From Joseph Askew
Sylvia Pagán Westphal’s article on how the anti-cancer drug Genasense may work (19 July, p 32) reminded me of another Â鶹´«Ã½ article on William Coley (2 November 2002, p 54).
Coley tried to treat cancer with a home brew of dead streptococcal bacteria. If Genasense works by provoking an immune response to CpG gene bases usually found in bacteria and viruses, then it is possible that Coley’s toxins worked in the same way.
The bad news, if true, is that many doctors have been ignoring useful treatments for over 100 years. Millions of dollars have been invested to replicate the effect of poor hospital hygiene. How embarrassing.
Blackwood, South Australia
