Cancer has afflicted man throughout recorded history. It is no surprise that from the dawn of history doctors have written about cancer. Our oldest description of cancer (although the term cancer was not used) was discovered in Egypt that dates back to approximately 1600 B.C. The Edwin Smith Papyrus, or writing, describes eight cases of tumors or ulcers of the breast that were treated by cauterization, with a tool called “the fire drill.” The writing says about the disease, “There is no treatment.”
During the Renaissance, beginning in the 15th century, scientists developed greater understanding of the human body. Scientists like Galileo and Newton began to use the scientific method, which later was used to study disease. Autopsies, done by Harvey (1628), led to an understanding of the circulation of blood through the heart and body that had until then been a mystery. His ideas dominated medical practice during the middle Ages, and it was only with the advent of the Renaissance that they began to be disputed by a number of physicians. Ramazzini was among these. In his book entitled De Morbis Artificum (1713) (translated into English by Wright, 1964), he suggested that the high occurrence of breast cancer among nuns was due to their celibate life, an observation that has withstood the test of time. Percival Pott (1775) described the scrotal cancer for the first time and attributes an occupational cause to this disease. In 1761, Giovanni Morgagni of Padua was the first to laid the foundation for scientific oncology, the study of cancer. The famous Scottish surgeon John Hunter (1728−1793) suggested that some cancers might be cured by surgery and described how the surgeon might decide which cancers to operate on. If the tumor had not invaded nearby tissue and was “moveable,” he said, “There is no impropriety in removing it.”
The 19th century saw the birth of scientific oncology with use of the modern microscope in studying diseased tissues. Rudolf Virchow, often called the founder of cellular pathology, provided the scientific basis for the modern pathologic study of cancer. This method not only allowed a better understanding of the damage cancer had done, but also aided the development of cancer surgery. Horton-Taylor (2001) wrote about the study undertaken by Doll and Hill in the 1950s, looking at the incidence of lung cancer among British doctors. This study established a link between smoking and the development of small cell (oat cell) carcinoma of the lung. Further work undertaken by Doll and Hill identified that risk of dying from lung cancer is 32 times higher in heavy smokers than in non-smokers (Horton-Taylor, 2001). At the beginning of the twenty-first century, we have come a long way since Pot’s chance observation of cancer of the scrotum in chimney sweep boys. Studies are now scientifically designed and undertaken specifically to identify causal links between exposure to certain substances and the development of cancer.
Ayurveda, a traditional Indian medicine of plant drugs has been successful from very early times in using these natural drugs and preventing or suppressing various tumours using various lines of treatment. Charaka and Sushruta samhitas, two well-known Ayurvedic classics, describe cancer as inflammatory or non-inflammatory swelling and mention them as either Granthi (minor neoplasm) or Arbuda (major neoplasm). In benign neoplasm (Vataja, Pittaja or Kaphaja ) one or two of the three bodily systems are out of control and is not too harmful because the body is still trying to coordinate among these systems. Malignant tumours (Tridosaja) are very harmful because all the three major bodily systems lose mutual coordination and thus cannot prevent tissue damage, resulting in a deadly morbid condition. During the 7th century BC, Atreya and Dhanwantari used herbal medicines for treating the early stages of cancer and surgery in advanced cases. In the 8th century AD, Vagbhata, a Buddhist physician composed two texts: Astanga Hrdaya and Astanga sangraha where new methods for cancer treatment were introduced. There are other Ayurvedic texts of internal medicine, which explain numerous remedies to treat internal and external neoplasms.
The role and efficacy of homeopathic medicines for treatment of malignant tumors is largely unknown and unproven so far. Homeopathic therapy is mainly used for supportive cancer care and some have suggested an integration of this therapy with conventional methods (Kassab, et al., 2009). However, in numerous studies, it has been found that orthodox medicine is not meeting the needs of some patients and that Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) may wholly or partly substitute for conventional medicines. Most patients indicate that their problems improve with CAM (Ernst, 2005; Frenkel, 2010). Cancer is a subject of great concern because there is a lack of effective treatment even in the 21st century. Along with a search for conventional solutions, researchers are actively trying to identify treatment options offered by various systems of complementary and alternative medicine, including homeopathy. We believe that the Banerji Protocols have an important role to play in this effort. A comprehensive worldwide survey of studies of the use of complementary and alternative medicine by cancer patients concluded that its use is common and widespread. Within this broad arena of therapies, homeopathy is consistently listed as one of the systems chosen by patients with cancer (Ernst, 2000). A large descriptive survey of cancer patients in Europe found that on average 35.9% were using some form of complementary or alternative therapy. Homeopathy was the most commonly used of these therapies in Belgium and was in the top five choices in six other countries. In other European countries, it was second only A Compendium of Essays on Alternative Therapy to herbal medicines. In France, a recent study in an oncology department revealed that 34% of the patients were using complementary medicine and homeopathy was the most frequently used of these (Träger-Maury, 2007). Homeopathy is one of the eight most popular complementary therapies used by cancer patients in the UK (Chang, 2011).
