416 THE CHEMISTRY OF TUMORS 



relatively necrobiotic tumors the relation is reversed, the potas- 

 sium decreasing greatly while the calcium increases. Magne- 

 sium is present only in traces, while the proportion of sodium 

 fluctuates much less, but is usually greater than either the 

 potassium or calcium, although in very old tumors the latter 

 may become excessive. The most rapid growth, however, 

 seems to occur in tumors in which both calcium and potassium 



T7- ey o 



are present in the ratio of ~- = - or -. 



Beebe l analyzed a number of human tumors with the follow- 

 ing results : Phosphorus was found in proportion to the 

 amount of nuclear material, varying from 0.139 per cent, 

 (uterine fibroid) to 1.06 per cent, (sarcoma). Iron varied from 

 0.013 per cent, to 0.064 per cent., probably depending on the 

 amount of blood and nucleoproteids. Calcium is most abun- 

 dant in old degenerated tumors, and potassium in rapidly grow- 

 ing tumors. These results, supported by Clowes and Frisbie's 

 findings, indicate the importance of potassium for cell growth. 



Schwalbe 2 found that cancer-cells contain iron in a condition 

 demonstrable by the Berlin-blue reaction, and occurring inde- 

 pendent of hemorrhages. Tracy 3 found that tumors reacted 

 microscopically for iron, either free or in the form of an 

 albuminate, only in areas where hemorrhage had occurred. 

 Nuclear or organic iron could be detected in the nuclei, occur- 

 ring in a network arrangement. In other words, iron occurs 

 in tumors, both quantitatively and qualitatively, exactly as in 

 normal cells of the same type. The same writer 4 found in 

 tumors, by microchemical reactions, that phosphorus in the 

 form of nucleoproteids likewise shows no essential differences 

 from its distribution in normal tissues. 



In this connection may be mentioned the observations of 

 Hemmeter, 5 who found that the cells of carcinoma of the 

 mammary gland will shrink when placed in physiological salt 

 solution or in the serum of the patient, whereas normal cells 

 swell when placed in cancer-juice. This suggests that the 

 osmotic pressure, and, by inference, the amount of inorganic 

 constituents, is lower than in normal tissues. 



(4) Bnsymes. The rapid and extensive autolysis that 

 occurs in tumors, as shown both morphologically and by the 

 presence of the products of proteid splitting in them, indicates 



1 Amer. Jour. Physiol., 1904 (12), 167. 



2 Cent. f. Path., 1901 (12), 874. 



3 Jour. Med. Kesearch, 1905 (14), 1. 



4 Martha Tracy, Jour. Med. Kesearch, 1906 (14), 447. 

 6 Amer. Jour. Med. Sci., 1903 (125), 680. 



