ROBERT W. MILLER, M.D.; JOSEPH F. FRAUMENI JR., M.D., F.A.C.P.
This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access.
Recently, a report (1) of leukemia among successive occupants of three houses in Kansas, Missouri, and Georgia has been widely publicized in the popular press. It is natural for the nonmedical reader, unaware of substantial research to the contrary, to conclude that leukemia is contagious. In consequence, leukemic persons and places may be feared and shunned, thus contributing unjustifiably to the distress of the patient and his family.
The term "cancer houses" was apparently originated by Dr. Law Webb in 1892 (2). While in theory it is possible to determine whether the frequency of houses with multiple cases of cancer
MILLER RW, FRAUMENI JF. "Leukemia Houses". Ann Intern Med. 1967;67:674–676. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-67-3-674
Download citation file:
© 2020
Published: Ann Intern Med. 1967;67(3_Part_1):674-676.
DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-67-3-674
Hematology/Oncology, Leukemia/Lymphoma.
Results provided by: