A Cure for Surface Cancer
The following appeared in the Watch Tower, July 1, 1913:
A CURE FOR SURFACE CANCER
Cancer troubles are becoming more numerous. We know of no remedy for internal cancers except surgery. Even then a cure is doubtful. We have recently learned of a very effective and simple remedy for cancers which show themselves on the surface of the body. We are informed that a physician, after testing this remedy, paid $1,000 for the information, and that he has established a Cancer Hospital which is doing good work. The recipe has come to us free and we are willing to communicate the formula, but to those only who are troubled with surface cancers and who will write to us directly, stating particulars. No fee will be charged, but in order to protect the sufferers, we require a promise that they will not sell the formula to others, nor receive pay for the use of it, nor communicate the formula to anybody. Any one known to be a sufferer can be informed of the terms on which the prescription is obtainable through us.
This notice, as it originally appeared, can be found online at:
http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbv5/zwt0242.htm#R5268:page194
As innocent as this appears to be, leave it those who hate the truth to twist this simple offer so as to make it appear to have been something evil. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” — Isaiah 5:20.
Please note that Charles Taze Russell that Russell himself did not develop this cure; he only reported on what a doctor believed to be a cure for certain kinds of skin cancer, and offered to give that information to free without any charge at all to any who requested it. We are sure that he felt that would be the Christian thing to do. He asked no money for this information. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, but those who seek to find evil can make such appear to be evil when it wasn’t.
Indeed, there has been much ado made of Russell’s offer to send this free cure by those who have no regard for obeying Jesus’ commands. Many even outright falsely claim that he developed and sold this, often claiming it as a “fake” cure. Here are a few statements gleaned from websites on the internet:
“Later he marketed a fake cancer cure and what he termed a “millennial bean” (which has been said probably got that name because it took a thousand years to sprout).”
This insidious misrepresentation, with almost the exact same wording, has been repeated on many websites.) Regarding the “Millennial Bean”: Russell did refer to what someone else called a “Millennial Bean.” See our report on Miracle Wheat.
One writer claims of Russell:
He also sold a ‘cancer cure’, which was a paste of chloride of zinc.
Again notice the misrepresentation that he “sold” this cure. Where this information concerning what was in this formula is not given. We highly suspect that the cure that the doctor sent to Russell was indeed a combination of ingredients, possibly including Bloodroot and Zinc Chloride. Similar such cures/treatments may be found on the internet today.
http://www.cancersalves.com/introduction/zncl.html
http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2000048541
http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Cansema.html
One writer even suggests by way of question: “Can you imagine how many people died using this worthless unknown formula?” This is much milder than claiming that Russell was marketing fake cancer “cures” thus falsely insinuating that he became rich off the profits, etc.
However, without actually saying so, the wording of the question highly suggests that the formula caused people with cancer to die, or that in some way they would not have died if they had not used the formula, which is downright silly if you stop to think about it. If there was not a cure for cancer, and this formula didn’t help them, they would have died anyway, with or without the formula.
If the offer that Russell made as appeared in the Watch Tower had appeared in a family magazine of that time, or most any other religious journal of that time, probably no one today would think of making much of it. But there seems to be an all-out campaign against Russell by the religious haters who are willing to twist and distort in order to make things written and said to appear as bad as they possibly can. This is much the same tactic our atheist and agnostic neighbors do with the Bible, and certainly such tactics would be not be appropriate for anyone who claims to love Jesus.
As to exactly what was in the formula that was given to Russell by the doctor he mentioned, we cannot be sure, since we do not have a copy of that recipe. It certainly was not a “fake” formula, as some have thought, but this is what opponents of Russell, in their misguided zeal to condemn Russell, have simply imagined and assumed. Many similar formulas exist today, and some can be found on the internet.
