“Tom, that taxol story comes real close to the heart. I have ovarian cancer,” said the calm voice on the phone. On a busy Tuesday morning, a co-worker told me the news of cancer’s unwelcomed visit.
Often in this business, you can be writing an article on a dry, distant topic, only to have the issue suddenly jump out of the “in” box to slap you in your face. I had just put the finishing touches on Bill Cannon’s look at the wonder drug—a possible cure for ovarian cancer found only in the bark of the Pacific yew tree—when my co-worker’s call came through.
The article that begins on page 20, “The Ugly Sapling,” looks at basic research going on at the UW to synthesize the wonder drug. Right now, if you want taxol, you have to strip the bark off a Pacific yew tree. Bill writes, “To meet the demand for ovarian cancer treatment alone, 36,000 60-year-old trees a year would have to be harvested.” No one knows for sure if—or where—there are that many 60-year-old trees.
Now add to the problem of scarcity another problem: the tug-of-war between cancer patients and environmentalists. Of course no one wants to drive the tree to extinction. But the two sides differ over how much of a harvest is necessary. One could coolly advocate a balanced approach, where bark is carefully harvested to ensure the proper maintenance of the yew population. But this is an issue of life or death. When I see the potential demise of a friend and co-worker, the balance is tipped in favor of the human life. Sign me up among those who favor increased harvests, and increased funding to scientists like the UW’s Heinz Floss, who are racing to find a way to synthesize the drug.
So while the other articles in this issue—excerpts from Don James’ autobiography, a look at tuition reform and a profile of Art Professor Richard Kehl—are worth reading, none has as much impact today as the tale of the ugly sapling that has turned out to be beautiful in the eyes of those whom it can save.