Question

. Explain how Verchow’s cell theory (every cell comes from a previously existing cell), coupled with his idea that cells are the basis of health or disease, lead to the development of a major cancer treatment strategy. 2. What are the limitations of this single strategy, and what was the effect of “pushing to the limit“ on the patient? 3. Why did most physicians of the time think that cancer could not be treated with a chemical? 4. What lead Sydney Farber to explore treating cancer patients with a chemical? 5. Who coined the term “Magic Bullets”, and what does it mean? 6. What is a “hot knife”? Discuss the pros and cons of using the hot knife on patients? 7. In the 1940s, what was the number one idea about cancer as a disease that hindered treatment? 8. What was the main accomplishment of the collaboration between Sydney Farber and Mary Lasker on the public’s perception of cancer? 9. Explain how this action greatly promoted research and treatment of cancer patients. 10. What cancer treatment had its origin in World War I and World War III? What cancer was treated using this compound, and how did it work against the cancer?

Answer 1

1. Cells are the structural and functional unit of life. If their size, shape, and functioning get affected in any way, the particular tissue and organ also get affected; therefore, leaving its health compromised. Because cells divide to form new cells (either for growth or repair) , any change in this process can result in a disease. Cancer is a disorder which results the formation of tumor because it keeps growing uncontrollably. According to Virchow's theory, this growth of cell is due to un-regulated cell division. Hence a major treatment for cancer will be the one to provide inhibitors of cell division or to provide substances that would kill cells that are cancerous as these are the unhealthy ones.

2. Cancer is an uncontrolled gowth of normal body cells. The growth is forceful and in the later stages spread to other body parts. A single method works in a specific manner and interact with cancer cells in a specific way. Radiation therapy has a limited application if the cells have moved through the body and spread to different locations to cause disease. But even if cancer is localized, radiation therapy also kills the normal and healthy cells in the same manner as cancer cells. Similarly, administering an anticancer drug also has non-specific action. Surgery to remove even the underlying tissues has also not been found yet to be effective .

4. Sidney Farber was a pathologist. He was called a doctor of the dead. He was a pathologist who sort of lived in the basement of the children's hospital in Boston, and he became very interested in childhood leukemia. And Farber began to inject this drug, aminopterin, into young kids, in order to see if he could get a remission. And indeed he found surprising, astonishing remissions in these kids with leukemia