Dr. John Beard's Theory of Carcinogenesis

By Linda L. Isaacs, M.D.

In 1911, the British embryologist Dr. John Beard published the book The Enzyme Treatment of Cancer and its Scientific Basis. In it, he described his observations about a particular part of the embryo, the trophoblast, and cancer cells.

As the embryo enters the uterus, trophoblast cells latch on and invade, to create an anchor for the embryo. The trophoblast then creates blood vessels to allow the growing embryo to get nourishment from the mother›s body. Cancer also invades and creates a blood supply.

Because of these similarities, Beard speculated that cancer cells are derived from cells that are similar to trophoblast cells. He believed that these trophoblast-like cells are scattered throughout the body to replace defective or damaged cells, but that in certain environments they become cancerous.

Trophoblast cells look and act like cancer, but there is one big difference. Cancer keeps going. The trophoblast stops. At a certain point in development, it stops invading, matures and becomes the placenta. Then, at delivery, the placenta neatly peels off, leaving the uterus intact for another pregnancy.

Beard worked to identify the signal that made the trophoblast change its character, because that signal might also control the behavior of cancer. He looked at many different processes in the bodies of both the mother and the fetus. He found that the transformation in trophoblast cells occurred around the time that the baby started making pancreatic enzymes.

Pancreatic enzymes are essential for the digestion of food. Most doctors believe that is all they do. But babies start making pancreatic enzymes months before their first meal, months before delivery. Beard theorized that pancreatic enzymes are made so early in development because they control the behavior of the trophoblast. In his 1911 book, he proposed that they could be effective against cancer.

Why do I believe this particular model of cancer development? Not because I was persuaded by Dr. Beard›s book. I›m cautious about theoretical explanations because several I was taught in medical school turned out to be totally wrong.

I believe that Beard›s theories deserve consideration because I learned of amazing case reports in the practice of Dr. William Donald Kelley, who treated cancer patients with pancreatic enzymes. Since then, I›ve seen similar cases in my own patients and in those of my colleague and friend, the late Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez.

How does Beard›s model fit with the previously discussed theories of cancer development? It would be compatible with those that speculate cancer arises when cells become more primitive or embryonic in character. Beard would say that those cells are similar to trophoblast cells, and that pancreatic enzymes are the body›s own way of controlling such cells. Cancer develops when more cancer cells form than available enzymes can control, or when the supply of enzymes drops. Diet, then, plays a role, because some diets require more pancreatic enzymes for digestion than others.

For a review of modern support for Beard›s theories, see my article published in the peer-reviewed journal Integrative Cancer Therapies.

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