IMPORTANT CLUE TO CANCER CAUSE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 56, 29 November 1937, Page 5

IMPORTANT CLUE TO CANCER CAUSE

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Mysterious Substance Discovered by Scientists CEREAL-GERM EXTRACT

(By Telegrap!

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(Received 29, 8.45 a.m.) NEW YORK, Nov. 27. Mr. William L. Laurence, science edi tor of the New York Times, reports that a mysterious substance, so far unidentified, but found to be the most powerful agent knojvn, producing malignant tumours in the stomachs of rats and> promising to yield an importaiit new clue regarding the origin of cancer, was announced before the American Philosophical Society by Dr. Leonard ltowntree, direct.or of the Philadelphia lnstitute for Medical ReSearch, aud iour associates. The substance was created when crude germ oil was extracted from the germs of wlieat and two other unnamed cereals by ether. It was emphasised that the substance was not found iti commercial wheat germ oil and other cereal oils. These ods are not extract ed with. ether, but are obtained by expression, or squeezing the cereal germs. The latter proceSs produces a substance narmless to animals. The discovery is most important, because it is the iirst plant product found capable of producing cancer by feeding. The present cancer-causing substances produce the disease only after a pro longed injection, and only certain living parasites have hitherto been knovvn to produce cancer in animals by feedmg. It is pointed out that the availabie evjdence indicates that the cancer agent is neither vitamin E nor ase,ociated with oompounds. Whether ether creates a neW chemical substance unuaturally present in cereal germs, or releases a malignant substance otherwise lield in check by combination with other substances, has not been established. Tumours so induoen ir. IGO aibino rats were invariably fatal.