ABSTRACT

A major social movement had developed around the use of Laetrile and it has even become an element of popular culture. At the core of the Laetrile movement are a few small organizations devoted to the promotion of Laetrile. The group has grown to include about 8,000 members and promotes many alternative treatments for cancer along with Laetrile in its publication the Cancer News Journal. The Cancer Control Society, founded by Betty Lee Morales, promotes Laetrile with nutritional and "nontoxic" approaches to cancer therapy. It publishes the Cancer Control Journal and sponsors conventions and symposia. The National Health Federation, an older organization concerned with health food, nutrition, and health, has also been active in the promotion of Laetrile. The opposition to Laetrile has come from a prestigious coalition composed of federal agencies, the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, state agencies and medical societies, and medical researchers. The Laetrile controversy is in fact composed of several interrelated disputes.