98 THE ENZYME TREATMENT OF CANCER
that
portion of pathology treating of the tumours or neoplasms, benign and
malignant. The phenomena termed “heredity “ are germinal in nature, and in this
way they fall within the province of the embryologist, not in that of the
mathematician. But at first sight it is, perhaps, not so clear that
neoplasms—living things possessing simple or complicated structures, but devoid
of any useful functions—should be entities about whose nature the embryologist
need concern himself at all. As recently as four years ago—that is. in 1900—but
few of the higher teratomata were recognized as embryonic in nature. Now almost
the other extreme has been reached, and possibly there are few tumours, benign
or malignant, the embryonic nature of which has not been advocated by some
observer or other, usually a pathologist. By embryonic is meant that their
tissues would be identical with—even, according to some observers, derived
from—some of those making up an embryonic body, that they would be, in the word
employed by Wilms, “embryomata.” As to their origin, apart from the so-called”
parasitic theories,” which are more remarkable for the things they leave
untouched than for the “facts” they explain, for benign or malignant tumours,
or for both, certain erroneous views, not really based in embryology, have
within the last year been advocated at home and abroad. Malignant neoplasms,
such as cancer, have been supposed to arise from somatic cells of the
individual, either with or without a conjugation of such. To my mind there is
as little evidence—and that is none at all—to show that somatic cells could
take on malignant characters as that cancer-cells could, or do, conjugate with
their fellows or with other cells, such as leucocytes. Indeed, the appearances
described and figured as conjugation in a cancer are capable of other and
simple explanations. Certainly, if