THE BRADSHAW LECTURE 15 



a recurrence in the axilla that I removed both 

 axillary artery and vein in dissecting out the 

 growth. The wound healed primarily and she 

 had no recurrence ; but five years later she died 

 of acute ptomaine poisoning from eating potted 

 meat at a ball supper. A post-mortem examina- 

 tion showed no evidence of cancer anywhere, but 

 there was extensive ulcerative colitis. Her 

 husband subsequently died of cancer of the 

 rectum. 



The tendency of modern workers is to regard 

 the cancer-cell, produced by irritation, as the fons 

 et origo mali, and this has recently been very 

 forcibly put by Sir Henry Butlin, but I am loth 

 to accept such a hopeless hypothesis, as there is 

 nothing analogous to it in the whole field of 

 medicine. The forces of Nature are always 

 directed to safeguarding the individual against 

 attacks from without which may weaken health or 

 endanger life. To produce a cell which wars 

 against its parent and brings about self-destruc- 

 tion is contrary to every law of Nature. 



If chronic irritation were alone sufficient to 

 produce cancer millions of people who wear boots 

 ought to have cancer of the little toe, which is 

 practically unknown. It is chronic irritation, 

 plus abrasion, that is required in other words a 



