William B. Coley started using a bacterial infection to treat cancers in the late 19th century, one of the earliest uses of immunotherapy.

Research:
Ahuja, Sana and Sufian Zaheer. “The evolution of cancer immunotherapy: a comprehensive review of its history and current perspectives.” Korean Journal of Clinical Oncology 2024; 20(2): 51-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14216/kjco.24009
Atkins, Douglas. “Helen Coley Nauts: Advocate for Immunotherapy.” National Library of Medicine. 4/19/2016. https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2016/04/19/helen-coley-nauts-advocate-for-immunotherapy/
Cancer Research Institute. “The History of Cancer Immunotherapy.”
Coley, William B. “Therapeutic Value of the Mixed Toxins of the Streptococcus of Erysipelas and Bacillus Prodigiosus in the Treatment of Inoperable Malignant Tumors. With a Report of 160 Cases.” American Journal of the Medical Sciences. September 1896.
College of Physicians of Philadelphia. “Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy.” History of Vaccines. https://historyofvaccines.org/vaccines-101/future-immunization/cancer-vaccines-and-immunotherapy/
Colley, William B. “The Treatment of Inoperable Sarcoma by Bacterial Toxins (the Mixed Toxins of the Streptococcus erysipelas and the Bacillus prodigiosus).” Reprinted from the “ Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine,” November, 1909. London. John Bale, Sons & Danielsson, LTD. 1909. https://archive.org/details/b22425949/mode/1up
Decker WK, da Silva RF, Sanabria MH, Angelo LS, Guimarães F, Burt BM, Kheradmand F and Paust S (2017) Cancer Immunotherapy: Historical Perspective of a Clinical Revolution and Emerging Preclinical Animal Models. Front. Immunol. 8:829. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00829
Devaraja, K. et al. “Coley’s Toxin to First Approved Therapeutic Vaccine—A Brief Historical Account in the Progression of Immunobiology-Based Cancer Treatment.” Biomedicines 2024, 12, 2746. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12122746
Dobosz, Paula and Tomasz Dzieciatkowski.” The Intriguing History of Cancer Immunotherapy. Frontiers in Immunology. 12/17/2019. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02965
Hall, Stephen S. “A Commotion in the Blood: Life, Death, and the Immune System.” Henry Holt and Company. Excerpted at New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/hall-commotion.html 
Harutyunyan, Mariam. “How William Coley Became The Father of Cancer Immunotherapy.” OncoDaily Magazine. 7/31/2026. https://oncodaily.com/magazine/william-coley-549446
Hiroaki Ikeda, Cancer immunotherapy in progress—an overview of the past 130 years, International Immunology, Volume 37, Issue 5, May 2025, Pages 253–260, https://doi.org/10.1093/intimm/dxaf002
Journal of the American Medical Association. “Erysipelas Toxins in the Treatment of Malignant Tumors.” 10/27/1894.
Journal of the American Medical Association. “The Failure of the Erysipelas Toxins.” Vol 23 Iss 24. 12/15/1894.
Kokolus, Katie. “The History of Immunotherapy: Toxins, Targets & T Cells.” LabRoots. 10/18/2021. https://www.labroots.com/trending/cancer/21449/history-immunotherapy-toxins-targets-cells?srsltid=AfmBOooP1eoVP2LbWKR5m-HLu1PSBFhOyPH1jSJWWcxvyK6EA4-hBu47
Levine, David B. “The Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled: William Bradley Coley, third Surgeon-in-Chief 1925-1933.” HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery vol. 4,1 (2008): 1-9. doi:10.1007/s11420-007-9063-2
McCarthy, Edward F. “The Toxins of William B. Coley and the Treatment of Bone and Soft-tissue Sarcomas.” The Iowa Orthopaedic Journal. Vol. 26.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “MSK Immunotherapy — Timeline of Progress.” https://www.mskcc.org/timeline/immunotherapy-msk
National Library of Medicine. “Harnessing the Power of You: The History of Immunotherapy.” https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/the-history-of-immunotherapy/index.html
Nauts, Helen Coley. “Coley’s Toxins – The First Century.” Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. June 2004.
Nawrat, Allie. “Charting the history of immunotherapy, cancer treatment’s fourth pillar.” Pharmaceutical Technology. 7/28/2020. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/charting-the-history-of-immunotherapy-cancer-treatments-fourth-pillar/?cf-view&cf-closed
Oiseth SJ, Aziz MS. “Cancer immunotherapy: a brief review of the history, possibilities, and challenges ahead.” J Cancer Metastasis Treat. 2017;3:250-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2017.41
Tontonoz, Matthew. “What Ever Happened to Coley’s Toxins?.” Cancer Research Institute. 4/2/2015. https://www.cancerresearch.org/blog/what-ever-happened-to-coleys-toxins

William B. Coley started using a bacterial infection to treat cancers in the late 19th century, one of the earliest uses of immunotherapy.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Ahuja, Sana and Sufian Zaheer. &ldquo;The evolution of cancer immunotherapy: a comprehensive review of its history and current perspectives.&rdquo; Korean Journal of Clinical Oncology 2024; 20(2): 51-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14216/kjco.24009</li>
<li>Atkins, Douglas. &ldquo;Helen Coley Nauts: Advocate for Immunotherapy.&rdquo; National Library of Medicine. 4/19/2016. https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2016/04/19/helen-coley-nauts-advocate-for-immunotherapy/</li>
<li>Cancer Research Institute. &ldquo;The History of Cancer Immunotherapy.&rdquo;</li>
<li>Coley, William B. &ldquo;Therapeutic Value of the Mixed Toxins of the Streptococcus of Erysipelas and Bacillus Prodigiosus in the Treatment of Inoperable Malignant Tumors. With a Report of 160 Cases.&rdquo; American Journal of the Medical Sciences. September 1896.</li>
<li>College of Physicians of Philadelphia. &ldquo;Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy.&rdquo; History of Vaccines. https://historyofvaccines.org/vaccines-101/future-immunization/cancer-vaccines-and-immunotherapy/</li>
<li>Colley, William B. &ldquo;The Treatment of Inoperable Sarcoma by Bacterial Toxins (the Mixed Toxins of the Streptococcus erysipelas and the Bacillus prodigiosus).&rdquo; Reprinted from the &ldquo; Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine,&rdquo; November, 1909. London. John Bale, Sons &amp; Danielsson, LTD. 1909. https://archive.org/details/b22425949/mode/1up</li>
<li>Decker WK, da Silva RF, Sanabria MH, Angelo LS, Guimar&atilde;es F, Burt BM, Kheradmand F and Paust S (2017) Cancer Immunotherapy: Historical Perspective of a Clinical Revolution and Emerging Preclinical Animal Models. Front. Immunol. 8:829. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00829</li>
<li>Devaraja, K. et al. &ldquo;Coley&rsquo;s Toxin to First Approved Therapeutic Vaccine&mdash;A Brief Historical Account in the Progression of Immunobiology-Based Cancer Treatment.&rdquo; Biomedicines 2024, 12, 2746. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12122746</li>
<li>Dobosz, Paula and Tomasz Dzieciatkowski.&rdquo; The Intriguing History of Cancer Immunotherapy. Frontiers in Immunology. 12/17/2019. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02965</li>
<li>Hall, Stephen S. &ldquo;A Commotion in the Blood: Life, Death, and the Immune System.&rdquo; Henry Holt and Company. Excerpted at New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/hall-commotion.html&nbsp;</li>
<li>Harutyunyan, Mariam. &ldquo;How William Coley Became The Father of Cancer Immunotherapy.&rdquo; OncoDaily Magazine. 7/31/2026. https://oncodaily.com/magazine/william-coley-549446</li>
<li>Hiroaki Ikeda, Cancer immunotherapy in progress&mdash;an overview of the past 130 years, International Immunology, Volume 37, Issue 5, May 2025, Pages 253&ndash;260, https://doi.org/10.1093/intimm/dxaf002</li>
<li>Journal of the American Medical Association. &ldquo;Erysipelas Toxins in the Treatment of Malignant Tumors.&rdquo; 10/27/1894.</li>
<li>Journal of the American Medical Association. &ldquo;The Failure of the Erysipelas Toxins.&rdquo; Vol 23 Iss 24. 12/15/1894.</li>
<li>Kokolus, Katie. &ldquo;The History of Immunotherapy: Toxins, Targets &amp; T Cells.&rdquo; LabRoots. 10/18/2021. https://www.labroots.com/trending/cancer/21449/history-immunotherapy-toxins-targets-cells?srsltid=AfmBOooP1eoVP2LbWKR5m-HLu1PSBFhOyPH1jSJWWcxvyK6EA4-hBu47</li>
<li>Levine, David B. &ldquo;The Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled: William Bradley Coley, third Surgeon-in-Chief 1925-1933.&rdquo; HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery vol. 4,1 (2008): 1-9. doi:10.1007/s11420-007-9063-2</li>
<li>McCarthy, Edward F. &ldquo;The Toxins of William B. Coley and the Treatment of Bone and Soft-tissue Sarcomas.&rdquo; The Iowa Orthopaedic Journal. Vol. 26.</li>
<li>Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. &ldquo;MSK Immunotherapy &mdash; Timeline of Progress.&rdquo; https://www.mskcc.org/timeline/immunotherapy-msk</li>
<li>National Library of Medicine. &ldquo;Harnessing the Power of You: The History of Immunotherapy.&rdquo; https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/the-history-of-immunotherapy/index.html</li>
<li>Nauts, Helen Coley. &ldquo;Coley&rsquo;s Toxins &ndash; The First Century.&rdquo; Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. June 2004.</li>
<li>Nawrat, Allie. &ldquo;Charting the history of immunotherapy, cancer treatment&rsquo;s fourth pillar.&rdquo; Pharmaceutical Technology. 7/28/2020. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/charting-the-history-of-immunotherapy-cancer-treatments-fourth-pillar/?cf-view&amp;cf-closed</li>
<li>Oiseth SJ, Aziz MS. &ldquo;Cancer immunotherapy: a brief review of the history, possibilities, and challenges ahead.&rdquo; J Cancer Metastasis Treat. 2017;3:250-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2017.41</li>
<li>Tontonoz, Matthew. &ldquo;What Ever Happened to Coley&rsquo;s Toxins?.&rdquo; Cancer Research Institute. 4/2/2015. https://www.cancerresearch.org/blog/what-ever-happened-to-coleys-toxins</li>
</ul>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

William B. Coley started using a bacterial infection to treat cancers in the late 19th century, one of the earliest uses of immunotherapy.

Coley's Toxins and the Origins of Immunotherapy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9d1516b8-8728-4243-8c15-b4c60112fc64/transcript