In his book The Truth about Cancer (Prentice-Hall, 1956) Dr. Charles Cameron identified three types of cancer quacks: the dumb quack, "who knowing nothing at all about cancer, yet believes that it will yield to the secret formula which he alone possesses"; the deluded quack, who may be educated and is sometimes even a doctor, "but his knowledge of cancer is scanty, and his understanding of research methods is strictly limited"; and the dishonest quack, "far and away the commonest type. . . . He is in the business of treating cancer for one reason only — to make a killing, which he often does, both ways."

Among the quack cures are pastes or poultices to "draw the cancer out," secret potions that destroy the cancer, and eccentric diets to starve the cancer. One quack recommended a poultice of red cabbage to entice the cancer to the surface...