116 THE PROTEOMORPHIC THEORY AND THE NEW MEDICINE 



tain characteristic and very conspicuous modifications of the 

 blood, comprising, in brief summary, increase of haemoglobin, 

 increase of the number of red corpuscles, and striking modi- 

 fication of the differential leucocyte count, in the direction of 

 lessening the relative number of polynuclears, and markedly in- 

 creasing the mononuclears, and in particular the large monocytes. 

 The last-named feature appeared to link suggestively with 

 Vaughan's observations on the enzymic activities of the large 

 mononuclears in connection with cancer cells. 



Elaborate analyses of the blood count, and of subsequent 

 studies along these lines, are made in later sections of the pres- 

 ent work. Here it suffices to call attention to the fact that these 

 studies from the outset confirmed in my mind the probability 

 that we had to do with a protein response, and that the Prote- 

 omorphic Theory supplied a key to the interpretation of the 

 observed phenomena. 



The clinical results hitherto observed were not very different 

 from those that had been attained by various workers with 

 different types of animal extracts, sera, and vaccines (Fichera's 

 autolysate, Hodenpyl's ascitic fluid, Gwyer's X-substance, Coley's 

 fluid), except that they were carried out on a more elaborate 

 scale ; but the studies of the blood in this connection were alto- 

 gether new, and they constituted the determining factor in con- 

 firming in my mind the belief that the new therapeutic principle 

 which I conceived to underlie the observed phenomena might 

 carry us far. 



It seemed to me imperative, therefore, that I should put aside 

 other work and devote my time to the interpretation of this 

 principle, which appeared to adumbrate vast therapeutic possi- 

 bilities. 



I was more urgently impelled to do so because, with enlarged 

 experience, it became increasingly evident that the glowing an- 

 ticipations of some of the earlier users of the vegetable extract 

 in the treatment of cancer had led to bitter disappointment, in 

 that patients who seemed at first to be on the highway to re- 

 covery reached a static period presently and then relapsed and 

 gradually passed down the characteristic decline to the usual 

 fatal termination. 



I heard over and over the same story, from scores of med- 

 ical correspondents. At first the improvement of the patient had 

 been almost miraculous. High hopes were entertained of a 

 recovery, although previously the case had been regarded as 

 absolutely hopeless. But now progress was no longer cumula- 

 tive; the patient perhaps remained more comfortable, with less 

 pain, less of malodor, but there was a general physical decline; 

 the tumor's course was no longer checked, the symptoms of 



