Comments
Rc72 OP t1_iuhu01l wrote
AFAIK the term “chemotherapy” wasn’t used before cancer chemotherapy, and it was adopted as an analogous construction to “radiotherapy”. Just as in cancer radiotherapy the radiation is targeted to destroy the cancerous cells, in cancer chemotherapy those cells are “chemically targeted” for destruction. The insight that cancerous cells could be more vulnerable than non-cancerous cells to some chemicals was gained in the aftermath of the Bari disaster, by the military surgeon reporting the effects of mustard gas on the sailors.
bdesign7 t1_iuhxjwz wrote
JimDixon t1_iui7m1k wrote
I found these items unrelated to cancer:
“Progress in Chemotherapy and the Treatment of Syphilis,” journal title, 1924.
“Chemotherapy of a New Group of Arsenical Compounds…,” master’s thesis, 1924.
“Experimental Chemotherapy in Malaria,” article, 1941.
“Ineffective Penicillin Chemotherapy of Arthritic Rats….,” article, 1943.
Doctor__Acula t1_iufjmqa wrote
Geoblocked site sadly
crayfl t1_iufa32b wrote
I feel silly for not realizing that earlier.
jrignall1992 t1_iufanw5 wrote
It can be traced back even further then this, ww1 the use of mustard gas.
Rc72 OP t1_iuhug2d wrote
Thing is, the insights on mustard gas in WW1 didn’t go much beyond: “Geez, this shit is nasty”, whereas in the aftermath of this WW2 one-off, one military surgeon noted that mustard gas appeared to interfere with the cell-splitting process, and his boss then realised that this could be made useful against cancer…
PisseArtiste t1_iuivkor wrote
Not really. The link wasn't made until World War II, though nitrogen and sulfur mustard were first used as weapons during the First World War.
jrignall1992 t1_iuix5hf wrote
Well yea kind of because it was what happened in WW1 that lead to this discovery.
They was studying a potential antidote just in case it was used in WW2.
First use of it being used medicinally was August 1942
With the actual component being found in 1948.
No matter how little of a connection you think it is the use of mustard gas in WW1 is what led them to the studies.
PisseArtiste t1_iuixz58 wrote
I guess in the sense that there was some notice of the impact on bone marrow during World War I but it wasn't until the work of Gilman et al during the Second World War that there was progress.
jrignall1992 t1_iuiy6aw wrote
Yea that is correct, the reason why I framed it like such is based on how OP has worded title if they put that chemos first use was ww2 then yea but do you get what I mean haha.
darhox t1_iugb3r5 wrote
Mustard gas is therapeutic?
Veritas3333 t1_iugh9v7 wrote
Yes
That's what this whole post is about
CeeCeeAndDee t1_iuhlh4m wrote
You make my head hurt. The answer is literally a click away, and you choose to be ignorant.
Rc72 OP t1_iuhpwsn wrote
Not exactly therapeutic: it’s toxic, but as a WW2 military surgeon found out, it turns out to be even more toxic for cancer cells than for regular cells…
PisseArtiste t1_iuivdv2 wrote
The first chemotherapy drugs, some of which are still in use, are alkylating agents, and they're basically chemically similar and derived from mustard gas (which isn't a gas, incidentally).
Mumbles76 t1_iufn145 wrote
Absolutely fascinating. Thank you for this.
Trumpet_Time t1_iugnzbs wrote
Manchurian gold? Dark pictures anthology anyone?
agamemn-off t1_iugyria wrote
My first thought as well
Willy_wolfy t1_iuh1vaf wrote
Good book is the emperor of all maladies. It's kind of crazy how in the early days they just sort of threw everything at cancer to see what stuck.
JimDixon t1_iufcyyc wrote
Chemotherapy originally meant treatment of disease-- any kind of disease-- with chemicals, i.e. drugs. It was a commonplace thing, but most people were unfamiliar with the word. At first, surgery was the only known effective treatment for cancer, and later, radiation. Chemotherapy for cancer came last. When people first heard about it, it was, for most of them, the first time they heard the word chemotherapy, so it became associated in the public mind with cancer.