REVIEW — TROPICAL MEDICINE, ETC. 25 



them marked eosinophilia, which he suggests as due to toxin action. He comes to no definite Bubo- 

 conclusion regarding the cause of the disease but quotes several arguments against the continued 

 pestis minor theory. 



I do not know if climatic bubo has been observed in the Sudan. It is possible that it 

 occurs in the southern districts contiguous to Uganda, but I have never heard of its being 

 reported. . 



Cachexial Fever. See Leishmaniosis (page 95) . 



Calabar Swellings. The relation of this condition to Filaria low and diurna is 

 dealt with in the Journal of Tropical Medicine, 1/7/04. Amongst other places these are found 

 on the Upper Congo, so that it is quite possible they may occur in the Bahr-El-Ghazal 

 Province. Manson thinks it practically certain that they are somehow produced by F. loa, 

 though the mechanism of their production is unknown. Their sudden appearance, gradual 

 disappearance, painlessness, and the fact that they never suppurate, sufficiently distinguish 

 them. The only human filaria I have found in the Sudan is F. perstans, and it occurred in 

 a Ugaudese. 



Cancer. The literature on cancer during the past few years has become enormous, 

 and one can only direct attention to a few points, such as the possible parasitic origin of the 

 disease, supposed preventive methods, and its occurrence in the coloured races and in 

 tropical countries. 



Ford Eobertson and Wade' described bodies like the Plasmodiophora brassica which is 

 known to cause tumours in cruciferous plants. These are only demonstrable by special 

 metallic processes. In a later paper" they describe the technique and also methods of 

 culture which they maintain were successful, and discuss the probable etiological relationship 

 of these parasites to carcinoma. The tendency of other observers was to regard these bodies 

 as cell inclusions. Ford Eobertson and Young,' however, in a still more recent article, deal 

 with cyanide-fast bodies in tumour cells and describe improvements in the technique of 

 preparing and staining tissues by their special processes. They also note a great activity 

 of polymorphonuclear leucocytes which they believe to be directed against a specific parasite. 

 Still more recently the senior author'' describes rod-shaped bodies, something like tubercle 

 bacilli but evidently not bacteria, in certain carcinomata. He believes these to be a stage in 

 the life-history of the protozoon found by himself and Wade, and that several allied species 

 are concerned in tumour production. 



Interest for a time centred round the Micrococcus neoformans of Doyen, but the most 

 recent work, including that of Dudgeon and Dunkley,^ discredit it as a cause of cancer. 

 These authors have shown that it is an organism of very low pathogenicity, and that the 

 serum of patients suffering from malignant disease does not develop any very marked 

 agglutinative property for M. neoformans. In fact, it is less than that which is found for the 

 Staphylococcus albus. 



Mention should bo made of the work of Gaylord and Calkins' who found a special 

 spirochaete, S. microgyrafa (Lowenthal), in primary and transplanted carcinoma of the breast 

 of mice. It does not stain by Giemsa. 



Two papers which have at least the merit of being interesting and practical are those of 

 Keetley'^ and of Brand.' The former is strongly in favour of the parasitic theory, and 

 lays down very stringent prophylactic rules which at the present day would be difficult to 

 enforce in their entirety amongst all classes, however desirable they may be. He says : 



1. Sterilise the food, and points out that it is where food tends to tarry that cancer of the alimentary tract 

 is apt to develop. 2. Ensure a sufficient and regular toilet and protection of the nipples and genitalia. 



1 Robertson, F., and Wade, H. (August 13th, 1904), " Cancer and Plasmodiophora;." Lancet, p. 469, Vol. II. 



^ Robertson, P., and Wade, H. (January 28th, 1905), "Researches into the Etiology of Carcinoma, etc." 

 Lancet, p. 215, Vol. I. 



' Robertson, P., and Young, C. W. (August 10th, 1907), " Researches into the Etiology of Carcinoma ; Notes 

 upon the Peatures of Carcinomatous Tumours revealed by an Improved Ammonia-silver process." Lancet, p. 359. 



* Dudgeon, L. S., and Dunklcv, E. V. (.J.anuary, 1907), "The Micrococcus Neoformans." Journal of Hygiene, 

 p. 13, Vol. VIII. 



■'■ Gaylord, H. R., and Calkins, Q. N. (April 10th, 1907), "A SpirochaBte in Primary and Transplanted Carcinoma 

 of the Breast in Mice." Journal of Infections Diseases, p. 155, Vol. IV. 



« Keetley, C. B. (October 13th, 1906), "The Prevention of Cancer regarded as a Practical Question Ripe for 

 Solution." Lancet, p. 993, Vol. II. 



■> Brand, A. T. (January 11th, 1908), " Some Remarks on the Infectivity of Cancer." Lancet, p. 80. 



