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VIRUS-TUMOURS AND TAR
1420
THE ROYAL MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND
the children’s lives would be saved by this delay. This proportion is not to be despised. Certainly in such an area the school appears to be the most hopeful point of attack.
contrast between the comforts showered on them and the discomforts set out movingly in Sir Thomas Barlow’s centenary record and appeal. " Many doctors who are zealous, unremitting and effective in the serious illnesses of poor people are very BENEVOLENT HOSTS hardworked indeed. The expectancy of life of a ON Wednesday of last week many of the officers busy practitioner amongst the poor is not a long and subscribers of the Royal Medical Benevolent one." The sentences are taken from this appeal Fund were entertained by the Royal Society of which, with Sir Thomas’s own starting contriMedicine. Sir Thomas Barlow, president of the bution of 1000, has reached nearly JE3000, but is Fund, assisted Dr. Robert Hutchison, president still far remote from the 20,000 which it is hoped of the Society, in bidding the guests welcome, and to raise from new subscribers, apart from the not far off was Sir D’Arcy Power, chairman of the special donations wanted for urgent and dismanagement committee of the Fund. They tressing cases and especially for the training of would be grudging guests who required more than orphans to be self-supporting. Dr. Hutchison, the pleasure of the company of such hosts, but although as is proper in a host he made no appeal, the reception was followed by a variety enter- did make it clear enough that the success of the tainment which Sir Thomas Barlow described as centenary year would gladden Sir Thomas Barlow’s unique in his experience. The sleight of hand heart and set a seal on his work. We commend his words to any whose names are not yet to be was marvellous, and the transference of treasure may have been emblematic of the intention to found in the list of subscribers for the year 1935, charm handsome gifts from willing subscribers. and remind those whose names are there to add Had this not been the object of the reception the little more which would make all the difference many of the guests might have felt uneasy at the to some individual case of hardship.
ANNOTATIONS VIRUS-TUMOURS AND TAR
previous record and nothing of
of fulminant carcinosis such as this, the sort appeared in their numerous
FACTS now coming to light concerning virus- control animals. tumours and chemically induced tumours in mammals It will be recalled that the Shope papilloma virus and birds must cause us to consider more and more inoculated on to the skin of domestic rabbits produces closely whether the gap between two schools of warts which at first appear quite benign, but after thought in cancer research is not an entirely imaginary some months may develop into metastasising epitheone. The first definite evidence that carcinogenic liomata.4 The precancerous (papillomatous) period chemicals and viruses might act in concert in causing can be shortened in various ways, as by bacterial tumours came from McIntosh’s report1 that three infection or injection of Scharlach R., but in the tar-induced sarcomata in fowls had proved trans- latest experiments it appears to have been abolished missible in series with cell-free filtrates, the agent in altogether. Few would have prophesied that the the filtrates behaving like a virus. More recently, papilloma virus, which induces cancers only after Parsons at the Royal Cancer Hospital has described several months, would, when combined with an a sarcoma accompanied by leukaemia in a mouse agent having an even longer period of induction, let treated with a soluble dibenzanthracene compound ; loose a fulminant carcinoma in a few weeks. The this, it is reported,2 has been successfully filtered on result is especially suggestive, since previous attempts four occasions. to obtain tumours quickly by combining several Now comes more startling news from Peyton chemical carcinogenic agents have failed. An attempt Rous’s laboratory.3 Rabbits tarred on the ear began to interpret these findings would be premature, but to show hyperplasia and small warts in 12 3 months. it is clear that a field of research of enormous interest such if the is warts Ordinarily regress tarring stopped has been opened up. at this stage; to obtain cancers it is necessary to tar for a year or more and even then they will appear CORAMINE AS AN ANTIDOTE TO THE in only a minority of animals. Rous and Kidd took BARBITURATES rabbits tarred for a short time and inoculated them THE great efficacy of Coramine as a stimulant to intravenously with large amounts of filtrates of the has been recognised for some years. respiration Shope rabbit papilloma. After a fortnight, the It was discussed at a meeting of the section recently normal incubation period of this virus, the growths of therapeutics and pharmacology of the Royal in many rabbits underwent an extraordinary change, of Medicine, 5 where, though a little doubt was becoming discoid and infiltrative within a few days. Society thrown on its value, the majority expressed their Biopsies showed that numerous discrete, highly faith in the drug, and some described excellent results anaplastic carcinomas had appeared. Some of these obtained from its use in all conditions associated with tar on the basis of but warts, developed pre-existing shock and depressed circulatory and respiratory states. others where none had been visible. In one instance Anaesthetists have often used injections of the drug to an anaplastic cancer appeared within 22 days after the virus inoculation. The changes were progressive improve the breathing when it has shown signs of This action of and usually led to the death of the rabbits within a failing or has actually stopped. coramine has been taken advantage of especially in few weeks. Rous and Kidd have failed to find any connexion with depression of respiration arising after 1 McIntosh, J. :
Brit. Jour. Exp. Path., 1933, xiv., 422.
2 Parsons, L. D. : Brit. Emp. Cancer Campaign, Ann. Rep. for 1935, p. 17. 3 Rous, P., and Kidd, J. G. : Science, 1936, lxxxiii., 468.
4 Rous, P., and Beard, J. W. : Jour. Exp. Med., 1935, lxii.,
523.
5 THE LANCET, 1935, ii., 1122.
THE ROYAL MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND
the children’s lives would be saved by this delay. This proportion is not to be despised. Certainly in such an area the school appears to be the most hopeful point of attack.
contrast between the comforts showered on them and the discomforts set out movingly in Sir Thomas Barlow’s centenary record and appeal. " Many doctors who are zealous, unremitting and effective in the serious illnesses of poor people are very BENEVOLENT HOSTS hardworked indeed. The expectancy of life of a ON Wednesday of last week many of the officers busy practitioner amongst the poor is not a long and subscribers of the Royal Medical Benevolent one." The sentences are taken from this appeal Fund were entertained by the Royal Society of which, with Sir Thomas’s own starting contriMedicine. Sir Thomas Barlow, president of the bution of 1000, has reached nearly JE3000, but is Fund, assisted Dr. Robert Hutchison, president still far remote from the 20,000 which it is hoped of the Society, in bidding the guests welcome, and to raise from new subscribers, apart from the not far off was Sir D’Arcy Power, chairman of the special donations wanted for urgent and dismanagement committee of the Fund. They tressing cases and especially for the training of would be grudging guests who required more than orphans to be self-supporting. Dr. Hutchison, the pleasure of the company of such hosts, but although as is proper in a host he made no appeal, the reception was followed by a variety enter- did make it clear enough that the success of the tainment which Sir Thomas Barlow described as centenary year would gladden Sir Thomas Barlow’s unique in his experience. The sleight of hand heart and set a seal on his work. We commend his words to any whose names are not yet to be was marvellous, and the transference of treasure may have been emblematic of the intention to found in the list of subscribers for the year 1935, charm handsome gifts from willing subscribers. and remind those whose names are there to add Had this not been the object of the reception the little more which would make all the difference many of the guests might have felt uneasy at the to some individual case of hardship.
ANNOTATIONS VIRUS-TUMOURS AND TAR
previous record and nothing of
of fulminant carcinosis such as this, the sort appeared in their numerous
FACTS now coming to light concerning virus- control animals. tumours and chemically induced tumours in mammals It will be recalled that the Shope papilloma virus and birds must cause us to consider more and more inoculated on to the skin of domestic rabbits produces closely whether the gap between two schools of warts which at first appear quite benign, but after thought in cancer research is not an entirely imaginary some months may develop into metastasising epitheone. The first definite evidence that carcinogenic liomata.4 The precancerous (papillomatous) period chemicals and viruses might act in concert in causing can be shortened in various ways, as by bacterial tumours came from McIntosh’s report1 that three infection or injection of Scharlach R., but in the tar-induced sarcomata in fowls had proved trans- latest experiments it appears to have been abolished missible in series with cell-free filtrates, the agent in altogether. Few would have prophesied that the the filtrates behaving like a virus. More recently, papilloma virus, which induces cancers only after Parsons at the Royal Cancer Hospital has described several months, would, when combined with an a sarcoma accompanied by leukaemia in a mouse agent having an even longer period of induction, let treated with a soluble dibenzanthracene compound ; loose a fulminant carcinoma in a few weeks. The this, it is reported,2 has been successfully filtered on result is especially suggestive, since previous attempts four occasions. to obtain tumours quickly by combining several Now comes more startling news from Peyton chemical carcinogenic agents have failed. An attempt Rous’s laboratory.3 Rabbits tarred on the ear began to interpret these findings would be premature, but to show hyperplasia and small warts in 12 3 months. it is clear that a field of research of enormous interest such if the is warts Ordinarily regress tarring stopped has been opened up. at this stage; to obtain cancers it is necessary to tar for a year or more and even then they will appear CORAMINE AS AN ANTIDOTE TO THE in only a minority of animals. Rous and Kidd took BARBITURATES rabbits tarred for a short time and inoculated them THE great efficacy of Coramine as a stimulant to intravenously with large amounts of filtrates of the has been recognised for some years. respiration Shope rabbit papilloma. After a fortnight, the It was discussed at a meeting of the section recently normal incubation period of this virus, the growths of therapeutics and pharmacology of the Royal in many rabbits underwent an extraordinary change, of Medicine, 5 where, though a little doubt was becoming discoid and infiltrative within a few days. Society thrown on its value, the majority expressed their Biopsies showed that numerous discrete, highly faith in the drug, and some described excellent results anaplastic carcinomas had appeared. Some of these obtained from its use in all conditions associated with tar on the basis of but warts, developed pre-existing shock and depressed circulatory and respiratory states. others where none had been visible. In one instance Anaesthetists have often used injections of the drug to an anaplastic cancer appeared within 22 days after the virus inoculation. The changes were progressive improve the breathing when it has shown signs of This action of and usually led to the death of the rabbits within a failing or has actually stopped. coramine has been taken advantage of especially in few weeks. Rous and Kidd have failed to find any connexion with depression of respiration arising after 1 McIntosh, J. :
Brit. Jour. Exp. Path., 1933, xiv., 422.
2 Parsons, L. D. : Brit. Emp. Cancer Campaign, Ann. Rep. for 1935, p. 17. 3 Rous, P., and Kidd, J. G. : Science, 1936, lxxxiii., 468.
4 Rous, P., and Beard, J. W. : Jour. Exp. Med., 1935, lxii.,
523.
5 THE LANCET, 1935, ii., 1122.