The Earth’s Cancer by Capt Read online

  Amazing, March, 1931

  The Earth’s Cancer

  by Capt. S. P. Meek

  ARNES,” said Dr. Bird suddenly,

  brave as the average man, I guess.”

  “how brave are you?”

  “You’re a great deal braver than the

  “C The secret service average, old dear; I know that from what we operative looked puzzled at the question.

  have been through together. I have seen you

  “Why—I don’t know, Doctor. As face armed men without a quaver, but how

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  would you face an armed enemy that you

  it. There is a chance that we will die of cancer could not see and that you knew no way of

  before this case is finished, but I have a very combating?”

  strong hope that both of us will pull through

  “I didn’t back down in that Mammoth

  all right. We start tonight. Pack your grips for Cave affair, Doctor.”

  five days on the train.”

  “I know you didn’t, but there you were

  “I’ll be ready, Doctor. Am I to work in

  facing at the worst sudden and probably the dark for the present or can you tell me painless death. Could you face without where we are going and why?”

  wavering one of the most painful and

  “I’ll tell you what I know, Carnes. We

  lingering deaths known, a death which is the

  are going to Lassen County, California, to the apotheosis of the horrible? Specifically, could vicinity of Cinder Cone National Monument.

  you face with equanimity the almost certain

  As for the reason, here is an approved

  contraction of a malignant incurable form of

  requisition for your services for an indefinite cancer?”

  period. I had it made out before I tackled you Carnes’ face blanched at the scientist’s

  because I knew—Oh, go to the devil!”

  words.

  Dr. Bird turned away to hide a

  “Mind you, Carnes,” went on the suspicion of moisture in his eyes. Carnes read Doctor, “I am not ordering you to do so, I am

  the requisition with growing astonishment.

  not even asking you to do it; I am merely

  “Under direction of the United States

  offering you the opportunity to do what Public Health Service!” he exclaimed. “What Walter Reed did, to sacrifice your life for the is it, a dope smuggling case?”

  public good in a particularly unpleasant

  “No. We are going to Lassen County

  manner without reward and probably without

  to try to ascertain the cause of an epidemic of recognition. I can’t even guarantee your a new and particularly virulent form of widow a pension if you accept my offer. In

  epithelial cancer which has cropped out in that fact, I strongly advise you to refuse it, a thing vicinity.”

  which you can do with honor as it is not in

  “What can we do about locating the

  your line of duty.”

  cause of cancer, Doctor? That sounds like a

  “Are you going to face that danger,

  job for a doctor instead of a secret service

  Doctor?”

  operative and a Bureau of Standards man.”

  “Foolishly, I am. In the work I am

  “Ordinarily

  it

  would be but there are

  about to do I feel the need of a man beside me some very peculiar features about this

  upon whom I can depend in any emergency

  outbreak.”

  and we have worked together a great deal——

  Dr. Bird consulted a file of reports on

  ”

  his desk and went on.

  Dr. Bird’s voice died away in

  “The first cases broke out almost a

  nothingness and he turned abruptly on his

  year ago, not long after the eruption of Cinder heel. Carnes leaped to his feet.

  Cone in June, 1929. At first it was thought to

  “You damned fool!” he cried huskily.

  be merely a skin rash of some sort, but the

  “When do we start?”

  cases did not yield to treatment but got worse Dr. Bird swung around and grasped the

  and more cases developed. Furthermore, after

  detective’s hand.

  the disease had run to a certain point, it

  “I knew that I could rely on you. became associated with a peculiar form of Carney, old dear,” he said feelingly. “Cheer

  mania and the patients refused further

  up, it probably isn’t as black as I have painted treatment and left their homes and took to the

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  woods. They eluded pursuit when they could

  “Such is the problem to solve. Since

  and fought desperately when captured by their

  cancer is not a germ disease, at least the germ friends who tried to bring them back for has never been isolated and identified, it is treatment.”

  probably useless to look for a source of germ

  “Delirium is not uncommon in cancer

  infection, but there is undoubtedly some

  cases, is it, Doctor?”

  reason for the outbreak and we are going to

  “Not in carcinoma cases, especially seek this reason.”

  shortly before the end, but this was not

  “It sounds like the wildest of wild

  delirium, it was mania. There was no wild

  goose chases I ever went on, Doctor, but I’m

  raving, the patients talked rationally and knew with you. When do we start?”

  what they were doing, but they refused

  “Tonight. I have been working for two

  treatment and evinced a strong dislike for the weeks getting things ready and we have a

  society of every one except those similarly

  drawing room on the 6:37 tonight.”

  afflicted. The things got beyond the powers of

  “I’ll be there, Doctor.”

  the local medical men to cope with and the

  Public Health Service was asked to send help.

  DURING the long trip across the continent,

  A surgeon was sent up there and after the first Carnes had abundant opportunity to examine

  examination of a case, he pronounced the the voluminous file of the Public Health trouble to be a form of epithelial cancer, a

  Service reports on the case but he found little diagnosis which the local men had missed.

  more than an elaboration of the outline Dr.

  “Other surgeons and nurses were sent

  Bird had given him. The Doctor consistently

  into the stricken area and a field hospital refused to discuss the case and Carnes knew established, but to no avail. Not only did the his friend too well to try to force a confidence.

  first cases refuse treatment but new cases went The Doctor sat for hours poring over recondite on cropping up, among them both of the local

  volumes on cancer and related subjects and in

  surgeons. Three Public Health Service making elaborate mathematical calculations.

  surgeons and two nurses, who were sent there,

  Although he worked miracles in

  have been stricken with the disease and have

  chemical and physical experiments which had

  also acquired the peculiar mania which leads

  made his name a household word in scientific

  them to refuse treatment and to shu
n all circles, Dr. Bird’s knowledge of medicine was persons except other sufferers.”

  at best a superficial one. Realizing this fact, he

  “It would be rather natural for those

  bent his splendid mind to the task before him

  working with the victims to contract the and by the end of the trip there was little that disease, would it not?”

  had been written about it that was not stored in

  “No. Cancer is not ordinarily his brain.

  considered to be contagions and naturally

  At San Francisco he broke the trip long

  every possible aseptic measure was used by

  enough to visit Crissy Field and make certain

  the surgeons and nurses. Public Health Service arrangements before they took the “Klamath”

  is completely stumped. They have made no

  north. At Redding a Public Health Service

  headway toward checking the epidemic and

  surgeon met them with a truck and a

  since their own people have started passenger car and Dr. Bird supervised the contracting the disease, they hesitate about

  loading into the truck of a number of cases

  ordering more surgeons in, for they may be

  with the Bureau of Standards seal on them.

  simply signing their death warrants when they

  When the loaded truck departed, Carnes and

  do so.

  the Doctor climbed into the passenger car and

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  were whirled off in the same direction.

  penetrated deeply into it. It doesn’t stop

  “What progress have you made, if any,

  suddenly but sort of dies away from the

  Doctor Albright?” asked Dr. Bird.

  center. When you approach that area you can

  “None at all, Doctor Bird, I am sorry

  see it ahead of you shoulder high or higher

  to say,” replied the young Public Health when it only comes to the knee where you Service surgeon, who was both their guide and

  stand and a short distance behind you it will

  driver. “There are now, according to the best

  be only ankle high. It rather resembles huge

  information we have, two hundred and seven

  rushes or cat-tails but it can’t be anything of cases, but there may be a good many more.

  that sort for there is almost no water around

  That county is full of Indians and we have no

  here. It is a funny thing but right in that area way of telling how many of them have been

  they are having the finest crop of grass they

  afflicted.”

  have ever had, despite the fact that it is an

  “What

  particular

  type of cancer is it?”

  unusually dry season. On the other hand the

  “It is a very malignant and previously

  usual vegetation, jack pines and bunch-grass,

  unknown type of epithelial cancer. Instead of

  is dead or dying.”

  eating in, it forms ex-crescenses on the surface

  “What is killing it?”

  and spreads very rapidly. The mania which is

  “Some sort of a dry rot. I think. At any

  invariably associated with it after the rate the things hold their exterior form but turn development reaches a certain stage is also a

  a dirty grey in color and they crumble into

  new thing in cancer physiology. So far we

  dust at a touch.”

  have no record of any deaths, but there may

  “Does this condition extend over the

  easily be some, for all the advanced cases

  entire area where the disease is prevalent?”

  have taken to the woods and efforts to capture

  “Yes, to a limited degree. Toward the

  them have been futile. Three of our surgeons

  outer edge the change in vegetation is hardly

  have gone into the woods hoping to do some

  apparent except as an unusually good grass

  good, but none of them has returned or sent

  crop out of season. At the same time there are out any word. Whether they had been detained

  comparatively few cases of cancer developing

  by force or whether they have fallen victim to around the edges and they are mild ones

  the disease and the mania which accompanies

  which spread slowly. When we get to Lassen

  it, no one knows.”

  National Monument where our field hospital

  “Is the area where the victims have

  is, I will show you a map with the dwelling of retreated well defined?”

  every known case plotted. It makes a rough

  “It is quite clearly defined. It is, or

  circle about fifteen miles in diameter, while

  used to be, a patch of almost barren lava beds the part where the victims hide and where this with only a few jack pines and a little bunch-peculiar vegetation really flourishes is a circle grass growing on it. At present it is covered

  about three miles in diameter located right in with a very profuse and exceedingly green

  the center of the larger area.”

  vegetation, lush rank growth which is almost

  Dr. Bird changed the subject and did

  jungle-like in its density, while the old pines not refer to it again until the map of which Dr.

  and bunch-grass seem to have died off.”

  Albright had spoken was laid before him.

  Dr. Bird sat up with sudden attention.

  “It is easy to see that there is a definite

  “What sort of vegetation is this new

  center of virulence,” he remarked. “The closer growth?” he demanded.

  you get to the center, the more cases are

  “I’m not enough of a botanist to indicated.”

  answer your question, Doctor. I have not

  “That is true. We have also noticed

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  5

  that when a case comes in that the rapidity of is of interest to note that within ten days,

  development is inversely proportional to the

  every member of the searching party

  distance the patient has lived from the center developed cancer. Their cases spread with

  of the disturbed area.”

  extreme rapidity and within two weeks of its

  “Does the area of infection seem to be

  appearance, every one of them slipped away

  spreading?”

  and joined the other victims.”

  “It did at first, but from such reports as

  “I’m going to explore that country. I’m

  my predecessor left—poor chap, he contracted

  especially interested in that peculiar

  the disease and joined the madmen in the

  vegetation you spoke of.”

  rocks four months ago, I can discern no spread

  “I can show you some samples of that

  during the past six months. There seems to be

  at once if you care to see them. I have some

  a quite definite limit beyond which the which were brought out by the searching infection does not extend.”

  party.”

  “Have you cleared everyone out of this

  Dr. Albright left the room and returned

  area?”

  with some long blades of vegetation of a rush-

  “We have tried but we have met with

  like appearance but of a very vivid and

  poor success. Most of the inhabitants are poisonous-looking shade of green. They were Indians and while we may move them one

  not smooth but were knobby with

  day, the next day they will drift back again.�
��

  protuberances from which sap flowed. The

  “It looks as if the spot we should odor was that of rank decaying vegetation.

  explore is right here.”

  “One of the surgeons brought out a

  Dr. Bird placed his finger on the center

  root and planted it here to see what it would

  of the shaded area.

  do,” explained Dr. Albright. “It grew very

  “Undoubtedly you are right, but so far

  rapidly at first but it isn’t doing especially no one has entered the forbidden area, if I may well just now.”

  call it such, and returned. Whether they have

  Dr. Bird examined the plant with

  been prevented by force from returning or

  interest.

  whether they have become mad and remained

  “I’ll have to wait until my microscopes come

  voluntarily, I can’t tell you. Now we cannot

  before I can tell much about it,” he remarked.

  get any one to go within miles of the center.”

  “Let me see some of the dead bunch-grass and

  “Nevertheless, I am going to explore

  pines, if you have them.”

  it. Is there a level place around here large

  Dr. Albright brought in some samples

  enough to land a plane?”

  and Dr. Bird crumbled them reflectively in his

  “Yes, several. I may tell you that one

  hands.

  attempt was made several months ago to

  “The microscope will tell the tale,” he

  explore the center by plane which resulted in

  said at length. “You have a plane landing field disaster. The plane, judging from the reports

  marked out?”