IMMUNITY RfJACTlOXS IX CANCER 507 



cance of the results of Israel aiul Eiigelniann. According to Moore 

 and Wilson "** the acid-neutralizing- power of the blood ("alkalinity") 

 is increased in cancer; this is probably related to if not the cause of 

 the decreased HCl content of the gastric juice, which occurs whether 

 the cancer is in the stomach or not. As this alkalinity is not associated 

 with an increase in the inorganic bases of the blood, it may be that the 

 proteins have an increased basicity. However, numerous other ob- 

 servers describe a decreased alkalinity as in other cachetic conditions.®" 

 The blood in cancer contains less calcium than normal, which results 

 in a tendency to osteoporosis ^ and to deposition of calcium in the kid- 

 ney ei)itlielium ; ^'^ there is an increase in the i)otassium of both the 

 blood and tissues. - 



(7) Immunity Reactions in Cancer. — The fact that a certain degree 

 of specific innnunity can be developed against normal tissue cells (see 

 Cytotoxins, Chap, ix), has encouraged study of the possibility of se- 

 <;uring immune antibodies which might be specific for cancer, and has 

 led to much research on this subject,^ with results as yet of more sci- 

 entific than practical value. There is no doubt that the body has 

 distinct powers to inhibit to a greater or less degree the growth of tu- 

 mors, and to destroy many of the cells which escape from cancers 

 into the lymph and blood,* while in experimental animals inoculated 

 tumors are in most instances unable to grow, and they may, after 

 growth has 'once begun, recede or even disappear. Furthermore, ani- 

 mals may be made immune to tumors to which they would otherwise 

 be susceptible. Many schemes of immunization of patients by injec- 

 tion of extracts or autolysates made from their own tumors, or similar 

 tumors of others, have been tried ; but in the hands of competent and 

 critical observers the results seem to have been practically negative.'"' 

 There is no lack of evidence that cancers do produce, in greater or less 

 amounts, various antibodies of some degree of specificity for cancer, 

 which must be inteii^reted as evidence that cancer proteins are in 

 some respects different from the normal proteins of the host ; however, 

 the amount and specificity of these antibodies seems to be low,**^ and, 

 in many observations, they have failed to be demonstrated. Indeed, 

 Coca in his review states unqualifiedly, "The usual biological tests of 

 complement deviation and specific precipitation fail to show the hypo- 

 as Biocliem. Jour., 1906 (1), 207: Watson, Jour. Path, and Baot.. 1000 (1,3), 

 429: Sturrock, Brit. Med. Jour., 1913 (2), 780. Tlie OH content ot the blood is 

 constantly increased in cancer (^Tenten, Jour. Cancer Res., 1917 (2), 170). 

 99 See Traube. Int. Zeit. Phvsik.-Chem. Biol., 1014 (1), 380. 

 iGoldzieher, Verb. Deut. Path. Ges., 1012 (15), 283. 

 laM. B. Schmidt, Verb. Deut. Path. Ges., 1913 (16), 329. 

 2Mottram, x\rch. :\Iiddlesex Hosp., 1910 (19), 40. 



3 Literature by Coca, Zeit. InimunitJit., 1912 (13), 525; Kraus et al.. Wien. 

 klin. Woch., 1911 (24), 1003. 



4 Reviewed by Wells, Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 1009 (52), 1731. 



4a See Blumenthal, Zeit. Krebsforsch., 1914 (14), 491: Bauer, Latzel and 

 Wessely, Zeit. klin. Med., 1915 (81), 420. 



4b See Morgenroth and Bieling, Biochem. Zeit., 1915 (68), 85. 



