RETROSPECT 185
Herein
he describes the normal life-history of an unchecked cancerous growth—the
growth goes on its own course merrily, without restraint from the enzyme treatment
exhibited.*
“In
the last four years a fair amount of pathological evidence has been acquired,
which is not in accordance with Dr. Bainbridge’s experience; and, without going
minutely into details, ‘let me cite two cases which seem to me to indicate (i)
that trypsin does attack cancerous growths; (2) that trypsin can destroy
cancerous growths
“CASE 1.—Male, 51. Lympho—sarcoma.
Superficial cervical glands. Died from haemorrhage from separating sloughing
tumour. Naked-eye inspection of the tumour showed no gland-tissue whatever, it
was a dense fibrous stroma pent up with purulent fluid. Microscopically, all
that remained of the malignant cells were keratinous masses, in which the
individual cells were unrecognizable. The treatment had exerted a selective
action on the malignant cells, had destroyed them almost entirely, and their
necrotic remains were in process of removal by leucocytes.
“CASE 2.—Male, 25. Round-celled sarcoma of
upper jaw. Primary growth removed by operation . . . recurrence in all the
glands of the left side of the face. Treatment begun March 8, 1909. Tumour
removed entire as one large slough on July 15, 1909, patient making an
excellent recovery.
“What
happened in both these cases was that under the action of trypsin the tumour
became gangrenous.
* If account be
taken of the “heterolytic” cancer-ferment termed by me” malignin,” and of the
antitryptic properties of the blood in most, if not all, cancer cases, it must
be clear that Dr. Bainbridge produces no evidence at all that he has ever had
free pancreatic ferments in the blood of any of his unsuccessful cases. Nay, in
view of Captain Lambelle’s apt criticism concerning the natural course of
cancer, described by Dr. Bainbridge in his report, it is quite palpable that
Dr. Bainbridge, in any of these unsuccessful cases, had never exhibited
sufficient trypsin and amylopsin to neutralize the cancer ferment or ferments
present.