CHEMOTHERAPY OF TUMORS 255 



may be given four or five times at one or two day intervals. Natu- 

 rally such treatment will depend entirely upon the stage of the disease, 

 its clinical manifestations and the physical condition of the patient. 



As for the comparative value of salvarsan and neosalvarsan, statis- 

 tics are still too few. Thus far it seems that while the immediate effect 

 cf neosalvarsan upon active luetic lesions is similar to that of salvarsan, 

 its ultimate effect upon the Wassermann reaction and the final eradi- 

 cation of the syphilitic infection is not as striking. 



While chemotherapy has already made great progress in protozoon 

 infections, its importance in bacterial diseases is still very slight. The 

 drawback lies in the injury to the normal tissues which occurs simultane- 

 ously with the attack upon the pathogenic bacteria by the chemical agents. 

 Most favorable results in this field have been obtained in typhoid fever 

 with Xylene, and in pneumococcus infections with quinine derivatives 

 (Morgenroth). The latter experiments especially offer a pro raising pros- 

 pect for successful therapy in the human being. 



Far more interesting and remarkable are the experiences 



of A. von Wassermann and his co-workers M. Wassermann 



iemo- anc j K evsser w j tn t h e chemotherapy in malignant tumors. 



In a mixture of tumor cells with sodium tellurate and sodium 

 lumors. 



selenate, it was noticed that a certain affinity existed between 

 the cells and this chemical, in that the metal was found 

 precipitated within the cell around the nucleus. This was confirmed in 

 living mice by injecting solutions of these salts directly into the tumors. 

 Thereupon it was shown that softening and liquefaction of the tumors 

 occurred. Instead of the hard masses, a cyst-like structure resulted 

 which usually ruptured and evacuated a brownish semifluid material. 

 This was sterile and had a strong odor of selenium and tellurium. The 

 cyst finally healed. 



The next problem consisted in obtaining selenium and tellurium 

 compounds which could be injected into the circulation and thence reach 

 selectively all the carcinoma cells, v. Wassermann placed great stress 

 upon the " building of rails which would reach the tumor and by which 

 the .selenium could traveJ." After painstaking experiments involving 

 hundreds of preparations he finally utilized eosin with its exceptional 

 diffusing power as the rails by which to run the selenium into the system 

 and send it straight to the cancer cells. Such a chemical agent employed 

 to transport another substance to particular cells or organs Wassermann 

 named "Cytotrochin." 



"If three consecutive daily intravenous injections of the eosin selenium 

 compound are given in 2.5 gm. doses for 15 gms. mice, a distinct softening 

 and elasticity of th,e tumor are noticed on the fourth day; on the fifth day 

 a fourth injection of the same dose is given, after which there is no longer 



