THE INTERLUDE OF CANCER 137
even
a medical man,” the tubercle bacillus, like the trypanosome, or the organism of
yellow fever, or that of malaria, etc., can no more live in the presence of
these higher ferments than the cancer-cell can. This has been shown apparently,
in one case at least, clinically and pathologically for the tubercle bacillus,
by my friend Dr. Margaret A. Cleaves,* of New York City. The first case of
cancer which it fell to her able brain and skilled hands to treat by means of
injections of pancreatic ferments was also complicated by tuberculosis of the
bowel. When, in August, 1906, the first communications passed between us, I
informed Dr. Cleaves that, in my scientific opinion, whatever happened to the
large masses of rectal cancer present, which appeared too great to leave room
for hope of their entire removal, the tubercle bacilli would be bound to go.
They disappeared, and after amylopsin had been injected for some little time
the pathologists failed to find a single tubercle bacillus in the discharge,
where previously they had been abundant. In our joint opinion, the result was
due rather to amylopsin than to trypsin, for the former is the medium of all
others in which the leucocytes can act. As in the treatment of cancer, the
injection used against any of the above human inflictions should be an extract,
freshly prepared from the pancreas gland direct, and containing all the
ferments, especially the one in the presence of which the leucocytes
act—amylopsin. **
* Cleaves, M.
A.:” The Physiological Action of the Pancreatic Enzymes, with Special
Reference to Hematology, Urinology, and Clinical Pathology,” Medical
Record, June1, 1907.
** Now (1911) for tuberculosis, malaria, sleeping-sickness, yellow fever, etc., I would advise the use of injections of 500 tryptic units per ampoule, plus 1,000 to 2,000 amylolytic units per ampoule (vide Appendix F). Compare also Bätzner, Wilhelm: “Trypsinbehandlung d. Chir. Tuberculose,” in Arch. him. Chmr., vol. xcv., Heft 1, 1911.