TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10764, 18 September 1900, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

So many alleged canoer Hope for "cures" have been published Cancer that it is with some misgivPatients. ings we take notice of one of

the latest. We should not do so at all were it not made public by a medical man, Dr. Bakewell, of Auckland. In a recent issue of the Auckland "Star" Dr. Bakewell summarises an article.. from . jthe New York "Medical Record," bearing the portentous title. "Preliminary Report on the Presence and Nature of Parasitic Auuebas in the Epithelial Carrinomata," by Gustav Eisen, Ph.D. 'The article, according to Dr. Bakewell, records a discovery of "immense importance to the world," lifting cancer "out of the category of incurable diseases into those which will be easily cured by outward application. n The amoeba, which is stated to be peculiar to epithelial cancer—such as cancer on the lip—is an animal of the very ■lowest-type,.' "a mere mass of adbumenoid jelly, so easily killed that a fall of a few da'grees of temperature i 8 enough to deprive it of vitality." Its tenderness in this respect is such that it dies if not kept at a temperature closely approaching that of the human body, and it is therefore said to be impossible to' examine it microscopically unless in some staining fluid heated to 98deg., into which a portion of the cancer must bo plunged as soon as it is cut off. If the substance in which it lives once gets cold the parasite changes so much that it cannot, ba <Hs.tmgu'3hed from the surround* ing tissues. Dr. . T iisen is said to be the first to show how this parasite eats its way into the flesh of the victim of epithelial cancer. "Coupled with this discovery," remarks Dr. Bakewellj "which in itself throws into the shade all previous discoveries about cancer, wo find confirmed the curability of. epithelial cancers (by far the most numerous class) by the' application of dilute solutions of arsenic." The use of this drug in the treatment of cancer dates back at least to the days of HippocrateSj bub apparently only as a caustic, and as such it® use has been relinquished by doctors for a long time. Nowadays it is used in a lotion containing only about one part of arsenic in from 80 to 150 parts of spirit and water. "Ths effect of this dilute solution applied to the j&urfaoa of a cancer is gradually to dissolve it away. It is so weak* that it does hot act on healthy tissues, but only on the cancerous structure. Hence, if the skin is unbroken over a cancerous tumour'means must be adopted of removing a portion of the skin, so as to enable the lotion to be applied direct to the cancerous tissue," An Austrian doctor has practised this treatment with, it is stated, good results.' Dr. Bakewell is inclined to prefer a,hypodermic injection to the lotion. Finally he adds that there is, at present, no known method of curing cancers of internal organs. '-'.'•.

"The cleverest child in The Cleverest world" of course hails Child from America. She is the in the World, child by adoption of one

Professor Olerich, a gentleman with novel views upon the up-bring-ing and educatioiuof children. The parents could not see in the sickly-looking baby, "with a crooked' mouth," the future Admirable Cfichton of the nursery, and they parted with her to ths Professor, the foundation of whose' educational system re«tfd on allowing her to 'eat as much of everything as she wished. That she survived this treatment goes wme w&y to justifying her claim to notoriety, The. Professor followed this up by letting Viola Rosalia Olerich choose her own lessons and her own hours fop study, though, as a matter of fact. we are told thatslie never studied, all her knowledge being acquired by play. Her recreations must have, differed from those of ordinary children of her age. She began to read at the age of thirteen months, and had mastered short sentences at seventeen months, while three months later she had already gained a knowledge of the rudiments of mathematics and science. "When

twenty-one months old »h« could draw mo# geometrical figures on the black board,- and name them, and kuew tbe flags of most of the nations of the world. About the same peribd sb*e had mastered the names of all the : countries, and their capitals,.in the world,' and knew more about maps than tbe average staff-officer." Before she wag two years old she could reel off the names of most of the bones in the human skeleton, she was dipping deep into the formidable nomenclature of botany, and she had a vocabulary of 3000 nouns. Now at the age of three, shs is a small encyclopaedia. She reads English, French and German, the technical terms of botany, astronomy, and geology are easier to her than tho A.B.C to-many three-year-olds, she is an excellent typewriter, and has doubtless many other precocious accomplishments, while, to quote her admiring foster-parent, "her attention, her memory, her observation, her power of dbkriminatioD, lier - reasoning, and 'her ability as a critic, are as marvellous as her other-attainments.". She. is now taken round the country, and exhibited to gaping audiences, who ait in growing wonder that one small head can carry all she knows. If one. could-beSatisfied $at the fathers and mothers who listen to Viola Rosalia's performances regarded her in the light of an example to be avoided all would ba well, but we fear that too many will argue that what one child can do is not impossible for another, and that the lives of many very ordinary Tommies and Pollie* will be made burdens to them. Professor Olerich proudly declares that "with a proper system of own, we presume—"children before they arrive at the age of eight will have a larger store of useful knowledge than is now possessed by the average undergraduate." To which we would add, "Heaven forbid!*' What would the world be like if tbe tenants of its nurseries were all such dreadful prodigies of learning. But we have no fear of such a horrid state of things. Professor Olerich leaves one factor oat of his calculations. As our Australian contemporary reminds us, there has been no Mrs Olerich in the case. She would probably have been a very disturbing force.

Mr Raymond Blathwayt. The Sinfulness the well-known London <■■»" Smoking journalist, provoked a and Drinking, storm of discussion lately in a London daily paper by' some remarks he made in a letter on the "ridiculously, rigid view of life" taken by tbe Christian Endeavourer*), who had just been holding their great convention. He attacked them mainly on tho question of the sinfulness of amokiug and drinking, quoting the Rev. Mr Sheldon's diatribe against tobacco, and declaring that the "bigotry" of the Christian

Endettvourers in respect to drinking vronM drive a moderate drinker like iamseU to ti> bottle. Mr Blathwayt) beHenrea that _l early Christians smoked and drank wir* and he argues that it is therefore allowabV for modern Christians to do the same. of his anecdotes were interesting. He onT expressed surprise that an American divjr!. with whom he was staying should offer hia a cigar, and reminded his host of a sena.* he had once preached at bpurgeon's Tabs node, in which he had vigorously condemuJ tho practice of smoking, to which Mr [W geon, in an after speech, liad renbtd, *? shall now, despite what we have heary' », home and smoko a cigar to tiie honour '__\ glory of God." The American respond with a laugh and the remark, "Ah! 1 ___ m better now!" With, regard to driak ing, Mr Blathwayt quoted an dent that occurred at tbe C.E. &__' vention, when, on a roasting hot da t v young woman was suffering from heart fail. ure, and all his endeavours to procure brantfefor her were futile, because no ii quw allowed to be sold at the bars of tlw AW andra Palace during the convention Mr Blathwayt pointed out to one of theoQ cials that a person might die for e J brandy, and was met by the astonwto,, reply that "it would be perhaps bettwfo her to die than to drink spirits." Hfe& clared for moderation in all things. <___ w serted that in all his travels no sight bJ been more painful to him than "the and extraordinary gluttony cf teetotal jgJ. isters and their followers." His on this point were more coarse than «&. vincing. Tho storm which they and 1& whole letter raised was remarkable for a*, thing particular except the fact Uut it showed Mr Blathwayt liad been tilting & a windmill. He appears to have taken iifc, granted that the Society of Christian deavour forbids its members either to ssssfe or drink. It does neither. One of its fix principles is that "it is not its province te legislate for tho individual «»nsck_%* "There is absolutely no obligation to Christian Endeavoured as sudi to beaftW teetotallers or non-smokers," said otm e&. respondent, while another, a member o? the Society, went so far as to say tfo* if Mr Raymond Blathwayt, after liberating over the matter, concluded %hi he might drink and smoke, "and oSers ha. self as a candidate for Christian Endear membersiup, as far as my knowledge go®, there is no society in the world which weaH refuse him admission." We wonder if _\_ Blathwayt will accept this invitation.