158 APPLICATION TO CANCER RESEARCH 



some bearing upon the cause of the disease or that 

 it might be an effect of it. 



A cancer consists essentially of cells of the body 

 which have multiplied irregularly and too rapidly, and 

 it was quite reasonable to think that this form of 

 excessive proliferation might be the result of some 

 abnormal excitation. 



It should be remembered that in August, 1908, 

 the actual cause of cell-division was quite unknown, 

 and multiplication of individual human cells in direct 

 response to a chemical agent had, of course, never 

 been seen. It was realized that the problem of the 

 nature of cancerous growths could only be solved by 

 the discovery of the cause of cell-division. The cells 

 of the body are continually multiplying by cell-division, 

 and the correct appreciation, not only of the nature of 

 new growths, but also of the problem of healing, and 

 in reality most of the problems of pathology, depend 

 upon the cause of cell-reproduction. 



The most commonly accepted theory regarding the 

 cause of cell-proliferation was that cells divided owing 

 to some inherent vital propensity that is to say, that 

 they multiplied because it was their "duty" to do so. 

 As a matter of fact, however, nothing was known as 

 to the immediate cause of individual cell-reproduction. 



So much work had been done with reference to 

 cancer, and in spite of it so little was known concerning 

 the cause of that disease, that we felt justified in follow- 

 ing any clue, however slender it might appear at first 

 sight. It was true that the excitation by alkaloids had 

 so far only resulted in the production of exaggerated 



