A lot in my knowledge and background is lacking to write this chapter, so it will be mainly conjecture and theory. I feel there is a fundamental process remaining in all the cells of the higher organism left over from our primitive beginnings or evolution of the single cells to the differentiated cells that is important and the key to my theory on cancer.

In the beginning when the great event took place - that is when a lightening bolt of pressure from some force bound the life support ingredients of life - the purine, pyrimidine bases and the sugar and phosphates to form the first simple single cell. On earth this chance event may have taken place in many places, creating different types of single cell organisms or the same type. I choose the theory that it only happened once.

The first simple cell had only one or more limited function(s) with the addition of a gene to control when or at what rate to divide, the duplicator factor.

Diagrammatically, its simple growth pattern was as follows:

Where F1 represents the one or more basic functions or metabolic processes, and D represents the controlling gene for duplication.

As F1D proliferated in the seas, further mutation took place as in Diagram II.

One of two things happened:

1. F1D and G1D were immediately somewhat attracted. 2. F1D mutated to F2D and then was somewhat attracted to G1D

From F1D to G1D (or F1D to F2D) were very subtle changes. Hence colonization.
 

F1D and G1D did not always stay together, nor divide together. That took further mutations (or evolution).

It took the second great event where F1D, G1D or F2D received a new mutation (Z) that created fusion or sexual reproduction where the invaded cell now contained the characteristics of F1D and G1D (or a combination of the others). This was the birth of differentiation; the beginnings of man; the seed of cancer.

And so the evolutionary process continued until I, a product of it, hold this pencil for one thing; it also took a multitude of diverse forms, viable and inviable.

The creation of the Z or differentiation gene may have come about by encapsulation of the DNA of one cell type by another. I don't know. One thing is clear to me, at sometime a cell was created that divided in the following manner:

The underlined or bold capitol letter gene (or complex) is the functional (or controlling) gene. Where:

(1) The Z or differentiator gene, controlled the initial cell division.

(2) Division two left the cells under control of the D gene with its own timing mechanism to cause division three and the expression of the two different cellular functions.

So was the chain of events that has led to man and the other species past, present and future (?).

It would be interesting to prove this historical event in the lab, but I am only interested in the present and rather uncertain future!

Contact: darby@hctc.com Copyright © 1977-2000 Robert D. Darby. All rights reserved. right © 1977-2000 Robert D. Darby. All rights reserved.