The enzyme treatment for cancer. Final report / by William Seaman Bainbridge.

  • William Seaman Bainbridge
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The enzyme treatment for cancer. Final report / by William Seaman Bainbridge. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    of scientific data, and the various graduate nurses who have so carefully executed the details of the regimen in the homes of many of the patients. Es- pecially do we wish to express our appreciation of the generosity of those who have been kind enough to contribute funds toward covering in part the necessary expense entailed in the successful conduct of the work. The Method.—It is not necessary for the purpose of this report to review the interesting, if not gen- erally accepted, embryological theory of the cause and development of cancer upon which Dr. Beard founded his method of treatment. The “irrespons- ible trophoblast” does not concern us here. Those not familiar with the theory can easily become so by reference to Dr. Beard’s printed works. Suffice it for our purpose to say, that at all times during the trial of the enzyme treatment I have been in close touch with Dr. Beard, and have fol- lowed the essentials of his method in all respects save one. When I first began to test the treatment Dr. Beard advocated its use in all cases after opera- tion for the removal of cancer, whether primary or secondary, and in all inoperable cases. In this I readily concurred. When, however, at a later date, he modified his views, and opposed the removal of any “living cancer,” declining to accept as a scientific test any case in which there had been previous oper- ation, of course I demurred. This demand was met, however, as we have already seen, in cases where operative intervention was positively refused. We feel, therefore, that while the method has not been tried exclusively in such cases, we have been able to test it in a sufficient number to meet this requirement with justice to Dr. Beard’s modified views.