Loading...
The Seaforth News, 1961-05-11, Page 2Miracle Of Spontaneous Regress:on Studied In Search For Cancer Cure (E.DITOli'S NOTE: This is the second of a four-part series on "The Fourth Front ,Against Can- cer.", In this article written at the request of the American Cancer Society, a distinguished scientist describes Spontaneous Repression.) By DR. WARREN 11, COLE Professor of Surgery,. University of Illinois College of Medicine (Written for Newspaper Enterprise Assn.) CHICAGO, Ill. — (NBA) — A few doctors have witnessed and reported the melt awesome and mysterious event in medical practice -a spontaneous regres- sion of cancer, In spontaneous regression, a patient with cancer, which some- times has spread beyond medi- cine's ability to cure or control it, suddenly will become comple- tely well, All evidence of cancer will disappear, The patient may live many years without recur- rence of the cancer and die of an entirely unrelated cause. Most, however, have a recur- rence after months or years of good health. , Dr. Tilden C. Everson and 1 have spent five years studying the world medical literature,' corresponding with scientists and doctors and reviewing the slides to make certain each case was indeed cancer. We have verified to our sat- isfaction 119 cases of spontane- ous regression since the year 1900. Considering the millions who have died of cancer during that time, 119 cases are not very many. No patient should depend on or hope for spontaneous regres- sion to cure his cancer, Nevertheless, that this pre- nomenon—or miracle, if you will —takes place at all persuades us that new and effective methods of curing cancer are possible. Perhaps all we have to do is find $ut how nature did it in these 119 cases. Theonost frequent spontaneous regressions occur in nerve tissue tumors called neuroblastoma. Next to leukemia, this is the • commonest kind of cancer in youngsters. If children can live with these tumors 14 months or longer, they stand almost a one - in -three chance of having a spon- taneous regression. It may be that the hormone changes of early childhood enhance resis- tance. The most common spontaneous regressions in adults occur in cancers of the kidney, of the chorion (a bit of the fetal cov- ering which is left in the womb following delivery) and in mela- noma, or "black cancer," of the skin and other tissues. Spontaneous remissions are also recorded for 'cancers of the breast, bladder, bone, uterus, col- on, rectum, stomach, ovary, lymphatic tissue, thyroid, lung and a few other sites. Sometimes, following removal or even partial removal of the original tumor, cancer colonies throughout the body disappear. It is as though the original tumor produces something which ties the hands of the body's im- munity machinery. Or as though the body's defenses against the rapidly growing cancer are over- whelmed until the original tu- mor is clone away with. Have you noticed how every- thing is up these days?—space- men, the stock market, national debt, interest rates, and the Jones family (the tribe that neighbors attempt to keep up with.) And with these spring days the grass is trying to jump a little higher. •In some cases, the cancer -dis- appears following an acute infec- tion which in some manner mob- ilizes all the body's natural de- fenses. On the basis of these observa- tions, we felt that if the body's defenses could be helped . along by artificial means, they might be able to overcome cancer. We undertook an experiment in which half the advanced breast cancer patients, randomly selected, were given convention- al surgery, while the other half were given conventional surgery plus a cancer -killing dreg, nitr- ogen mustard, during and fol lowing their operation. Now, five years after starting the procedure, we find that less than half as many patients have died in the group given surgery plus the drug as in the group of patients who were given surgery only. It may be that surgery and drugs get rid of most of the cancer, and the body's defenses are able to do the rest of the job, We do not know yet how many more patients actually have been cured by this method than by surgery alone. Even better results have been achieved on breast cancer using surgery plus another drug called TSPA or Thio-Tepa. A report at last year's annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons said: "At present there is a strong indication that , . , Thio-Tepa significantly decreases the prob- ability of recurrence, Of the pre- menopausal patients who had re- ceived this therapy, 95 per cent showed no recurrence 26 months postoperatively, compared with 46 per cent for the controls. Cancer free rates for postmen- nopausal patients are 89 per cent for those receiving the drug, compared with 86 per cent for the controls." If these results continue to stand up, the combination of drugs plus surgery may reduce substantially the number of wo- men (now about 23,000 a year in the United States) who die of breast cancer. Comparable results have not been achieved so far in cancers of any other site. Back around the turn of the century, Dr. W, B. Coley report- ed that a sizable number of can- cer patients who developed ery- sipelas (a severe and dangerous inflemmmatory infection) h a d shown dramatic spontaneous re- missions of their cancers. Erysipelas is almost extinct in the United States. But for many years scientists have been isolat- ing various toxic fractions of bacteria and testing them for anti-cancer effect on laboratory animals. In one laboratory, one bacteri- al toxin has cured about one- third of mice with transplanted cancers. But curative doses have to be high, and for every mouse cured another mouse dies of drug toxicity. Bacterial toxins during the last decade have been used cau- tiously on a few cancer patients. They do not oure human cancer. In a few cases they have given a passing remission. Strong doses are risky. Scientists have tried—and so far in vain—to separate the poi- sonous components from the therapeutic parts of the toxins, Perhaps the toxic and the ther- apeutic fractions are the same. Nevertheless, in a growing number of research ' centers, scientists are seeking to learn the secrets of spontaneous remis- sion. When they reduce to lab- oratory and clinical procedures the presently mysterious me- chanisms of this miracle, cancer will lose some of its dreadful power. (NEXT: Antigens—the basis for cancer vaccins.) DR. COLE in his laboratory at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. CRASH-IFIED ADVERTISEMENT — This general store in Lawrence- ville, lie„ makes people believe it whenit says "Derive in," The car, which appears to have crashed through tht side of the store, has been cut in half and placed against the build- ing with pieies of "debris" piled on it. Clay Chlildress. operator of the store, says it's a secret 'how he. obtained the 000.000 license plate. 11r N n Q/ 4 /ave Amit ws.. In the lemon -pie recipe that follows the butter -rich crumble serves as both top and bottom layers for the fresh lemon fill- ing, This dessert is ineaopensive and will add a touch of glamour to any meal. LEMON FILLING 15* cups sugar 6 tablespoons cornstarch iia teaspoon salt 2 cups hot water 1 egg, beaten % cup fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 2 tablespoons butter Combine sugar, cornstarch, and Salt Add hot wager gradu- ally and cook over direct heat, stirring constantly for 6-8 min- utes, or until thick and clear, Gradually stir hot mixture into beaten egg. Pour back into pan. Cook at low heat 6 minutes longer, stirring constantly until smooth and thick. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice, grated peel, and butter. Cool. LEMON CRUMBLE 3/4 cup crushed cornflakes 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup flour ;t cup flaked cocoanut i teaspoon soda -4 cup melted butter 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel Lemon filling Whipped cream Fresh lemon slices Mix cornflakes, sugar, flour, cocoanut, and soda together, blending well. Stir in melted butter and lemon peel. Cover bottom of 9 -inch round cake pan with % of crumble mixture. Pour in lemon filling. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees F. oven for 20-30 minutes, or until mix- ture bubbles up, Cool. Garnish with whipped cream and lemon slices. CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE 1 9 -inch baked pie shell 2 cups milk 2 squares chocolate cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 4 teaspoon salt 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten 1 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon vanilla Scald milk and chocolate in top of double boiler. Blend su- gar, cornstarch, -and salt togeth- er. Add to milk and chocolate: Cook over boiling water until thick (about 15 minutes), stir- ring constantly. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes. Add part of hot mixture to egg yolks and blend quickly. Return to double boiler and stir over hot water for 4-5 minutes. Add butter and vanilla; pour into pie shell and cover with meringue. MERINGUE 3 egg whites ti teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons sugar Beat whites with salt until fluffy but not stiff. Add sugar gradually; continue beating un- til meringue stands in p e a is s. Cover filling, spreading to edges. to prevent shrinkage. Bake at 425 degrees F. oven for 4-5 min- i Utes or until peaks are brown,:d. Cool before serving. * When I was at The Asinine Inn in Tucson a couple of months ago, I was served buttermilk chiffon pie, writes Eleanor Rirh- e,y Johnston in the Christian Science Monitor, The chef edit his recipe clown to one that makes 3 pies. Checking through about 10 standard cookbooks. 1 find that none of them -gives a buttermilk pie recipe, so you may want this for something entirely different from other pies you serve, As you may well imagine, chefs perform a great favour when cutting a recipe down to small amounts. This one gives ounces for several ingredients, but it will not be difficult to figure ounces of sugar into cups, for instance: 8 ounces equals 1 cup. BUTTERMILK CHIFFON PIE 1 quart buttermilk 1!�a ounces butter 6 ounces sugar 21,4 ounces cornstarch 14 pint milk u„ pint egg whites (about 8) 8 ounces sugar 3 baked pie shells Whipped Cream Combine buttermilk, butter, and the 6 ounces of sugar and bring to boiling point; add -the cornstarch which has been mixed with the 1/4 pint milk. Beat egg whites stiff, beating in the 8 ounces of sugar. Blend in the boiling mixture. Pour into pie shells. When cool, top with whip- ped cream. When summer cones, you may want an ice cream pie for your • dessert. This is good served in a chocolate sugar frosted flakes pie shell — it's so easy to make. Peppermint ice cream is espe- cially good in this shell. This makes an 8 -inch pie shell, CHOCOLATE PIE SHELL 1'4 cups (3 ounces) semi -sweet chocolate pieces 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 2 cups sugar frosted flakes Melt chocolate over hot — not boiling — water. Remove from heat; stir in corn syrup. Add sugar frosted Flakes; mix until well coated with syrup. Press lightly but evenly on sides and bottom of 8 -inch pie pan. Set in cool place to harden. When cool, fill with ice cream. Her Whipped Cream Was The Real Thing I never read or hear the words "whipped cream" without think- ing of. Grandmother, for these words are closely associated with her in my memory. Grand- mother used whipped cream with a generous hand, and con- sidered it fit for almost all des- serts. The cream she used was -none of this vapid stuff that is squeezed out of a container, nor was it like the uncreamlike sub- stance that passes for 'whipping cream in supermarkets.' Grandmother used no such substitutes,. but hers was the rich, thick cream from a hetd of well-fed, sleek Jerseys. The cream had a tendency to change color with the seasons. In spring and summer when the cows grazed on fresh green grass and clover, it was thick and as yel- low as gold. When the cows' fodder was hay from the fra- grant haymow, the cream she • whipped up was as white as the snow in a new snowdrift. I can see Grandmother now, egg beater in hand, whipping the cream in her large blue bowl on the work table in the pantry. The whipped cream in the bowl grew and grew till it resembled a fleecy, white cloud against a blue sky, and was thick enough to cut with a knife, writes Melba Baehr in the -Christian Science Monitor, Under the whipped cream one was likely to discover fruit: filled red Je11.O, pudding plump wile dates or raisins, or a fruit salad of bananas, apples, peaches, and grapes. Perhaps the whipped cream concreted a piece of feather -light white cake, or one of Grandmother's good gingerbreads, or there could be several scoops of homemade ice cream under the heap of whip- Who Started Thcse April Fool .&¢l ko? Legend blames Noah for the Feast of Folly, He is supposed to have sent a dove soaring from the Ark on a fruitless flight to look for a landing place before. the Flood. waters abated, More plausible is the sugges- tion -that it all began in, France. The French were the first Chris, tian nation to start the New Year on January 1st instead of. March 25th. Before the change, New Year merry -making ended. with a bumper feast on April 1st, On that day gifts were exchanged. When January 1st became New Year's Day the French were loath to lose their April festival, so a mock feast was held on the first day of that month, Joke gifts were exchanged. To -day, April 1st in France is called the feast of "Poisson d'Av- ri.l," which means a young fish, or. April fish, easily caught. The French exchange small chocolate fish on. All Fools' Day. Many people think the Feast of tomfoolery is connected with the ancient Hindu Feast of Hull. This is celebrated on March list, when Hindus send unsuspecting people on phony errands. But theologians say that April 1st was the beginning of, a mediaeval month of prayer for the feeble- minded. That day was also the one day in the Middle Ages when the harmlessly insane were al- lowed out of their cages. Prayers were offered for their cure. The day became known as All Fool's Day. The high-jinks of April est are part of life almost all over the world. Spain and. Germany ob- ject, however, and Russia, does ped cream. One just never knew what the cream hid.. And in season there was straw- berry shortcake, rich enough to melt in one's mouth, almost hid under the crimson, juicy berries. Naturally, one was certain to find whipped cream, great quan- tities of it, spooned over the shortcake from the blue bowl. I miss the whipped cream that Grandmother used with such a lavish hand for her desserts. Desserts nowadays seem insipid, without body as it were, ever since those days in Grandmoth- er's kitchen. not favour the euriciii; it is played in the country 'dis- Islets, This year, American chewing gum manufacturer's marketed special All Fool, Candy which is made from• gun cotton, spiced with pepper and coated with pink sugar. The children are supposed to use it to tempt their parents to make monkeys of themselves, In Turkey the Press lead the •., fooling, They publish fantastic stories. Other Continental papers haveAfollowed suit. A+ Berne newspaper hoaxed its.' readers with a tale that Captain Lowenstein, the Belgian finan- cier who disappeared when fly- ing across the English Channel, had been found in Switzerland.. Again, a Bucharest morning paper shocked its readers with a story that the city's main rail- way station had collapsed during the rush hour, killing hundreds of people, Panic swept' the city. It -was poly stilled when the paper rush- ed out a special edition •explain- ing it was all a joke! Rumanian aristocrats iii exile still talk of the famous painter who specialized in April Fool jokes, Once he ,painted a currency note on the wood floor of an art exhibition in Bucharest. King Carol spotted it and was confused when he couldn't pick it up. The following yeas' the painter drew a number of light- ed cigarette stubs on the floor and,, had quite a laugh as the aristocracy of Rumania tried to extinguish thorn. Good, harmless fun. But it has not always ended like that. San Francisco police are still trying to find the "joker"- who gave some workmen sandwiches, Very tasty they were too r. but they all contained a lethal dose of arsenic. It was pointless slaying. The mystery killer had no link with any of his victims, lie is still free to strike again. - Last year, a Warsaw husband was met by a friend who told him that his wife had run away with another man. The husband. rushed home. He did not hear his friend's startled cry of "April Fool..." Seconds later a shot came from within the house. The husband had killed himself. ISSUE 18 — 1961 FASHION HINT III Ilgd;llln, un�ai ::1":311 • tlllIl . l ',!,1,11111!111111 mel' 11141N1 i.pu elle ".I :lil} Itltll llllllllllllllilllu.UIIIIIIuV NNullll lu0il u l1'1110111111'411111111 ,Ill ixislllmllll iii nli''i III ,!':il��