Nexus - 1702 - New Times Magazine-pages

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and Auler, had shown that human cancer bore a micro- In 1903, Henry Phipps, the wealthy business partner o! organism closely resembling B. tumefaciens which in turn industrialist Andrew Carnegie, was seeking a charitable caused malignant tumours in plants as well as animals, outlet for his wealth. He then joined Lawrence F. Flick, complete with spread or metastasis. MD, a doctor with a vision to open a centre solely Paula Meyer had worked with Friedlander on the dedicated to the study, treatment and prevention o uman cancer germ since 1923. Her particular discovery tuberculosis. was of a bacterium inside breast cancer which she called Still working with grants from the Nationa "PM" (for Paula Meyer). She had also discovered closely Tuberculosis Association, Seibert was asked to continue related strains from 15 other human cancers. Smith — her work at Phipps on a skin test using Koch's origina examined stained slides of Meyer's cancer germ from old tuberculin (OT). In the early 1940s, Seibert refined uman breasts. It looked much like B. tumefaciens. and purified the protein in her TB skin test. She named Meyer's germs were short rods, single or paired, and it PPD-S, because it was a purified protein derivative hey stained with the same fuchsin that Smith used.” (PPD) and was intended to serve as a standard (S) for oreover, when Blumenthal and he US government, which i Meyer inoculated their PM human eventually became. cancer germ into plants, the tumours After 30 years in tuberculosis ooked exactly like crown gall. That research, Seibert turned her attention PM could produce plant cancer was H owards cancer. In 1948, Margare now for Erwin Frink Smith beyond a Seibert was even Lewis of The Wistar Institute in shadow of a doubt. But it could not more impressed Philadelphia asked Seibert to do a be B. tumefaciens itself, because no Q G nucleic acid analysis on Wistar ra strains that he had tested grew at with how Diller, umour extracts, and Seibert agreed. body temperature in warm-blooded following in the Next, Dr Irene Diller, who networked animals. His conclusion: human extensively with Livingston, asked cancer was probably due to some footsteps of Seibert to look at her slides of the other microbe, possibly a Livingston and cancer microbe. Seibert relates wha mycobacterium, that had similar she saw: chemical activities to B. tumefaciens. Alexander I saw tiny, round, coccoid organisms, ackson. ha many of which were magenta in Seibert rules out contaminants in J > color. The slides had been stained the cancer germ proved, through with Ziehl-Neelsen reagent, which Th ly ti that Dr Fl f larl d to stai _Zeaty tne nia: Geence HM Koch's postulates, Mul we sar ow medicine, ran into resistance and that her germ Was that she had isolated them from a suppression was when she rat tumor and could do so decided to take a closer look at the cancer germ. regularly from tumors in general, as well as from blood of leukemic patients, | asked, "Could you find them in the rat sarcoma tumor | am studying?" Livingston's cancer germ. One of America's finest PhD biochemists, Seibert, while still at Yale University in the early 1920s, solved the mystery of the many fevers resulting from the use of distilled water for Diller agreed to try. Lewis allowed Seibert to forward injection and thought to be caused by fever-producing the tissue sections. The results came back: the same "pyrogens", quickly proving that these were in fac cancer germ had appeared. Seibert immediately saw bacterial contaminants. She moved to the University o the implications: Chicago in 1923 to work as a post-graduate fellow. This looked terribly important to me, and | was thenceforth Seibert was asked by Dr Esmond Long to stay on there willing to do whatever | could to help in this promising field. to develop the tuberculin skin test. Long suggested she We did help by studying the immunological relationship to our travel to Europe to learn the techniques practised there. tubercle bacilli, as well as to the "atypical" bacteria closely At the Pasteur Institute of Paris, Seibert exchanged related to our tubercle bacilli.” ideas with Drs Alfred Boquet, Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin, the investigators who presented to the Seibert was even more impressed with how Diller, world its only recognised vaccine against tuberculosis, following in the footsteps of Livingston and Alexander- called BCG (bacillus Calmette-Guérin). Seiber Jackson, had proved, through Koch's postulates, that her returned to the USA and when Long left Chicago to —_ germ was the cancer germ: head laboratory operations at the Henry Phipps It is based on her {Diller's} work that | am willing to say | Institute in Philadelphia, she accompanied him. believe she has found the cause of cancer, which | think no one more impressed with how Diller, following in the footsteps of Livingston and Alexander- Jackson, had proved, through Koch's postulates, Diller agreed to try. Lewis allowed Seibert to forward the tissue sections. The results came back: the same cancer germ had appeared. Seibert immediately saw the implications: This looked terribly important to me, and | was thenceforth willing to do whatever | could to help in this promising field. We did help by studying the immunological relationship to our tubercle bacilli, as well as to the "atypical" bacteria closely related to our tubercle bacilli.” Seibert was even more impressed with how Diller, following in the footsteps of Livingston and Alexander- Jackson, had proved, through Koch's postulates, that her germ was the cancer germ: It is based on her {Diller's} work that | am willing to say | believe she has found the cause of cancer, which | think no one NEXUS ¢ 39 Seibert was even that her germ was the cancer germ. FEBRUARY - MARCH 2010 www.nexusmagazine.com