The constancy and variability of tumour-cells during propogation / by E.F. Bashford.

  • Bashford, E. F. (Ernest Francis), 1873-
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The constancy and variability of tumour-cells during propogation / by E.F. Bashford. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [Wednesday Afternoon, August 6] Chairman—Professor S. G. Shattock, F.R.C.S. President SECTION III GENERAL PATHOLOGY AND PATHOLOGICAL ANATOMY INDEPENDENT PAPER THE CONSTANCY AND VARIABILITY OF TUMOUR- CELLS DURING PROPAGATION By E. F. BASHFORD, M.D. The revival of interest in the relation obtaining between chronic irritation and certain forms of cancer is largely due to wide recognition of peculiar native customs having almost the value of unintentional experi¬ ments in altering the site incidence or anatomical distribution in the body of cancer as known in Europeans. The superposition of cancer on Bilharziosis or a lupus scar are examples of natural experiments of another order. The cow offers two instructive unintentional experiments, viz. epithelioma of the right horn, to which a waggon is harnessed in India, and the frequent superposition of cancer on cirrhoses of the liver in this country and Ireland. Instances need not be multiplied to show that the irritants have no property in common except their association with cancer. Histological examination, while yielding a complete series of transition pictures, fails to reveal what the nature of the relation between chronic irritation and cancer really is, as was well illustrated when, examining a series of 56 very early growths of the tongue, a stage was reached where it was impossible by clinical or microscopical methods to determine whether epithelioma was or was not present. The recent experiments of Fibiger have also illustrated the limitations to histological methods. The relation of chronic irritation is a mediate one because out of a large number of individuals subjected to irritation in the same manner, only a small proportion develop cancer at the site of irritation. Many suppose that the irritation simply serves to afford entrance to a ubiquitous cancer parasite. On the other hand, the cancer cell does not develop immediately or on acute irritation, but only on chronic irritation after a prolonged period of proliferation has intervened. The propagation of the ready-made tumour-cell permits of a further prolongation of the proliferation under repetition of injury at every fresh transplanting, to any desired extent for the purpose of observing whether the properties the cells exhibit are constant or are variable.