[Lee Jong-gil's Autumn Return] The Cancer Battle of the Home Run King That Only He Didn't Know About

Professor Lee Jaedam of Seoul Asan Medical Center 'Frightening Medical History'
Exploring Academic Achievements Gained Through Numerous Sacrifices in Infectious and Rare Diseases Once Untouchable...

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. As you know, my voice is not good. It doesn't feel very good." Major League Baseball's star hitter Babe Ruth (1895?1948) gave his farewell speech at Yankee Stadium on April 27, 1947. His voice had been hoarse for about seven months. He also had pain behind his left eyeball. His primary doctor diagnosed sinusitis and extracted several decayed teeth. However, his symptoms did not improve at all.

Unable to endure the pain, Ruth visited the French Hospital in Manhattan, New York. The doctors confirmed paralysis in the left palate and vocal cords, and weakness in the left shoulder. They immediately performed X-ray imaging and discovered a tumor at the base of the skull. Subsequent radiation therapy was ineffective. A month later, another tumor developed on the left side of his neck, worsening his condition.

The doctors attempted to remove the tumor surgically. However, they gave up without even making an incision because the tumor was wrapped around and attached to the carotid artery. Ruth, who had to rely on radiation therapy, lost 40 kg in three months. Due to the persistent pain, he could not sleep properly even for a single day.

Professor Lee Jae-dam of Seoul Asan Medical Center wrote a trilogy titled Scary Medical History, Great Medical History, and Strange Medical History, which examines medical history through three key themes. The first, Scary Medical History, covers deadly infectious diseases that changed history, the doctors who responded to them, and chilling incidents and accidents. It clearly shows that modern medicine exists on countless sacrifices that must never be forgotten, and suggests the direction that tomorrow’s medicine should take.

Among the figures who demonstrated a spirit of sacrifice is Ruth, known only as a home run hitter. Dr. George Hitchings (1905?1998) of the New York Wellcome Research Institute discovered a microbial growth inhibitor called teropterin in 1942. Teropterin was effective in eliminating tumors transplanted into mice. It had an anticancer effect with a structure similar to folic acid.

A research team at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, led by Dr. Richard Lewison, judged that teropterin, which had been applied in animal experiments, might also help Ruth. They asked Ruth if he wanted to try it, warning that side effects could worsen his health. The weakened home run king bravely agreed. "If the medical community can obtain information that will help patients who suffer from the same disease as I do in the future, I do not particularly want to know the details."

After bidding farewell to New York Yankees fans, Ruth began receiving teropterin injections. His condition improved dramatically. The pain subsided, and the amount of painkillers used noticeably decreased. He gained more than 10 kg. A month later, the tumor in his neck completely disappeared. He was able to swallow solid food, and his voice improved. The St. Louis Society reported for the first time that year that cancer treatment might be possible with teropterin.

However, the drug’s effect was temporary. Ruth’s symptoms rapidly worsened, and he was admitted to New York Memorial Hospital in June 1948. He died on August 16 of that year at age 53 from lobar pneumonia in his right lung. Ruth’s family and doctors were reluctant to disclose that he had cancer. At the time, it was customary not to inform patients themselves that they had cancer. The media cooperated with this practice. It was considered one of the best-kept secrets in modern times.

Ruth himself did not know exactly what disease he had. When he first visited Memorial Hospital, he asked his primary doctor, "Doctor, Memorial Hospital is a cancer specialty hospital, isn’t it? Why did you bring me here?" The fact that Ruth suffered from squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx was first revealed by the daily New York Times the day after the autopsy.

Since then, it has been proven that combined chemotherapy is more effective than radiation therapy alone for treating nasopharyngeal cancer. Ruth left another record as the first patient in medical history to receive combined treatment with radiation and folate antagonist chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.