CANCEL' 417 



Nature of Cancer. — Cancel is a \.t\ curious di • which 

 is due to the running awaj of certain parts of the bodj tissue, 

 that is, a few cells in the breast or in the liver or in anj other 

 organ grow beyond the natural limit and invade the Burroundi 

 tissues; then we have a cancer. This cancer often d • cot 

 give any notice of its presence until a 1 < • 1 1 .^r time r the 



trouble has started, because the cells composing it are the Bame 

 (or nearly the same) as the cells from which they Btarted, and, 

 therefore, the body dot-s nol recognize the Eacl thai a cancer is 

 growing until it becomes of considerable Bize. It Btarts very 

 quietly, is very small at first, but gradually grows and destn 

 the very tissues that 1'rrd it, until ultimately it kills its fa 

 by injuring some important part of the body. I'-nt it is, in 

 such a case, the cells of the body itself which are the parasifr 

 in other words, there is no parasite introduced from the outside 

 to cause the cancer. 



• Kinds of Cancers. — There are many kinds of cancer, and 

 each kind acts differently and spreads in it > own way through 

 the body. Certain forms which arise in glands, such as the 

 breast, are called carcinoma, and this sort spreads slowly t«» 

 places where there are small nodules of tis>ue>. called lymph 

 nodes, in which the cancer collects, forming there Beoondary 

 lumps or metastases, as the physician calls them. The true 

 carcinoma does not often get into the blood vessels, and there- 

 fore it remains localized for a very considerable time, bo that 

 the surgeon has an opportunity to remove it, it' the diagnoc 

 is made. 



Another kind of cancer, called by physicians •<-', 



spreads to the blood vessels and consequently is much ni' 

 difficult to cure, because this spreading takes place v. i\ early 



in the course of the disease and the cells arc BWepf all 0\ er the 



body, starting new little tumors where fchej are deposited. 



While cancer grows through the very t: which surround 



it, it does not have roots, as the quacks Bay. W hat are called 

 roots are more frequently blond vessels leading from the oan- 

 cer, or bits of fibrous tissue; so that when a quaes 



