192 MARRIAGE AND DISEASE. 



the breast, two of cancer of the uterus, one of cancer 

 of the bladder, one of cancer of the axillary glands, 

 one of cancer of the stomach, and one of cancer of 

 the rectum. It is to be hoped that this was the last 

 of this wretched family. 



Such cases as the above, where the disease is trans- 

 mitted unchanged through several generations, are 

 comparatively rare, yet these are the only cases which 

 are at present counted as hereditary. When the 

 transmutability of cancer with other signs of de- 

 generation of the family comes to be more clearly 

 understood, I have no do : Jbt that in almost every 

 case we shall be able to trace the family taint, and 

 raise the percentage of cases depending upon heredity 

 to close upon 100 per cent. 



And now, in conclusion, supposing the theory of 

 the hereditary nature of cancer fully accepted, what 

 lessons are to be drawn from our teaching? In the 

 first place, it behoves all those who are aware of 

 cancer in ancestor, or other near blood relative, to 

 avoid everything which might act as an exciting 

 cause of the disease. They must endeavour to keep 

 their health at as high a level as possible, by obeying 

 all the hygienic laws laid down for general observ- 

 ance. They must beware of irritations and injuries 

 likely to light up the sleeping predisposition within 

 them. It would be as wise for the son or daughter 

 of a person who had died of cancer to smoke per- 

 sistently at a rough clay pipe, or go in the way of 

 getting the breast bruised, as it would for the son 



