surgery and then pass the fulgurtzing
electrode over the operated surface, you
will have many more chances of pre
venting recurrence than with the knife
alone. Some figures will give an Idea of
the superiority of fulguratlon over sur
gery without electricity. The average of
cures lasting three years of operable
breast cancer treated by the knife alone
was 30 per cent; fulguratlon gave in the
bouio class oi cases so per cent of cures.
To obtain a lasting cure by fulguratlon
we must first secure the careful removal
by surgery of all masses visible to the
naked eye. In cases of absolutely in
operable cancer, this method can' at most
serve to hide the disease under apparent
ly good scars and to diminish the suf
fering. - ;
Must we consider then that Inoperable
cancer is synonymous with Incurable
cancer? I do not believe so. The suc
cesses obtained by the X-rays and radium
ew though they may be In proporUoiTo
the number of cases treated, neverthe
less enable us to assert that tumors which
the knife could not remove have remained
cured for many years.
Freeman
myself that it was empty before my coxa
panlon threw1 a. stone. There was a hue
and cry when a stone was thrown into
Mr. Asquith's carriage, and there were hor
rified exclamations, "What if the Minister
had been in the carriage!" The stone
throwers took very god care that he was
not in the carriage. '
Hands were raised and eyes rolled heav
enward when Lady White's house was
burned. But the burning , was done in
Lady White's absence, and there is not
the slightest doubt that the building was
very well Insured.
-There was horror when a bomb was dis
covered in hoary St Paul's Cathedral.
"Sacrilege !" we heard all about us. But
the bomb didn't go off. Few'of the bombs
are that kind. The women of England
revere and love the old, buildings. When
a bomb is found in -one, be sure it is a
non-effective bomb. . 1
The militants seek martyrdom; yea, and
find it I know five delicate women who
have cancers of the breast 'caused "by
bruises received while they were members .
of deputations.. ' .
But the supreme spirit of the militant
movement is one that I say reverently. '
is not of this world. In the great bat
tle of Downing street, as I looked down
the line of marching women, X saw that
their faces were uplifted, their; yes turned
to heaven, and there was that in their ex
pression which, awed and uplifted me.- It
was as -though the earjy Crusaders had
been reincarnated tn them. I felt that I "
was watching the advance of a mighty
: Christian army. '