Catching Breast Cancer

CATCHING BREAST CANCER

“How is it possible to catch breast cancer?”

“How could breast cancer be an infectious disease?”

For over 20 years James Lawson and his local and international colleagues have searched for the causes of breast cancer. By 2021 they had found the answers.

From Australia, Italy, Austria and the US, a handful of medical scientists dared to think outside the accepted narrative. These outward-thinking individuals and small dedicated teams overcame the intense rivalry and competitiveness that so often stymies scientific progress. Over two decades, their collaborative work discovered that you can catch breast cancer and that it can be indeed an infectious disease. These groundbreaking findings have laid the groundwork for the most important step of all – preventing breast cancer.

Lawson's work takes you behind these discoveries to the personal stories of those that have made such immense contributions to science and human health. The dry world of scientific papers and journals comes to life as one delves into the stories of those bright and brave minds that have driven this progress. Some humorous, others sad or poignant, all are fascinating.

From Professor Generoso Bevilacqua of Pisa: “I have just completed reading your book. It was a fantastic experience! One can find everything in it. Science, history, personal memories and many humorous anecdotes.”

Catching Breast Cancer is an important and compelling detective story for our current generation.

James Lawson was born in 1934 in Castlemaine, an old gold mining town in the State of Victoria, Australia. He graduated in medicine at the University of Melbourne and went on to have a career as a director of hospital and medical services in several Australian states. He has been professor of public health at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia since 1987. He is the author of ten books and over 200 scientific publications. He was awarded the Citation of the International Red Cross and the United Nations for meritorious service in caring for the sick of the Congo, Africa, during the troubled period 1960–1961. For many years, he has been a consultant to the World Health Organisation. He became a member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2003 in recognition of his contributions to public health. He married Margaret Ralton in 1964 and together they have two sons and six daughters and 25 grandchildren.