When miracles are almost routine:Believing in miracles

“Mr. Wright had a generalized far-advanced malignancy with huge tumor masses the size of oranges, in the neck, underarms, groin, chest and abdomen. Litres of milky fluid had to be drawn from his chest every other day. He was taking oxygen by mask frequently, and our impression was that he was in a terminal state.

“In spite of all this, Mr. Wright was not without hope. The reason was that a new drug that he had expected to come along and save the day had already been reported in the newspapers. Its name was ‘Krebiozen’. . .

“When he heard that our clinic was to be one of a hundred places chosen for evaluation of this treatment, his enthusiasm knew no bounds. It was against the rules of the Krebiozen trial committee to offer the drug to someone in such a terminal state, but he begged so hard for this ‘golden opportunity’ that . . . I decided I would have to include him in the treatment. He received his first injection on a Friday.

“I didn’t see him again until Monday and thought as I came to the hospital he might be moribund or dead by that time. What a surprise was in store for me!

I had left him febrile, gasping for air, completely bedridden. Now, here he was, walking around the ward, chatting happily with the nurses, and spreading his message of good cheer to any who would listen. Immediately I hastened to see the others who had received their first injection at the same time. No change, or change for the worse was noted. Only in Mr. Wright was there brilliant improvement. The tumor masses had melted like snowballs on a hot stove, and in only these few days, they were half their original size! This is, of course, far more rapid regression than the most radiosensitive tumor could display under heavy x-ray given every day.

“. . . The injections were given 3 times weekly as planned . . . Within 10 days he was able to be discharged from his ‘death-bed’, practically all signs of his disease having vanished in this short time.

“. . . Within two months, conflicting reports began to appear in the news . . . As the reported results became increasingly dismal, his faith waned, and after two months of practically perfect health, he relapsed to his original state.

“. . . I decided to play the quack . . . I told him not to believe what he read in the papers . . . ‘A new super-refined, double-strength product is due to arrive tomorrow which can more than reproduce the great benefits derived from the original injections,’ I said.

“Mr. Wright, ill as he was, became his optimistic self again . . . With much fanfare, and putting on quite an act . . . I administered the first injection of the doubly potent, fresh preparation, consisting of fresh water and nothing more . . . Recovery from his second near-terminal state was even more dramatic than the first. Tumor masses melted, chest fluid vanished . . . and he was the picture of health . . . he then remained symptom-free for over two months.

“However, the final official announcement then appeared in the press, ‘Nationwide tests show Krebiozen to be a worthless drug in treatment of cancer’. Within a few days of this report, Mr. Wright was readmitted to the hospital. He succumbed in less than two days.”