May 5, 1910] 



NATURE 



295 



The general application of an inverse relation between 

 degree of pigmentation and liability to cancer cannot be 

 maintained, and it fails equally when applied to explain 

 the varying incidence of the disease in different anatomical 

 sites of the body. For carcinoma of the breast, the argu- 

 ment is much as follows. The woman of the white variety 

 of mankind stands erect with her mammae projecting, and 

 fully exfHJsed to direct solar irradiation ; she has no pig- 

 ment or hair to aid her delicate, translucent skin in protect- 

 ing the glandular epithelium lying immediately beneath 

 the surface. She covers her bosom with a single garment — 

 the flimsiest of white silk blouses. The man, in addition 

 to wearing shirt and underclothing, protects his chest from 

 irradiation by coat and waistcoat of dense cloth and of 

 dark colour. Hence there are loo cases of cancer of the 

 breast in the woman to one in the man. The differences 

 between the male and female, and between the mammary 

 glands in the two sexes, are not of the subordinate import- 

 ance assigned to them in determining the onset of cancer. 

 They are of primordial importance, since the difference 

 between the male and female obtains for all species liable 

 to carcinoma mammae. 



The frequency of this form of cancer in the woman 

 '•equires to be considered, almost certainly, from totally 

 different points of view. Not only do the sites of predilec- 

 tion vary from one class of vertebrate to another, but, if 

 the Mammalia themselves be considered, some species are 

 very liable to cancer of certain organs from which others, 

 -"■ n nearly allied, are relatively or altogether exempt, as 

 "rated, e.g., by the variations in the frequency with 

 h the mamma is attacked. The liability of the woman 

 is merely a peculiarity- shared, e.g., with the female of the 

 mouse and dog, whereas in other domesticated mammals, 

 e.g. in the cow, cancer of the mamma is practically un- 

 known. Equal degrees of " irradiation " will not 

 harmonise the parallel liability of the woman and the 

 female wild mouse to cancer of the mamma, nor will 

 differences in " irradiation " explain the exemption of the 

 cow and the proneness of the tame albino and the wild 

 grey mouse to this form of the disease. 



These specific differences in liability depend in part, at 

 any rate, on something more than external conditions. 

 Under very divergent conditions, as regards habits (ex- 

 posure to daylight), environment, and food, tbp incidence 

 of cancer may be parallel, as in the case of the tame and 

 wild mouse. Therefore innate fundamental tendencies of 

 much biological import cannot be dismissed by assuming 

 that cancer occurs in the mamma of dogs because the 

 abdomen is " irradiated " through sitting up when 

 '" t'^gginS." or in consequence of a too great fondness for 

 lying before an open fire. Nor can the biological signifi- 

 cance of the sites of predilection for cancer of the rectum 

 and uterus in mankind be explained by their corresponding 

 with the sites on which a full bladder focusses actinic 

 ravj ! The assumption that organs which are dark red or 

 brown in colour are less liable to cancer than organs of a 

 lighter colour will not explain why primary carcinoma of 

 the liver is more frequently recorded in cattle than in other 

 domesticated mammals. 



A real and grave increase in cancer is asserted to have 

 occurred during the past fift},- years, and the attempts to 

 allay tendencies to public panic by soothing assurances to 

 the contranr- are stated to be a praiseworthy policy, but 

 intentionally misleading. This is rather a grave charge to 

 bring, without substantiation, against investigators who 

 have as much claim to be taken seriously as has Dr. 

 Watkins-Pitchford in his explanation of the increase he 

 alleges, viz. that there has been a decline in the use of 

 woollen garments during the past fifty years, a change in 

 the colour of the clothing worn, and that black broadcloth 

 and black silk have ceased to be the clothing of resoectable 

 societ>'. except the clergy, who enjoy a " privilege of 

 cloth," and with it a low cancer death-rate. 



In short, the prevention of cancer is represented as a 

 matter of effective protection against solar irradiation, to 

 which white man, having lost his pigmented skin, exposes 

 himself both blindlv and nakedly ; but, we pause to ask, 

 How is it, then, that the black-coated mouse is as liable 

 to cancer as is the albino? We wonder if the difference 

 m the recorded frequency of cancer in black and white 

 man is the result of imoerfort r»oportunities for observing 



NO. 2 1 14, VOL. 83] 



the disease in the former, and of the attainment of the 

 cancer-age by a smaller relative number of individuals. 

 We remember that the black man and woman are by no 

 means exempt from cancer, and we regret that the drudgery 

 of putting their opinions to a sufficient test is not under- 

 taken personally by a large army of arm-chair speculators 

 who essay to write on the nature, cause, prevention, and 

 cure of cancer. This punishment should certainly be theirs. 



E. F. B. 



T 



CHEST DEVELOPMENT IN BOYS IN NEW 

 SOUTH WALES. 

 HE New South Wales branch of the British Science 

 Guild has just circulated a report in which it states 

 that a special sub-committee investigated a number of 

 points in connection with the physical development of boys 

 in New South Wales, and compared the results with those 

 of other countries. It was found (i) that the average 

 girth of English boys round the chest is roughly 36 inches 

 more than that of boys in New South Wales at seventeen 

 years of age ; (2) Tasmanian boys have always measured 

 rather more than New South Wales boys round the chest, 

 and at the late age of sixteen or seventeen years they 

 come approximately to the English average; (3) the chest 

 growth of the New South Wales boy is at all ages much, 

 less than that of the Washington boy, viz. at nine years 

 nearly i inch, at ten years more than i inch, between 

 thirteen and fifteen years i J inches or more ; (4) as a 

 result of this the lung capacity- of New South Wales boys 

 averages at all ages much less than that of the American 

 boys, and the deficiency varies from 500 c.c. at nine years 

 of age to 625 c.c. or more at seventeen years. 



The committee found ' it difficult to give a complete 

 estimate of the causes of this devitalising condition, the 

 factors at its disposal being too indeterminate, but the 

 suggestion is offered that the habit of the young Australian 

 of leaning against lamp-posts and door-posts, or the 

 difficult)- with which he can be got to walk for an outing 

 so long as there is a conveyance to be had, or his inveterate 

 custom of supporting the games of cricket and football by 

 leaning across a fence or resting his form upon a shaded 

 bench while he bets upon the odds or barracks more or 

 less enthusiastically, have to be considered in this con- 

 nection. 



The executive council of the Guild at Sydney passed the 

 following recommendations : — (i) that the attention of the 

 Government and municipal councils be drawn to the 

 supreme importance of providing areas specially set apart 

 and adapted for the purpose of healthy games, it being 

 understood that such areas should be left bare of trees and 

 flowers, save on borders, and should be provided with- 

 running tracks and facilities for cricket, football, lacrosse, 

 basket-ball, and similar games ; (2) that as the principle 

 of taxing the unimproved value of land is a direct dis- 

 couragement to schools to provide such areas, representa- 

 tion should accordingly be made to the Government and 

 to municipal councils to allow some substantial concessions 

 to all bona fide schools providing adequate playgrounds, 

 such playgrounds being, like parks, really a guarantee of 

 the people's health. 



THE ADMINISTRATION OF ANJESTHETICS. 



'T'HE report recently presented to Parliament concerning 

 -*■ deaths resulting from the administration of anaes- 

 thetics (Cd. 51 1 1, price id.) touches upon a matter of grave 

 public interest, in which expert medical opinion and ques- 

 tions of pure science and the common sense of the intelli- 

 gent " man in the street " alike contribute. We may say 

 at once that the report appears to us to be of high value ; 

 it recognises a danger that for many years past has 

 weighed very seriously upon the minds of those who know 

 the danger, namelj-, of sudden death during the adminis- 

 tration of chloroform, and it ends by recommending towards 

 the remedy of this danger that a small standing committee 

 or commission should be appointed to deal with the subject 

 under the control of the Home Office. 



The body of the report, although offering, no doubt, 

 points open to criticism by individual authorities, is, on the 



