Cancer: Its Cause and Treatment, Volume 2 (of 2)

In Short

This volume serves as a passionate medical treatise arguing that cancer is not merely a local tumor to be cut away, but a systemic disease rooted in faulty nutrition and improper elimination. By presenting clinical case studies and statistical analysis, the text posits that a rigorous vegetarian diet, combined with consistent monitoring of blood and urinary function, can arrest or cure malignant growths. It remains a historical artifact of medical thought, capturing a moment when practitioners struggled to reconcile the limitations of early surgery with emerging theories of biochemistry and metabolism.

The Story

The narrative arc of the book is a systematic indictment of the surgical approach to oncology, followed by a detailed proposal for an alternative, constitutional treatment. The author begins by asserting that the surgical obsession with removing tumors treats only a local symptom while ignoring the underlying "blood dyscrasia" that allows malignancy to thrive. Throughout the lectures, he builds an argument that modern civilization—characterized by the overconsumption of meat, alcohol, and refined foods, alongside a sedentary lifestyle and chronic nerve strain—has created a internal environment favorable to cancer.

As the argument progresses, the author shifts from critique to methodology. He details the chemical processes of the body, emphasizing the importance of anabolism and catabolism, and explains how an acidic, toxic internal state, marked by intestinal stasis and poor waste elimination, precedes the formation of cancer. He argues that the body is a "vast laboratory" and that the failure of this laboratory to correctly process nutrients leads to the cellular deviations that we call cancer.

The book moves from theory to practice, detailing his regimen for the New York Skin and Cancer Hospital. The regimen is comprehensive and demanding: patients must commit to a strict, carefully prepared vegetarian diet, rigorous mastication of food, and the regular administration of specific medicinal mixtures, including phosphates of iron and potassium. The author provides vivid accounts of patients—some in advanced stages of disease—who, under his care, experienced the resolution of tumors, the improvement of blood metrics, and the restoration of systemic health.

The climax of the argument arrives in the presentation of successful clinical cases, where formerly inoperable patients are shown to have achieved full recovery. However, the author is careful to temper any sense of easy victory. He acknowledges that the treatment is difficult, time-consuming, and requires the absolute, long-term compliance of both patient and physician. He concludes with a somber look at the reality of terminal cases, where even his best efforts could not overcome the depth of the patient's condition, yet he maintains that his approach offers a far more hopeful path than the surgical consensus of his time. The final chapters serve as both a summary of his metabolic theory and an appeal to the medical profession to shift their focus from the knife to the patient’s overall internal economy.

How It Unfolds

The critique of modern surgical dogma The author challenges the prevailing reliance on surgery, arguing that it fails to address the root cause of the rising cancer mortality rate. He provides statistics showing that surgery often results in recurrence, asserting that the surgeon merely removes the symptom rather than the disease.

The metabolic theory of cancer The text delves into the biochemical foundation of the illness, linking it to errors in digestion and elimination. The author uses urinary and blood analysis to demonstrate how the body’s internal chemistry is fundamentally altered in cancer patients.

The lifestyle and dietary prescription The author outlines a rigorous protocol, emphasizing the necessity of a plant-based diet and the elimination of meat extracts. He offers specific, almost domestic instructions on the proper preparation of vegetable soups and the importance of slow, thorough mastication.

Clinical evidence and patient outcomes The final portion of the text presents specific case histories of patients treated at his hospital. These narratives illustrate the practical application of his theories, ranging from miraculous recoveries to the tragic, inevitable decline of patients whose disease had progressed too far.

The People

The central figure is the author himself, a senior physician who acts as a crusader against the medical establishment of his era. He is driven by a desire to shift the treatment of cancer from the operating theater to the dietary kitchen and the laboratory of the human body. He views himself as a rational, detail-oriented scientist who is frustrated by the "rough handling" of patients by surgeons and the medical profession’s failure to look beyond the tumor.

His patients, such as Miss T. M. M. and Miss J. M., are central figures who embody the stakes of his research. They are portrayed as individuals caught between the "neurasthenic" stresses of modern life and the terror of a cancer diagnosis. Miss T. M. M. represents the success of his early intervention, transitioning from a desperate surgical candidate to a healed individual under his care. Miss J. M. represents the limits of the treatment, a tragic figure who suffered from a "fungous mass" and a long, brave fight against a disease that had already caused severe anatomical damage before coming under his supervision. These patients are the subjects of his "volumetric analysis," their daily health—from the acidity of their saliva to the composition of their urine—serving as the evidence for his life’s work.

In Its Own Voice

"The increase of cancer mortality is found to follow closely along the lines of modern civilization."

The author establishes his central thesis, suggesting that the disease is a byproduct of modern habits rather than an inevitable biological accident.

"Surgery has had, and may yet have, its function to perform in removing some of the products of the constitutional state causing cancer, more or less efficiently, curing some patients and prolonging the life of others; but from past experience it can never hope to lessen the morbidity of cancer."

This quote highlights his critical view of the surgical profession, distinguishing between the removal of a tumor and the cure of the systemic disease.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is an argument for a holistic view of human disease. It challenges the reductionist tendency to view a tumor as an isolated, malevolent invader, proposing instead that cancer is a "deviation from the normal life" of the body’s cells, necessitated by poor metabolic function. The author asks deep, uncomfortable questions about the cost of "civilization," suggesting that our comforts, our diet, and our nerve-strained lifestyles are the hidden architects of our physical decay. The text is ultimately a call to regain control over one's own physiology, asserting that the body’s internal laboratory can be harmonized if one is willing to adhere to the discipline of nature.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in the history of medicine will find this book deeply compelling, as it captures a sincere, if now outdated, effort to treat cancer through lifestyle intervention. The author’s voice is warm, authoritative, and intensely focused on the minutiae of patient care, making the book feel like a private consultation with a dedicated, if somewhat stubborn, physician. It is a dense read, filled with the clinical vernacular of 1917 and lengthy, repetitive explanations of metabolic theory, which might test the patience of a modern reader.

However, the experience of reading it is remarkably human. The author’s frustration with the "horrible disfigurement" caused by surgery and his genuine empathy for his patients provide a poignant counterpoint to his rigid medical assertions. It serves as a reminder that the history of medicine is not a straight, glorious line of progress, but a long, difficult conversation between competing theories. Those who appreciate the intersection of nutrition, sociology, and medical history will find the author’s bold, uncompromising challenge to his peers to be both provocative and intellectually illuminating. It leaves the reader contemplating the extent to which our own "modern" lifestyle still influences the diseases that plague us today.