376 



The Museum Gazette 



unimpaired life of one organism in which another is also 

 flourishing. In the case of the thistle it is a fungus named 

 Puccinia suaveolens. Lichens, of course, offer the most consum- 

 mate example of it. In these, an alga and a fungus are 

 indissolubly and permanently united. 



Who is not interested in the attempts made to discover 

 the cause of Cancer ? Dr. Bashford, the Director of the 

 Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, expressed himself 

 at the Toronto meeting of the British Medical Association 

 to the effect that : " Experience had shown that cancer was 

 not infectious, but was a disease of old age, appearing in 

 both human beings and animals during the last third of 

 their lives." Thus an apparent increase in the prevalence 

 of cancer in any given community may mean simply that 

 more individuals live to become old. Where the birth-rate 

 is lowest, there cancer is most prevalent. 



Dr. Bashford's avowal on this matter is of importance as 

 coming from so high an authority, but it is no novelty. It 

 has long been observed that of our domestic animals those 

 which are edible very rarely suffer from cancer. Our dogs 

 and cats, horses and asses not infrequently do so, our sheep 

 and cattle almost never. The reason is obvious. Animals of 

 value for the butcher are never allowed to reach the last 

 third of their normal life period. There is definite matter of 

 congratulation in the fact referred to. Increase in the pre- 

 valence of cancer implies for the most part increased general 

 longevity. So far from having anything to do with race 

 deterioration, it points in the reverse direction. 



It must be admitted at the same time that the observation 

 just recorded is somewhat discouraging as regards what is 

 called cancer research. We cannot obviate old age. There 

 remain, however, several directions in which, short of striking 

 at the root of the matter much gain may be hoped. For the 

 present, prompt extirpation, wherever possible, is the only 

 trustworthy measure, and by it the surgeons of the past half- 



