A “World without Cancer”

World Without Cancer,” by G. Edward Griffin is a strange book too dense for me to summarize very well in a small review like this. Instead, what I’m going to do is tell you a little bit about the book and attempt to give reasons why I think you should definitely read it.

The author contends that the substance known as amygdalin (a.k.a. laetrile, or a derivative of vitamin B17) is a more potent agent for cancer treatment than any other used in modern medicine. Moreover, this substance, according to Griffin, is illegal in most of the developed world. Movie stars, athletes, and politicians, according to Griffin, will fly to Mexico (among other nations) to receive this treatment since it is illegal in the United States. Even more presumptuously, Griffin alleges in his book that the roots of the agencies responsible for this historical denial of laetrile can be traced back to World War II. Enough speculation; how can any of this be true?

Attempting to bolster his credibility, Griffin opens the book with several chapters devoted to the hard science behind an unpopular theory of cancer development called the trophoblast theory. It is a very simple theory, which is what makes it compelling enough to read further. A trophoblast cell is a type of cell that forms rapidly with approximately unchecked growth at the onset of pregnancy. They provide nutrients to the embryo as they form a layer which eventually becomes a large portion of the placenta. The trophoblast theory of cancer development contends that cancer cells are little more than slightly deviant versions of trophoblasts, and that such cells should be expected to naturally occur in the human body as healing agents (in addition to their obvious role in pregnancy). A trophoblast cell has as an outer coating, a layer that is called the pericellular sialomucin coat, which has a negative electrostatic charge. White blood cells also carry a negative charge; and so, according to Griffin, it is as simple as polar repulsion to explain why the human immune system can’t attack these trophoblast cells.

But clearly such cells do exist (e.g. during pregnancy). So how could the body get rid of them in the first place? Griffin’s answer: pancreatic enzymes. Griffin explains that there are eight to ten different pancreatic enzymes that specifically digest the pericellular sialomucin coating, thus permitting white blood cells to have a free run at what’s left of a trophoblast. And why is cancer becoming so prominent in modern society? Because the foods we eat are nutritionally deficient in the raw materials needed to make B17, which supports the function of most of these pancreatic enzymes. Additionally, says Griffin, the foods we are eating require the use of most of these pancreatic enzymes for their own digestion, leaving little or none left over for use against over-zealous trophoblast cells.

Up to this point, everything is written in the book in black and white. You can go get biology/chemistry books and cross check any of it to your heart’s content. So either (a) Griffin is just using a bad theory or (b) he’s got a point. The complaint of dishonesty or the concealment of facts can’t be leveled against him, so why not read on? Well, from here the book takes a sharp left turn from science into political history - and the plot stays there for about 250 pages.

First Griffin attempts to make a cohesive analysis of the foundation of modern American medical practices, especially the history of the FDA and its drug approval processes. Griffin goes into detail about Nazi Germany and links many prominent players of a company there, IG Farben, to many executives at Standard Oil in the U.S. He essentially claims that these two companies had the same board of directors and acted as one company during WWII. Playing both sides, the hybrid company waited to see which country would win and then dumped all of its resources into the winning nation. Since IG Farben was partially a pharmaceutical company, Griffin suggests that when IG Farben’s scientists were shipped to the U.S., they were given high ranking medical positions.

Why, you’d expect to pay at least $150 for this many crazy theories all in one book. But wait, there’s more! Griffin goes on to outline ten separate case studies (in painstaking detail) to attempt to show the effectiveness of amygdalin. During the process, he makes sure to outline several clinical trials granted by the FDA for the testing of laetrile, and he gives entire chapters worth of specific details explaining extenuating circumstances surrounding every single FDA sanctioned trial. This historical defense of laetrile continues right on to modern legal treatment of the drug and a discussion of what is said about it in contemporary medical schools.

Alright, so, there’s not much more I can say about this book. The sheer amount of statistical and historical evidence make the book credible enough that I think you should read it. I think there is definitely some validity to the arguments made against the bias of the FDA, and probably a lot of the historical complaints against IG Farben and Standard Oil are valid too. Whether or not the clinical evidence shows any effectiveness for this drug, the book really doesn’t make clear. However, reading the book will definitely make you feel strongly enough about this topic to look the rest of the information up for yourself. For a non-fiction book bloated with statistics and case studies, this is a good read and well worth it if you want to be totally informed on the fight against cancer.