The Journal has been informed that Henry Smith Williams in some of his magazine articles uses the pen name “Stoddard Goodhue,” and that Henry Smith Williams is a part owner of the Goodhue Publishing Company.
Articles on “Autolysin” will be found in The Journal, Nov. 6, 1915, pp. 1641, 1647 and 1662. The article on “Action of ‘Autolysin’ on Mouse Tumors,” by Dr. Francis Carter Wood, appeared in The Journal, Jan. 8, 1916, p. 94.— Ed.]—(Correspondence in The Journal A.M.A., Jan. 29, 1916.)
“BASIC CANCER RESEARCH” AND “COSMOPOLITAN CANCER RESEARCH SOCIETY”
Medical journals, and some other technical publications, have received recently what purport to be items of news value sent out by the “Medical News Bureau,” 77 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn, New York. The “manager” of this alleged bureau is given as D. E. Woolley. These “news items” are undated but are marked: “(For immediate release)” One of these starts with the statement, attributed to Mme. Curie, that cancer can be cured by radium and then continues:
“Cancer can be cured by the use of selenium and tellurium, more plentiful and less costly elements,” says F. W. Humphreys of Brooklyn, an American born student of chemistry and science who has devoted years to the study of the cause of cancer and the discovery of methods for relief....
“For the purpose of further developing methods of control and treatment of disease by the use of selenium and tellurium discovered by a number of local scientists, chemists and physicians, the Basic Cancer Research has been organized and an efficient laboratory established at 847 Union Street, Brooklyn....”
“Through the education of the people and special instruction to physicians it is hoped it may soon be possible to gain control of and eradicate the disease which now appears so great a menace. Mr. F. W. Humphrey, one of the organizers of the new institution, estimates that within ten years, or perhaps less time, cancer will no longer be considered a fatal disease.”
Evidently the joker here is the “Basic Cancer Research” of 847 Union Street, Brooklyn!
Newspapers are approached from a different angle. They receive free publicity matter on stationery reading “Cosmopolitan Cancer Research Society” (D. E. Woolley, secretary), 847 Union St., Brooklyn, N. Y. With this matter is a letter from Woolley addressed to the editor of the paper to which the stuff is sent and asking: