Animal Writings

A physician and pet owner heard that a small tumor on his Dalmatian's leg was a histiocytoma. His knowledge of human medicine led him to the worst possible conclusion. He immediately burst into tears. In humans, histiocytoma is highly malignant and carries a grave prognosis. What he did not know is that, in dogs, this is not the case. Dogs recover without treatment. Though the condition has the same name in both species, its properties are different. Humans can die from histiocytoma. Canines do not.

...[C]ancers are specific to the species. Their molecular, immunological, and genetic differences always subvert comparisons. Each creature has different physiologic and pharmacological responses. As Nobel laureate Renato Dulbecco said, "If we wish to understand human cancer, the [research] effort should be made in humans because the genetic control seems to be different in different species..."