INTERNAL SECRJJTIOX OF TUMORS 503 



in two cases of caucer of the thyroid in man, and one in the dog, tlie 

 cancer tissne sliowed no ability to retain iodin given by month, in con- 

 trast to nonnal thyroid and simple adenomas. Meyer-Hiirlimann and 

 Oswald '"'* have described a remarkable ease of cystic carcinoma of the 

 thyroid, from which in six weeks 2840 c.c. of secretion was obtained 

 by pnncture. It contained 0.077 mg. iodin per 10 c.c. (the patient 

 having previously been given KI) as compared with normal thyroid 

 which contains 0.4 to 4 mg. per 10 gm. It contained both globulin and 

 albumin, the former corresponding to true thyroglobulin, even to in- 

 creasing vagus irritability experimentally. The "adenomatous" 

 nodules of the thyroid often show evidence of active secretion, 

 Goetsch'*''' having found their cells rich in mitochondria, while Gra- 

 ham ^"'^ found that they take up iodin and metabolize it so that the 

 adenomatous tissue produces the typical thyroid effect on the develop- 

 ment of tadpoles. Adrenal cancers do not usually cause Addison's 

 disease, because they functionate in place of the destroj^ed gland 

 (Lubarsch). 



In the peculiar and characteristic production of cachexia, often ap- 

 parently out of all proportion to the amount of tumor tissue, there 

 would seem to be evidence that a peculiar and abnormal product of 

 metabolism is formed by cancer-cells, and extracts from cancers have 

 been found toxic for protozoa.^^ As yet, however, it has been im- 

 possible to demonstrate any characteristic toxic substance in cancers.'"'' 

 Girard-^Iangin '^ claims that malignant tumors contain colloidal poi- 

 sonous substances in proportion to their softness, extracts causing 

 paralysis and fall of blood pressure ; but others have failed to substan- 

 tiate this.'-' Because of the constant disintegration of the tumor tis- 

 sues, products of autolysis are formed, and undoubtedly enter the cir- 

 culation in small quantities ; possibly they are a factor in the systemic 

 manifestations of malignant growths, analogous to the action of cleav- 

 age products of foreign proteins which may produce "protein fever" 

 and other toxic effects. 



Since all normal tissue-cells produce substances through their me- 

 tabolism that enter the circulation, it is quite certain that tumor-cells 

 do likewise, and it is highly probable that the presence of abnormal 

 quantities of such products, even if they are of quite normal compo- 

 sition, may cause disturbances in the body. As yet, however, no such 

 substances, either normal or abnormal, have been isolated, nor has 

 their presence been demonstrated. Numerous isolated observations of 



-6aKorr.-Bl. Sohweizer Aerzte, 1013 (43), 1468. 



76b Bull. Johns Hopkins Hosp., 1916 (27), 120. 



76c .Tour. Exp. :\rc(l., 1916 (24), 34.>. 



T7 Woodruff and Underbill, Jour. Biol. Cheni., 1913 (15). 401; Calkins, .Tour. 

 Cancer Res.. 1916 (1), 205 and 399. 



7 7a See Blunientlial, Festschr. f. Salkowski, Berlin, 1904; HansenuTun, Zeit. 

 Krebsforscli., 1906 (4), 565. 



TsPresse Med.. 1906, p. 1709; Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol., 1909 (67), 117. 



79 See Brusehettini and Barloeco, Cent. f. Bakt., 1907 (43), 064. 



