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118
I have submitted to him, with some trepidation, the views expressed
herewith, and have asked simply whether he could spare a little time
to favour the Borough Council, the citizens of Deptford, and the circle
of readers beyond, with a few notes on his views upon cancer.
Professor Dreyer has brought hope where no hope was into the
tuberculosis fold. The ring is tightening around tuberculosis, and high
are the hopes, and undaunted the courage with which we of the preventitive
brigade, look to the day when cancer will be arraigned at the
bar of medical science, and the evidence as to the causative agent be
conclusively proved.
One of the most attractive books, and most convincing, for the
reader, either medical or non-medical, on cancer, is that written by
Dr. A. T, Brand, of Driffield, Yorkshire (publishers, John Bale, Sons
and Danielsson, Ltd.). He believes in the infectivity of cancer, that
it is caused by infection from without,
A number of vague causes have been put forward, such as overindulgence
in tea, the consumption of too much sugar, whilst tomatoes,
salt and flesh eating have each been blamed. Hindoos, however, eat
but little flesh and they too are subject to cancer. Cancer was known
before the days of tea and sugar. Rollo Russell suggests that cancer
is due to food and drink taken at high temperature and to the free use
of wine, beer, spirits, flesh, coffee, tea and tobacco. But do many
people take their food and drink at a temperature which is unpleasant
to themselves ?
We are on safe ground in saying that cancer follows upon prolonged
irritation. Pott first described chimney sweep's cancer in 1775. Here
the creases in the skin are habitually filled with carbon particles and
then pass between and into the cells causing cell multiplication,
leading to cancer. X-ray workers, after some years, have developed
cancer through the irritation of the rays. Bloch, Driefuss and others
have produced cancer in mice through the irritation of coal tar. The
irritation produced through constantly smoking a clay pipe has led to
or has made possible cancer of the lip. The continued presence of
ragged teeth in the mouth have caused cancer. Is cancer of the gall
bladder caused by irritation of gall stones?
Prolonged irritation then is the forerunner of cancer. Cancer of the
stomach has followed upon ulceration, upon chronic dyspepsia. Lactation
leads to fissured nipples, hence, sometimes, cancer of the breast.