THE RADIUM QUESTION

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 156, 29 March 1926, Page 8

THE RADIUM QUESTION

PURCHASE OF SALTS HEALTH MINISTER’S VIEWS The Minister of Health (Hon. J. A. Young) visited Wanganui on Friday, and discussed with the Wanganui Hospital Board the question of the disposal of the funds—£7ooo—raised by the recent appeal to provide equipment and radium for the treatment of cancer. After a full discussion the Minister congratulated the board and the public on raising such a large sum for the purpose. He said he had approved the payment of a subsidy on this amount, so that £14,000 would be available. He would offer no hindrance to any effort the board made to appoint a qualified radiologist and to house its equipment properly. The purchase of radium salts was a different matter, said the Minister, am lie was not disposed to approve jf money being spent in that direction. In tlie first place radium was a very costlv product, and experts had assured him that it would cost anything from £15,000 to £20,000 for an adequate supply for one hospital. At the present time there was in New Zealand more radium than was required for all purposes, and it was not necessary to send out radium for the treatment of certain forms of cancer. The virtue in the radium consisted in the emanations it cast off. Those emanations could be stored in tubes and could be sent to different parts of the Dominion.- Wanganui could no doubt arrange with one of the metropolitan hospitals for all it required in' that collection. The emanations referred to were good for a limited period, and in any case required to be handled bv highly’ trained experts only. The emanations could be obtained by arrangement with the sources now controlling the radium supply. Replying to a suggestion as to the amount to be spentj iii the purchase of radium, the Minister stated that those wlio had subscribed would no doubt be satisfied if they knew the funds they had subscribed would be applied to the treatment of certain types of cancerous' affections.