The War on Cancer The research-worker of 1928 would find
Many un- familiar words and phrases in the twelfth annual report of the British Empire Cancer Campaign, published this week. The dozen years have seen surprising contributions to cancer investigation from widely separated branches of science, especially physical and chemical. Attention is being largely concentrated on the working of the living cell and the ways in whiCh this is disturbed when the cell becoMes " malignant." It has ' long 'been known that tumours can be induced by repeatedly painting the skin with certain tars ; but this observation seemed somewhat academic. Now, however, the chemist sees how related eancer-producing substances may be formed in the body itself. Moreover, it has proved possible to transmit a tar-induced tumour through thirty " generations " by means of tumour extracts which contain no cells ; and this work goes some way to link up the cancers of mam- mals with certain tumours of birds which seem to be caused by viruses or germs. The past year has seen many technical improvements m research ; and if no revolutionary means of -prevention or cure have yet emerged, more facts are already known about cancer than about any other disease.
* * *
Previous page
