THE EVOLUTION OF THE PROTEIN PRINCIPLE 243 



with necromatic efficiency, notwithstanding its early promise, the 

 experimenters seemingly abandoned it, and, standing with numer- 

 ous other agents of similar potency in their hands had they but 

 known it they make the bewildered declaration : "That there is 

 still lacking something which will carry the improvement observed 

 to a successful issue"; and, almost wilfully shutting their eyes 

 lest the truth be revealed to them, they add : "In what direction 

 search for such a substance or for an explanation of the problem 

 is to be made is at present not known." 



And this bewildered confession of defeat is printed on a page 

 opposite which lies a table telling of really remarkable results 

 achieved in the treatment of human carcinomas and sarcomas, 

 all inoperable and supposedly hopeless, in which two cases were 

 apparently cured; twenty-two cases "greatly improved for a 

 period" ; five cases "slightly improved for a period" ; and only 

 sixteen cases treated without effect. This table summarizes the 

 text in which we are told explicitly what was the character of the 

 improvement noted. Here are some of the effects : "The tumor 

 becomes gradually smaller, softer, and in some cases ulcerated, 

 and large portions may be sloughed off. In those cases where 

 there has been a large amount of discharge, notably in the uterine 

 cases, this discharge has markedly decreased and in some cases 

 stopped. The pain is relieved to a most remarkable extent; in 

 one case, for example, where morphine was given in doses of 2 

 grains in twenty-four hours, 5 mms. per day of the extract were 

 sufficient to enable the patient to do without the morphine until 

 her death four months later. Some tumors that were ulcerated 

 on beginning treatment after slight reduction in size became 

 covered with normal epithelium." 



It is quite true that the report continues with this statement: 

 "Unfortunately, however, aside from the relief of pain, these 

 results do not persist in all of the cases. The improvement noted 

 goes on from 4 to 8 weeks and then there is a gradual return to 

 the old conditions." But it is added : "The tumor, however, does 

 not grow as fast as would be expected and some of the cases have 

 lived longer than ordinary clinical experience would indicate as 

 the expected period of life." Moreover, detailed case histories 

 are given of a recurrent carcinoma of the breast in which : "The 

 mass grew steadily smaller and after fifteen injections dis- 

 appeared. There has been no recurrence to date, which is sixteen 

 months after treatment; and of a case of inoperable carcinoma 

 of the corpus of the uterus which became operable under treat- 

 ment and apparently as a direct result of the treatment, in which 

 the patient was free from recurrence twenty- four months after 

 operation, although she died thirty months after operation, of re- 

 currence, the thymus injection not being kept up after operation." 



