62 THE ENZYME TREATMENT OF CANCER
and
not with normal occurrences of the life-cycle. If cancer be the abnormal
production of an asexual generation, by a vagrant germ-cell or its progeny, it
may be asked, Why do not the other items of the life-cycle supervene? Why do
not a primitive germ-cell, primary germ-cells, and embryo arise? Were this to
happen, the cycle, though commencing and being carried out under abnormal
conditions, would revert to the normal; and from my experiences of abnormal
development in various directions a reversion to the normal is always excluded.
Were such an incipient carcinoma to form a primitive germ-cell, before the
number of its apical or growing points had been increased, its portion of the
cycle would thereby be brought to a close; and it is, in fact, the omission of
this which fosters and favours its indefinite and unrestricted growth. Just in
the same way in a flowering plant the failure to form flowers (containing the
sexual generation) fosters the unrestricted growth of the sporophyte or asexual
generation.
The
etiology of carcinoma above suggested will be recognized as one whose nature
indicates nothing favourable to its prevention or extermination. It may
be said to explain completely its peculiarities and its hereditary character.
But it is a despairing view. In this respect it is in only too close agreement
with the experiences of physicians and surgeons. The one hopeful aspect is
that in normal development at a certain period the embryo or sexual form is
able in some way or other to suppress the asexual foundation upon which it
arose, and, as a rule, the victory of the former over the latter is complete.
“God help mankind, if you be right about cancer !“ remarked an Edinburgh
consulting physician about November, 1904. “On the contrary,” I retorted, “God
help mankind, if I be wrong !“ The trophoblastic view