292 THE PROTEAL TREATMENT OF CANCER 



due to the fact that there is a certain amount of proteid absorp- 

 tion from the placenta (the experiments of Abderhelden in this 

 connection will be recalled), which led to a leucocytosis, and to 

 the presence of an increased enzyme titer in the blood. In a word, 

 the organism is well equipped to fight against the invasion of the 

 protein cells represented by the cancer inoculation. If, however, 

 in spite of this condition of preparedness, the cancer cells grow 

 with such vigor that they prevail against the defending host, then 

 it is not surprising that they take on very rapid development, be- 

 cause of the relatively large amount of nourishment that must be 

 present in the blood and lymph channels of the pregnant animal 

 to provide for the growth of the embryo. 



It will be recalled that investigators have shown the chemical 

 affinity between the rapidly growing tumor and the embryo each 

 of them containing a relatively low nitrogen content. In a sense, 

 the foetus is in itself a foreign tumor, and one that takes on ex- 

 traordinary rapidity of growth. Like the malignant tumor, the 

 foetus has capacity for almost indefinite growth ; and were it not 

 possible presently to extrude the foetus it would become as great 

 a menace to the life of the mother as the cancer itself. That 

 thought need not be expanded here, however. From the present 

 standpoint, the important thing is to recall that there is a distinc- 

 tion between the initial resistance to the early growth of a tumor 

 and subsequent resistance to its later growth. 



It is probable that this variation is not due solely to conditions 

 in the system of the animal, but that it is also dependent in part 

 on changed conditions of the tumor itself. This idea finds strong 

 support in the observed increasing virulence of tumors as they 

 pass from one organism to another. It seems plausible to sup- 

 pose that this increasing virulence is at least in part a function 

 of age; and to infer from this that cancer tissues in the same in- 

 dividual may gain increasing virulence as they grow older. The 

 familiar fact that cancer cachexia appears only at the later stage 

 of development of the malady in the human subject; coupled with 

 the fact that metastatic secondary tumors very commonly grow 

 with exceptional vigor, gives added support to this suggestion. 



The obvious application of this line of reasoning is that there 

 is an enormous premium on early treatment of cancer in the hu- 

 man subject not merely treatment in the sense of cutting out 

 the new growth as soon as it is discovered though in many cases 

 that may be desirable but also in the sense of fortifying the de- 

 fensive mechanism of the body by every available means. There 

 is abundant clinical warrant for the belief that the protein treat- 

 ment, for example, may accomplish results when administered to 

 a patient having a new cancerous growth that could not be hoped 

 for were the tumor a post-operative recurrence ; the obvious ex- 



