Our
latest "find of the week on the used book floor" was all about
solitude - until it became about saving the lives of millions of animals and
humans who have cancer. Tucked into a
1988 paperback copy of the classic self-help book, "Solitude," by
Anthony Storr, was a colorful map of the Colorado State University campus. It shows all of the buildings and roads on the
campus, along with a key that helps to find them.
This
could have been the map for a prospective college student to use during a visit
to the campus, right? At first, we
thought so, too, but our eyes were then drawn to the word "vet"
written in pencil with a question mark next to it. We wondered what that meant, so we did a
little research and discovered that while Colorado State University is known as
an institution that provides a college education, it also contains the Flint
Animal Cancer Center, a cutting edge facility that treats cancer in companion
animals. Pioneers in what is known as
Comparative Oncology, the CSU Flint Animal Cancer Center draws conclusions
between the findings discovered in treating cancer in companion animals and the
treatments that are similarly used in humans suffering with cancer, as
well. In other words, The Flint Animal
Cancer Center treats animals and translates their discoveries to solutions for
people.
How
prevalent is cancer in dogs in cats? We
were wondering, too. According to the
National Cancer Institute, out of the 65 million dogs and 32 million cats in
the United States, 6 million new cancer diagnoses are made for each - 12
million diagnoses - each year. Because
it has been discovered that dogs and humans contain many similar genes that are
present in cancer, Comparative Oncology has led to the creation and study of
the canine genome sequence for human cancer research. Researchers also hypothesize that in addition
to genetic connections, the fact that humans and their cats/dogs share similar
water, air and environments create a viable connection for research, as well.
Upon
looking over Colorado State University's website for the Flint Animal Cancer
Center, we quickly got swept up in their many stories of hope (complete with
adorable pictures) surrounding animals such as Gouda, the cat who is recovering
after treatment from nasal cancer, and Benson, the dog who is currently
cancer-free after battling lymphoma. We
could not help but wonder (a common occurrence for us when we discover finds in
our used books) if the person who left the map of CSU behind in the book was
seeking cancer treatments for their pet, also.
We’ll most likely never know, so, to ease our hearts, we'll assume that
their pet could very well be Gouda, Benson, or any of the other success stories
we read on their website.
The copy
of “Solitude” can be yours for the price of $4.99 (complete with the map that
got us started on this quest of learning to begin with). You can catch up with
our previous finds of the week from the used book floor at bayswaterbooks.com
and on facebook. Better yet, stop by our store in Center Harbor and check out
the used book floor for yourself!
