364 THE PROLIFERATION OF CANCER 



mouth, stomach, intestinal tract, and rectum. A 

 chronic healing focus in the rectum, mouth, or intestine 

 may readily be associated with decomposition products. 

 As already pointed out, chronic irritation means chronic 

 cell-proliferation of healing due to the auxetics con- 

 tained in dead cells, and in the rectum, intestine, and 

 mouth further decomposition with the gradual produc- 

 tion of alkaloid must easily occur in a chronically 

 injured site in these regions. It is interesting to note 

 that cancer of the pancreas nearly always attacks the 

 "head" of that gland, namely, that part of it which has 

 nearest access to the intestine. In the rectum "irrita- 

 tion" must be of frequent occurrence by the impaction 

 of faeces, and this in itself will obviously render this part 

 of the alimentary canal a common site for malignant 

 disease and it is one of the commonest places for it. 

 In the mouth decomposition readily occurs, and how 

 commonly one sees carcinoma of the tongue, lips, 

 fauces, etc. 



Syphilis is undoubtedly a predisposing factor. Syphil- 

 itic lesions of the mouth, which, of course, are ac- 

 companied by healing, are of very common occur- 

 rence, and it is possible that choline is produced in 

 tertiary syphilides. If choline is produced by the action 

 of Trypanema pallida, then the cause of syphilis may 

 be a predisposing cause of cancer^that is, if the 

 argument is correct that the alkaloid choline in cer- 

 tain combination with auxetics gives rise to malignant 

 proliferation. 



The breast and cervix uteri are localities which are 

 very prone to cancer, and in these organs destruction 



