61 



All malisJnant neoplasms are, therefore, the abortive 

 attempts of germ-cells to develop anew a life cycle. Thej' 

 are for the most part incapable, however, of producin<» anything 

 other than trophoblastic tissue. Such neoplasms Beard 

 " regards as irresponsible trophoblasts." 



If all this be true, what light, if any, does it shed upon 

 the cancer problem in regard to curative treatment ? 



When during the normal development of an embryo the 

 critical period is reached, as we have already noticed, the 

 trophoblast commences to degenerate. If the cause of this 

 degeneration were known, Beard was (1902) of opinion we 

 should be in possession of the key by which to solve the 

 problem of curative treatment. Now, what are the facts 

 bearing upon this momentous question ? It appears to be 

 fully proved that up to the " critical period " digestion has 

 been the result of what is known as an intracellular (acid) 

 digestion, the digestive ferment of which in fishes is the product 

 of the merocytes of the yolk. The " critical period " witnesses 

 the advent of a new organ in the embryo, the pancreas, and with 

 it pancreatic function. In reference to this, in 1905, Beard 

 writes :— " At this epoch, the critical period, the fish com- 

 " mences to feed itself on yolk, not by an (intracellular) acid 



" peptic digestion but by an alkaline pancreatic one 



" The commencing activities of the pancreas during foetal life 

 " initiate an alkaline digestion by means of the most powerful 

 " and important of all the digestive juices, the pancreatic. To 

 " which of its ferments the observed results be due does not 

 " concern us. If the secretion be absent, neither the asexual 

 " structures of a fish development nor the cells of chorio- 



" epithelioma do or can degenerate The solution 



" of the problem of the functional relation of embryo and 

 " trophoblast, how the latter nourishes itself by an (in- 

 " tracellular) acid digestion and degenerates slowly by 

 " a pancreatic digestion, becomes at the same time the 

 " embryological, if not the medical, resolution of the problems of 

 " malignant neoplasms, as well as of chorio-epithelioma." " 



♦ John Beard, " The Cancer Problem." Tlie Lancet, Feb. 4th, 1905. 



