The survival time of mice with ascitic tumors is commonly used as a measure of tumor growth. There is indisputable evi dence that it is a valid measure as far as untreated tumor growth is concerned. However, the present findings, although confirm ing previous observations in the untreated control groups, demon strate that when treatment with bovine albumin, which is nontoxic per se, is used, the constant relationship between survival time and tumor growth no longer holds. It is suggested that any agent that interferes with tumor growth by causing tumor cell destruction, i.e., any potent chemotheraijeutic, may so upset the normal balance between tumor growth and host response that one should be cautious of accepting the survival time or weight curves as valid measures of tumor growth in treated mice with ascitic tumors.
Missourir i llie aim underlying the following investigations was twofold: In the first place, we wished to obtain data concerniiig the relations between structure and cell proliferation in differcnt types of epidermis which would supplement previous ones obtained by Loeb and Addison(1 ), Loeb(2), Addison and Loeb( 3), Spaill (4), Spaiii and Loeb ( 5 ) , and X kaiwa (6). 111 these earlier investigations the authors had shown that there exists a definite relation between structure of the epidermis and its proliferative activity, and that the latter is the primary factor which determines the structure. They conclnded, furthermore, that the proliferative acativity is not of a regeiierative type destined to make good the losses through the degenerative process of keratinization, hut that it is a primary process, apparently fixed hereditarily. They also found that there is a definite relation between the structure and the proliferative activity of tlie normal epidermis and the intensity with which regeneration takes place if R defect has been made.In the second place, we wished to find a method which would make it possible to study cyuantitative1-y the effect of various conditions, inner as well as outer, on the proliferative energy of a certain tissue, and, furthermore, to provide the basic data concerning the normal activity of the tissue, which could be used as a standard; the deviations from this standard could then be attributed to the influence of the variation of factors in the inner or outer environment of this tissue. As the most convenient tissue we selected the epidermis, 21 7 'If18 ANATOXTCAL RErOltl), YOL. 42, NO. 3 MAY. 1929
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