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TRENDS IN CANCER RESEARCH
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Annotations P.R.C.S.
Contributions to experimental pathology show the fertilising influence of the conception, originated by Peyton Rous, of analysis into initiating and promoting phases of the cancer process. The promoting influence of croton oil, previously studied by I. Berenblum in relation to chemical carcinogenesis of skin tumours, has now been extended by F. R. Selbie to virus tumours, by C. B. Allsopp to water-soluble derivatives of benzpyrene, and by F. Bielchowsky to induced thyroid tumours. Many workers must feel grateful to F. C. Pybus and E. W. Miller for their laborious undertaking
DIFFERENT people serve the profession in widely different ways. Of Lord Webb-Johnson’s contributions to medicine, probably the greatest have been indirect and remain to be realised ; for his constant endeavour has been to improve conditions of training and work for the younger generation. He believes in the importance of good environment, alike for education, for research, and for practice, and this belief has found expression both at to isolate a number of inbred lines of mice, each characterised by a different type of tumour, and in particular Middlesex Hospital and at the Royal College of Surgeons, to endeavour to repeat Strong’s induction of glandular whose presidency he now resigns after eight fruitful carcinoma of the stomach by methylcholanthrene with As a institutions he transformer of ancient years. the appearance of this tumour as a gene mutant in has succeeded largely because he can infect others with his enthusiasm ; and his hospital and college owe many subsequent untreated generations of offspring. Much time, space, and labour will be required before any of their biggest benefactions to his faculty of persuasion. conclusion can be reached about this curious observation. But if a succession of industrial leaders have been happy These workers have found no type of neoplasm in an to provide money for his projects it is because these animal which has not also been seen in an once both and have been at injected small, projects, great imaginative and sound. A long series of innovations untreated control. There is no evidence that methylcholanthrene intensified the incidence of any tumour at the Royal College of Surgeons, including the Nuffield of to except stomach papillomas and lung adenomas. Sciences soon be constructed, College Surgical bear witness to a vigour and vision that ensure him a Finally, a trend to attract, if not create, first-class brains, with E s. d. is disclosed by the founding of high place among its presidents. Of Lord Webb-Johnson’s contribution to the solution highly paid senior and junior fellowships in cancer research. This is all to the good. These gifted people of the medico-political problems of the past few years it will immediately see, what is already apparent to others, would be premature to speak ; but here, as in the that cancer research up to the present has been lacking his Sir Cecil inherits successor, Wakeley, college itself, large responsibilities as well as large opportunities. not only in security of tenure but also in certain basic facilities. Coming into the subject with freshness and We wish the new president the success to which in so status, their diagnosis may be heard. Of fields he is accustomed. independent many already these deficiencies the gravest are in : (1) housing for large stocks of animals, and (2) staff to care for them ; and TRENDS IN CANCER RESEARCH these take precedence over other difficulties of supply. THE pursuits grouped under the term " cancer research" Although the question of breeding large healthy stocks are so varied and recondite that no one reviewer can of strains and species is being solved by establishments appraise all of them. Some trends are easier to discern. in Edinburgh and at Chalfont St. Giles supported by the One that becomes clear is thatin those centres supported it is always necessary to have an adequate local B.E.C.C., by the British Empire Cancer Campaign and based on pool of reserves as well as properly housed and tended university departments there is. a tendency to deviate experimental stock. It may be noted that members of into problems of the basic sciences concerned. Thus the Scientific Advisory Committee represent for the most observations are recorded in the campaign’s annual those institutions where, through foresight of report1 for 1948, in physical, radiological, chemical, part directors and administrators, adequate housing exists. and biochemical sciences which can be judged only by Unless these institutions can absorb all the first-class specialists in each field. The relation of the observations brains there is likely to be much frustration and disto cancer research is not necessarily urgent or even appointment. It is of course undeniable that with clear apparent, yet the net thus widely and wisely cast may heads issues in cancer causation might be cleared bring a rich catch of new data of general scientific value up, in many the absence of these elemental facilities, by academic standards by, virtue of the subjects tackled and statistical analysis and philosophical discussion of existset. None can tell in what direction the cause and data; but new knowledge of the nature of cancer ing cure of the disease will be found; therefore all evidence will be gained faster by that special tool of our day-the as it comes to hand is better tested by the most vigorous experimental method and its proper controls. methods and as dispassionately as possible, emotional reactions being directed rather at methods of arriving MUSCULAR CONTRACTION, 1949 at conclusions than at the conclusions themselves. THE mechanism of muscular contraction has always In the present report clinical investigations follow baffled and absorbed physiologists. For some time it traditional lines and include another of the campaign’s has held a leading place in their interests, but gradually valuable statistical analyses of cancer, this year of the force tackling this problem has changed ; the shock the ovary, vulva, and female urethra, while Sir Ernest and his Kennaway, F.R.s., colleagues continue to throw troops now are protein chemists, electrical engineers, social on the incidence of factors affecting tumours biophysicists, X-ray crystallographers-experts in the light of exposed sites, this year of the skin and lip. Cancer of energetics of rubber and the detection of infinitesimal amounts of chemical compounds. On July 7 the general the lip, like that of the scrotum, can be largely eliminated by the conditions of life of the richer classes. Whether staff met at the Royal Society, the principal question discussed being: What chemical event initiates or is this is because new growths of the lip get early attention, associated with the contraction of the muscle-fibre’? for cosmetic reasons, in the more favoured classes is A general trend in relation to therapy is undecided. Prof. A. V. Hill, F.R.S., speaking of the biophysical findto obtain more detailed knowledge and control of all ings, explained that the elementary unit of muscular promising physical and chemical agents. This is especially activity is the single muscle twitch. Therein lies the difflevident at the Royal Cancer Hospital. culty of analysis, for the twitch is an exceedingly rapid affair; in striated muscle at normal body-temperatures it is 1. Issued from 11, Grosvenor Crescent, Hyde Park Corner, London, over in a few milliseconds. Even using slow unstriated S.W.1.
Annotations P.R.C.S.
Contributions to experimental pathology show the fertilising influence of the conception, originated by Peyton Rous, of analysis into initiating and promoting phases of the cancer process. The promoting influence of croton oil, previously studied by I. Berenblum in relation to chemical carcinogenesis of skin tumours, has now been extended by F. R. Selbie to virus tumours, by C. B. Allsopp to water-soluble derivatives of benzpyrene, and by F. Bielchowsky to induced thyroid tumours. Many workers must feel grateful to F. C. Pybus and E. W. Miller for their laborious undertaking
DIFFERENT people serve the profession in widely different ways. Of Lord Webb-Johnson’s contributions to medicine, probably the greatest have been indirect and remain to be realised ; for his constant endeavour has been to improve conditions of training and work for the younger generation. He believes in the importance of good environment, alike for education, for research, and for practice, and this belief has found expression both at to isolate a number of inbred lines of mice, each characterised by a different type of tumour, and in particular Middlesex Hospital and at the Royal College of Surgeons, to endeavour to repeat Strong’s induction of glandular whose presidency he now resigns after eight fruitful carcinoma of the stomach by methylcholanthrene with As a institutions he transformer of ancient years. the appearance of this tumour as a gene mutant in has succeeded largely because he can infect others with his enthusiasm ; and his hospital and college owe many subsequent untreated generations of offspring. Much time, space, and labour will be required before any of their biggest benefactions to his faculty of persuasion. conclusion can be reached about this curious observation. But if a succession of industrial leaders have been happy These workers have found no type of neoplasm in an to provide money for his projects it is because these animal which has not also been seen in an once both and have been at injected small, projects, great imaginative and sound. A long series of innovations untreated control. There is no evidence that methylcholanthrene intensified the incidence of any tumour at the Royal College of Surgeons, including the Nuffield of to except stomach papillomas and lung adenomas. Sciences soon be constructed, College Surgical bear witness to a vigour and vision that ensure him a Finally, a trend to attract, if not create, first-class brains, with E s. d. is disclosed by the founding of high place among its presidents. Of Lord Webb-Johnson’s contribution to the solution highly paid senior and junior fellowships in cancer research. This is all to the good. These gifted people of the medico-political problems of the past few years it will immediately see, what is already apparent to others, would be premature to speak ; but here, as in the that cancer research up to the present has been lacking his Sir Cecil inherits successor, Wakeley, college itself, large responsibilities as well as large opportunities. not only in security of tenure but also in certain basic facilities. Coming into the subject with freshness and We wish the new president the success to which in so status, their diagnosis may be heard. Of fields he is accustomed. independent many already these deficiencies the gravest are in : (1) housing for large stocks of animals, and (2) staff to care for them ; and TRENDS IN CANCER RESEARCH these take precedence over other difficulties of supply. THE pursuits grouped under the term " cancer research" Although the question of breeding large healthy stocks are so varied and recondite that no one reviewer can of strains and species is being solved by establishments appraise all of them. Some trends are easier to discern. in Edinburgh and at Chalfont St. Giles supported by the One that becomes clear is thatin those centres supported it is always necessary to have an adequate local B.E.C.C., by the British Empire Cancer Campaign and based on pool of reserves as well as properly housed and tended university departments there is. a tendency to deviate experimental stock. It may be noted that members of into problems of the basic sciences concerned. Thus the Scientific Advisory Committee represent for the most observations are recorded in the campaign’s annual those institutions where, through foresight of report1 for 1948, in physical, radiological, chemical, part directors and administrators, adequate housing exists. and biochemical sciences which can be judged only by Unless these institutions can absorb all the first-class specialists in each field. The relation of the observations brains there is likely to be much frustration and disto cancer research is not necessarily urgent or even appointment. It is of course undeniable that with clear apparent, yet the net thus widely and wisely cast may heads issues in cancer causation might be cleared bring a rich catch of new data of general scientific value up, in many the absence of these elemental facilities, by academic standards by, virtue of the subjects tackled and statistical analysis and philosophical discussion of existset. None can tell in what direction the cause and data; but new knowledge of the nature of cancer ing cure of the disease will be found; therefore all evidence will be gained faster by that special tool of our day-the as it comes to hand is better tested by the most vigorous experimental method and its proper controls. methods and as dispassionately as possible, emotional reactions being directed rather at methods of arriving MUSCULAR CONTRACTION, 1949 at conclusions than at the conclusions themselves. THE mechanism of muscular contraction has always In the present report clinical investigations follow baffled and absorbed physiologists. For some time it traditional lines and include another of the campaign’s has held a leading place in their interests, but gradually valuable statistical analyses of cancer, this year of the force tackling this problem has changed ; the shock the ovary, vulva, and female urethra, while Sir Ernest and his Kennaway, F.R.s., colleagues continue to throw troops now are protein chemists, electrical engineers, social on the incidence of factors affecting tumours biophysicists, X-ray crystallographers-experts in the light of exposed sites, this year of the skin and lip. Cancer of energetics of rubber and the detection of infinitesimal amounts of chemical compounds. On July 7 the general the lip, like that of the scrotum, can be largely eliminated by the conditions of life of the richer classes. Whether staff met at the Royal Society, the principal question discussed being: What chemical event initiates or is this is because new growths of the lip get early attention, associated with the contraction of the muscle-fibre’? for cosmetic reasons, in the more favoured classes is A general trend in relation to therapy is undecided. Prof. A. V. Hill, F.R.S., speaking of the biophysical findto obtain more detailed knowledge and control of all ings, explained that the elementary unit of muscular promising physical and chemical agents. This is especially activity is the single muscle twitch. Therein lies the difflevident at the Royal Cancer Hospital. culty of analysis, for the twitch is an exceedingly rapid affair; in striated muscle at normal body-temperatures it is 1. Issued from 11, Grosvenor Crescent, Hyde Park Corner, London, over in a few milliseconds. Even using slow unstriated S.W.1.