194 THE ENZYME TREATMENT OF CANCER
For
we have never seen that a tumour which was circumscriptly brought to a
dissolution of its cells by a tryptic ferment, reacted by increased growth to
this procedure, either locally or generally.” According to my calculations,
based upon Table V. of Dr. Hald’s paper, to be cited presently, the “ trypsin”
employed in the Berlin experiments varied in strength downwards from a maximum
of about 125 units (see Appendix M). There is no mention of the employment of
amylopsin in any of the Berlin work. It is easy to recognize that had von
Leyden and his colleagues made use of injections of 1,000 units of tryptic
strength, plus similar ones of 2,000 units of amylolytic activity, and in the
doses given in more than one case by Captain Lambelle, he would, in all
probability, have expressed the opinion, later on given by Professor F.
Blumenthal, and quoted in the British Medical Journal of January 11,
that “ the treatment by a ferment which destroys the cancer cell has a great future
before it.” It is not a new opinion of the writer’s that, with the exceptions
of those of Captain Lambelle and a very few others, the injections given,
especially in the years 1906-1909, were in inverse
proportion
to the results vainly expected.
Hitherto
in his publications the writer has not committed himself to definite
statements as to the actual and relative strengths of the injections of
enzymes, or their amount. The actual treatment of every single case, the writer
being “ not even a medical practitioner,” exactly as Pasteur was not even a
medical man,” was absolutely in the hands of the physician concerned. But I
doubt whether any physician or surgeon can say truthfully that I ever told him
that he was giving too large or too strong injections of trypsin and amylopsin.
Again, the manufacturers placed on sale just such preparations as