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Show Fundamental j jj Principles of li HealHf-aiJ ? i ? V I Ry ALBERT S. GRAY, M. D. ?: f i ( .................. , , (CopruihU 1914. by A. S. Gray) THE RADIOACTIVE ELEMENTS. The discovery of the X-ray by Pro-foHHor Pro-foHHor Roentgen In 1805 familiarized tho nilnda of men with a type of radiation radi-ation Invisible to the unaided eye but able to traverse opaque objects and affect a photographic plate behind them. It had long been known that certain substances exposed to sun-Hlilno sun-Hlilno afterwards glow in the dark, a property known as phosphorescence, and It had been discovered that the X-ray developed these same qualities In tlieso substances. This led to experiments ex-periments to see If similar types of rays were not produced in other ways. Like many other great discoveries, the culmination of the search owed something to luck or accident. Henri liecqucrel In Paris In 189G chanced to use a piece of uranium and discovered discov-ered In compounds of that element emanations closely allied to the X-ray In their general nature, a property we now call radioactivity. These new radiations In varying extent pass through all matter quite independent of whether It Is opaque or transparent to light. In addition to the properties proper-ties possessed by light of acting on a photographic plate and of causing certain cer-tain substances, like the platlno-cyanldes, platlno-cyanldes, to fluoresce, the new redia-tlons redia-tlons resembled the X-rays also in "Ionizing" the air and other gases, rendering them for the time being partial conductors of electricity. The pioneer in developments on the chemical side was Mine. Curie, who, with her husband, isolated radium and polonium. Other investigators following these lines developed some thirty individual radio elements. As a result of experiments, observations and deductions, we are beginning to suspect that there exists in every form of matter the process of its own decay, and this suspicion is gradually crystallizing lnio a belief, a new philosophy, phil-osophy, a philosophy destined profoundly pro-foundly to Influence the thoughts and actions of future generations of men. The emanations from radioactive elements have been classed as alpha, beta and gamma rays, fcnd are distinguished dis-tinguished by enormous differences in power of penetration. The alpha rays have been shown to be atoms of helium carrying an electrical charge, and shooting out from radioac; tlve materials in the course of their disintegration. The alpha rays of radium are distinguishable in penetrating pene-trating power from the alpha raya of Uranium and from Thorium, but the differences among alpha rays as a class are small and unimportant, relatively rela-tively compared to the enormous differences dif-ferences between any alpha ray and a beta or a gamma ray. The most penetrating alpha ray known is not more than twice as penetrating pene-trating as the least penetrating alpha ray known, but beta rays as a class are 100 times more penetrating than alpha rays and the gamma rays in turn are fully 100 times more penetrating pene-trating than the beta rays as a class. Alpha rays are completely absorbed by thin screens of paper or a few Inches of air, while beta rays pass through a visiting card or ordinary tl'afoil with ease. But Soddy shows that a gamma ray will penetrate one-lialf one-lialf Inch of steel or a stack of twelve pennies, six inches of lead or one foot of solid iron. The compound microscope became an efficient weapon of scientific truth about 1830, and In 1S39 Schwann demonstrated dem-onstrated that "all the higher animals are commonwealths of cells." In 1S5S Virchow published his epoch-making work on cellular pathology and demonstrated dem-onstrated that "every animal presents itself as a sum of vital entities, every one of which manifests all the characteristics char-acteristics of life." All living creatures, crea-tures, whether trees, microbes or men. were shown to be either single cells or colonies of cells, and all cells were shown to be composed of the same material, "protoplasm." Every human individual begins life as a single cell about a hundred and twentieth of an Inch In diameter and 1n the brief period of forty weeks attains at-tains an average weight of approximately approxi-mately seven pounds. After birth there ensues a period of growth. Growth is not a simple augmentation of volume, but an alteration in form and type. For instance, if we compare the skeleton of a new-born child with that of an adult, we discover vast differences differ-ences between the relative proportions propor-tions of the different parts. The child's head is enormously larger than that of the adult in proportion to its stature and the chest measure also Is markedly greater in the child. These facts Imply the presence of some check, a balance wheel or growth regulator. It is easy to understand under-stand that anything that will throw these growth regulation factors out of gear must produce grave results and In the extraordinary Increase in the mortality from cancer we have the results of such a disturbance. The 50 war: of human resistance to this disease seems to be steadil,' declining. de-clining. In Massachusetts and New Jersey and in nixte'-n American cities the government reports imlieate that mortality from cancer has increased 100 per cent since 1SS0, and during the ten years from 1901 to 1911 it has Increased 2r; per cent. Cancer costs the United States about 73.000 lives annually and the rate in the registration registra-tion area per 100,000 in 1911 was 78; in England and Wales it was 97. But among the colored population in the United States it was but 57. There is a deep significance to many minds In all the foregoing facts, and men everywhere are searching for the key to the riddle, and some day, half by chance perhaps, it will be found. A WORD ABOUT CANCER. United States government reports show that during the ten years preceding pre-ceding 1911 the population of this country Increased 21 per cent. During Dur-ing this period the death rate per 100,000 from cancer increased 30 per cent among males and 22 per cent among females. "The extraordinary increase In the mortality due to cancer can-cer in this and other countries has long since raised that malady to the proportions of a great plague," says an authority who wrote on this subject sub-ject recently. "The power of human resistance to this disease seems to be steadily declining." He then proceeds pro-ceeds to predict that at the present rate of increase In another 25 years cancer will cause more deaths than tuberculosis, typhoid fever and malaria ma-laria combined. Scientists throughout the world are diligently searching for the cause of this fearful scourge of mankind, in order that a specific preventive and cure may be found. Meanwhile every ev-ery individual should be informed that cancer is to a large degree preventable pre-ventable if we will but apply the knowledge we already possess to guard against it. There are many theories as to the cause of cancer, the most logical one being that advanced by a group of microscopists working along biological biologi-cal lines. The basis of this theory is that cancer is a state of anarchy within with-in the body. To be able to grasp the theory and also to understand why the X-ray is at all effective in cases of cancer It is necessary to have a thorough comprehension of the proposition prop-osition advanced by Virchow in 1858, which I have noted in a previous article; ar-ticle; namely, that each one of the cells composing the human body is a distinct individual possessed of all the characteristics of life. That is to say, every reader of this article is composed of many billions of individuals, indi-viduals, each having all the powers and faculties that the reader is conscious con-scious of possessing and differing in no way save in degree. Every living thing is constructed of these same Individual In-dividual cells, composed of the same protoplasm, and differs only in organization. organ-ization. According to the above mentioned theory of cancer, for some reason one of these individual cells declares its independence of all the rest of the body, refuses longer to co-operate and goes on strike. We do not know whether the body makes any effort to east the striker out of the community commu-nity or not; but however that may be the unruly cell proceeds to proliferate pro-liferate that is to say, it multiplies by dividing, one cell splitting into two, the two into four, the four into eight and so on, thus multiplying beyond be-yond all normal limitations and so, growing inordinately, wrecks the entire en-tire organism. It is during the first few years and more particularly during the first year of life that the highest human mortality mor-tality takes place. The newly proliferated pro-liferated cells are not thoroughly organized or-ganized and the entire organism ia therefore weak and unstable. Ordinarily Ordi-narily we do not think of working young children or animals, beause we know that their tissues are soft and therefore that they may very easily be broken down and ruined; but at maturity we know there is a more perfect per-fect organization, the cells are more fixed, stable and adaptable and are therefore highly resistant. This fact forms the basis for the action of the. X-rays on cancer. There is no remedy known to medicine medi-cine that has a selective influenco, there is nothing that can be put into these bodies of ours that will drive disease out and not touch healthy tissues. But, depending on the stata of the individual cell vitality, tissuts react differently to the same influence; influ-ence; hence tissues having marked power of proliferation are necessarily composed of masses of these young or "juvenile" cells and are of course vastly vast-ly more susceptible to any influence than are the more fully formed and stable "adult" cells which may often remain unchanged for years. An "anarchist cell" finds a favorable favora-ble location and proceeds to proliferate; prolifer-ate; that is to say, it multiplies by division, as all the somatic cells do, and these young and weak cells form what is technically known as "juvenile" "juve-nile" tissue within the more stable, older, or "adult' tissue of the organ in which the cancerous process is taking ta-king place. If now the "hard," very penetrating rays of the X-ray are turned upon this diseased aren one of two things takes place either the short, sharp oscillations, which we have noted approximate more than 800,000,000,000 per second, shake these weak "juvenile" cells into a healthful reaction, or they destroy them as a dog kills a rat by shaking it, and the healthy cells are stimulated by the light. |