CANCER FIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 206, 1 September 1936, Page 17

CANCER FIGHT.

DISCOVERIES EXPECTED.

■EXPERIMENTS WITH RATS

Far-reaching discoveries in the fight against cancer are expected to be made as the result of elaborate experiments carried out in America with rats, according to Dr. A. A. Tennent, of Wellington, one of the New Zealand delegates to the Pail-Pacific Surgical Association's second congress held at Honolulu this month. Dr. Tennent arrived in Auckland by the Niagara yesterday. "The conference was a phenomenal success in every way," said Dr. Tennent. "Many original papers of great scientific and surgical value weie read for the first time. One of the most valuable and interesting was a paper on transmutation of cancerous growths in rats by transplanting and by selective breeding. This was read by Dr. Emge, of Stanford University, who is in charge of this important work on the causation of cancerous growths. About 0000 rats have been used »ii the work at Stanford, and parallel experiments are being carried out at four other centres. When the filial figures are available from all four, an analysis will be made, and I feel sure far-reaching discoveries will be the outcome."

A feature of the congress, said Dr. Tennent, was the community meetings held each evening to which the public were invited. These vvere well attended by prominent citizens and again (he importance of the cancer problem was stressed, especially in regard to early diagnosis.