On the Origin of Cancer Cells 329 



today. If the explanation of a vital process is its reduction to physics and chemistry, 

 there is today no other explanation for the origin of Cancer cells, either special or 

 general. From this point of view, mutation and carcinogenic agent are not alterna- 

 tives, but empty words, unless metabolically specified. Even more harmful in the 

 struggle against Cancer can be the continual discovery of miscellaneous Cancer 

 agents and Cancer viruses, which, by obscuring the underlying phenomena, may hin- 

 der necessary preventive measures and thereby become responsible forcancercases. 



Technical Considerations and Comments 



Metabolism of the ascites Cancer cells. The high fermentation of ascites Cancer cells 

 was discovered in Dahlem in 1951 12 and since then has been confirmed in many 

 works 13 ' 14 . For best measurements, the ascites cells are not transferred to Rin- 

 ger's Solution but are maintained in their natural medium, ascites serum, which is 

 adjusted physiologically at the beginning of the measurement by addition of 

 glucose and bicarbonate. Because of the very large fermentation, it is necessary 

 to dilute the ascites cells that are removed from the abdominal cavity rather con- 

 siderably with ascites serum; otherwise the bicarbonate would be used up within 

 a few minutes after addition of the glucose, and hence the fermentation would be 

 brought to a standstill. 



Under physiological conditions of pH and temperature, we find the following 

 metabolic quotients in ascites serum 15 : 



<2o 2 = — 5 to — 10 



Q M °2 = 25 to 35 

 Q M N 2 = 50 to 70 



where Qo 2 is the amount of oxygen in cubic millimeters that 1 milligram of tissue 

 (dry weight) consumes per hour at 38° C with oxygen Saturation, Qm° 2 is the amount 

 of lactic acid in cubic millimeters that 1 milligram of tissue (dry weight) develops 

 per hour at 38° C with oxygen Saturation, andQM x-2 is the amount of lactic acid in 

 cubic millimeters that 1 milligram of tissue (dry weight) develops per hour at 38° C 

 in the absence of oxygen. 



Even higher fermentation quotients have been found in the United States with 

 other strains of mouse ascites Cancer cells 13 ' 14 . 



All calculations of the energy-production potential of Cancer cells should now 

 be based on the quotients of the ascites Cancer cells, since these quotients are 2 

 or 3 times as large anaerobically as the values formerly found for the purest solid 

 tumors. The quotients of the normal body cells, however, remain as they were 

 found in Dahlem in the years from 1924 to 1929 16 " 19 . It is clear that the difference 

 in metabolism between normal cells and Cancer cells is much greater than it for- 

 merly appeared to be on the basis of measurements on solid tumors. 



Utilizable energy of respiration and fermentation. Since the discovery of the oxida- 

 tion reaction of fermentation in 1939 20 , we have known the chemical reactions by 

 which adenosine diphosphate is phosphorylated to adenosine triphosphate in 

 fermentation; and since then we have found that 1 mole of fermentation lactic 

 acid produces 1 mole of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). 



