228 THE PROTEAL TREATMENT OF CANCER 



ordinary traumatism is a potential malignant neoplasm; the 

 question as to whether it becomes an actual menace being deter- 

 mined solely by the antecedent conditions of bodily metabolism. 

 As illustrating the truth of this, it is familiarly known that normal 

 blood antagonizes cancer cells when introduced from without, as 

 in the case of an inoculation experiment in animals. It is known, 

 too, that transplantation experiments are facilitated by bleeding 

 the animal in advance of transplantation. 



Summarizing the matter, we may say that three factors are 

 always present and in cooperation when a malignant neoplasm 

 develops in the human subject. There is (1) the factor of dis- 

 turbed protein metabolism, which I have spoken of as the can- 

 cerous conditions; there is (2) the factor of local irritation, a 

 pipe stem on the lip, an injury to the breast, hot food in the 

 mouth or stomach, chronic intestinal irritation, a laceration of the 

 cervix uteri; and there is (3) the factor of inherent suscepti- 

 bility, hereditary or acquired. 



It is the old story of stress and resistence. The same irrita- 

 tion being applied in the same place in the case of two individuals, 

 one individual suffers no obvious inconvenience, because his 

 defensive mechanism is in good working order; and the other 

 individual develops a fatal "cancer" because his defensive mech- 

 anism is not in effective fighting condition. 



This view harmonizes the contentions of those theorists who 

 have on one hand alleged the general origin and on the other, 

 the local origin of cancer. In a sense both theorists are right, 

 inasmuch as there would probably never be a local neoplasm 

 developed in any individual case, unless there was some source 

 of irritation. So there is every reason why careful attention 

 should be paid to sources of local irritation, and to local injuries 

 of every character. But it is sheer folly, while treating these 

 local conditions, to ignore the underlying systemic maladjust- 

 ments, correction of which (where this is possible) would make 

 the danger from local irritation negligible. 



In other words, in the pro founder view, the problem of the 

 origin, and therefore the problem of the prevention, of cancer 

 implies attention to the bodily processes of metabolism diges- 

 tion, assimilation, nutrition. Mere attention to local conditions 

 partakes of the character of what Thoreau called clipping at the 

 twigs of the tree of evil while the roots remain untouched. The 

 root of the cancerous condition is disturbed protein metabolism, 

 and not mere local irritation. 



I shall have occasion to point out rather obvious corollaries of 

 this view in their application to the question of the surgical treat- 

 ment of cancer, as well as to make what I hope may be consid- 

 ered important deductions as to more effective general treatment 

 of the malady. 



