CANCER PROBLEM.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19715, 4 September 1929, Page 11

CANCER PROBLEM.

[ DISCUSSED AT MEDICAL

CONFERENCE.

COMBINED CAMPAIGN URGED. i (ririTHs pius association—»i ix«ct»ic j TSLBGBAFH— COrTP.JGHT.j J (Received September 3rd, 5.5 p.m.) i SYDNEY, September 2. j Over 400 attended the opening segI sion of the Australian Medical Conj gress at Sydney University. The (president, Dr. Abbott, in Lis inaugural 1 address, said that although thus far it i had been to gt". immediate rej suits in tho tight against cancer, the <..'oqgress would act as a stimulus to ! those attacking the problem. | Jfrofeasor Francis Sandes, discussing ! this subject, said the appalling destructiveness of cancer, as disclosed in cases presenting themselves at the clinics, was a pathetic commentary on the limited power of the medical pro- ; i'ession at present to deal with cancer. which was the great problem of the white race. Professor Sandes reviewed Australian research efforts, and urged concentration on further investigation with the fullest, frequent consultation among research workers. A cancer campaign, lika a war, must be carried on by combined effort. Professor Sandes declared that money was easy to obtain, but to secure research workers for cancer was much more difficult. Many brilliant students would become research workers but for thß fact that thtj had to face an ascetic life deprived of many of the comforts enjoyed by the ordinary artisan. Treatment by Kadium. Professor Peter MacCallum (Victoria) roviewed the various forms of research at Melbourne University, which included an investigation into the gastric changes produced in cancer patients' tissue extracts, and growths in women. Dr. Vyers (Brisbane) dealt with experiments in Queensland. He said treatment by lead had fallen into disuse, but treatment by radium was making progress. One great difficulty was to get people in the country eentres to get early treatment for what they regarded as trivial sores. Dr. A. Lendon (South Australia) emphasiaed the need for propaganda. Dr. Burrows detailed the efforts of the Commonwealth Government in the direction of research, which mainly consisted of the establishment of radium clinics in the various States. Sir Louis Barnett (New Zealand) declared that research in New Zealand had been somewhat starved, the Government having no money available, but he was convinced that much could be done, possibly without actually discovering the cause of cancer. The four large cities in the Dominion had raised funds for radium treatment.—Australian Press Association.