G. Cooke Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids G. Cooke Adams
Born	1865 Sydney
Died	23 June 1934
Occupation	Physician

George Cooke Adams (born 1865, died 1934) was an Australian doctor. He was also a scientist who studied cancer. He believed he found a special treatment for cancer called Mulyptol.

About George Cooke Adams

Adams was born in Sydney, Australia. When he was fifteen, he started working for the city of Sydney. He was a city engineer for five years. This meant he helped plan and build things in the city.

He then decided to study medicine. He went to the New South Wales College of Pharmacy. He also earned his medical degree (MD) from Queen's University at Kingston in Canada. Later, he qualified as a doctor from Edinburgh University in Scotland.

Adams became a special surgeon for the Australian Navy. He also worked as a family doctor for Sir Edmund Barton. Sir Edmund Barton was the very first Prime Minister of Australia! Sir Edmund even invited Adams to watch a special meeting. This meeting was when the law to create the country of Australia was being finalized.

Later, Adams moved to the United States. There, he continued his important work studying cancer. His son, Archibald Emmett Adams, became a composer, which means he wrote music.

Adams' Cancer Research

Adams noticed something interesting about cancer rates in Australia. He reported that people born in Britain who lived in Australia had almost twice the cancer death rate. This was compared to people born in Australia. He also said that cancer was almost unknown among Aboriginal people.

He thought that cancer was not caused by tiny germs or parasites. Instead, he believed it was a "constitutional disease." This meant he thought it came from something inside the body, like a "malignant virus" in the blood. He called a certain chemical in the body "malignic acid." He believed this acid appeared under certain conditions. These conditions included climate, diet, and how clean people lived.

Adams believed cancer could be prevented. He thought that eating too much alcohol, meat, and sugar could be factors. He also thought that certain non-native trees could cause problems. He believed their fallen leaves could make water and drainage dirty.

Adams stated that native plants, like conifers, laurels, and plants from the myrtle family, could help. He thought they made places cleaner. He also believed they made people living near them almost immune to cancer. He strongly felt that Australian eucalyptus trees were the most helpful. He thought they could prevent and even treat cancer.

He created and patented a product called "Mulyptol." This was a special eucalyptus oil. He mixed it with olive oil to make a dressing and an emulsion. In 1905, Adams used Mulyptol to treat 55 cases of breast and uterus cancer.

In 1907, Adams spent two years studying cancer in Chicago. He did this for the Chicago Board of Health. He concluded that eating too much meat, especially from sick animals, could cause cancer. He reported that people born outside the U.S. in Chicago had higher cancer rates. This included people from Germany, Ireland, and Slavic countries. However, people born in Chicago, Italians, and Chinese people had the lowest rates.

See also

• James Sawyer
• Ernest H. Tipper