OF RURAL CONCERN

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 126, 24 November 1923, Page 13

OF RURAL CONCERN

RADIUM EMANATION

WHAT ITS USE IMPLIES

AMOUNT OF*ELEMENT NEEDED.

The Radium (Radiation) Appeal concerns country residents as much as, possibly more than, it, concerns city residents. , The city already has its radiologists, but the X-rays treatment provides no transmissible emanation. The advent of Radium mean's that the X-rays have an ally in the treatment of cancer and of other diseases, and that this ally (Radium) gives off an emanation which can be collected and sent to a distant place, where it can be applied in treatment of disease. Thus Radium, through its transmissible emanation, can to put to direct application hundreds of miles away from where the parent stock of Radium is kept. v

. It will thus be seen that ths interest, of the country dweller in. this newer branch of Radiation—in a Radium treatment that can be sent to any town—is vital. The Radium Department at Wellington Hospital will be able, to send out a little parcel of emanation by means of which the sufferer may be treated in his home town—New Ply- ' mouth or Taumaruniii, Napier, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Masterton, any Wairarapa or Manawatu town, Blenheim, Nelson, Motueka; in fact, to any place of which Wellington is the geographical and postal centre. TRANSPORT OF PATIENTS. That. is . one reason why the . country dweller has a special interest-in the creating of a Radium Department at Wellington Hospital, but it is only one reason. After making every use; of .the emanation side of the equipment, there may still' be reasons, in certain cases, why the country patient should go to the fountain head of a skilled treatment, instead of having the treatment brought to him. Very well ;■ let' us suppose that be so. In that case, if the sufferer must travel, it: is-far'bet-ter for him to travel to a Radium Department at the, Wellington Hospital than to the Duncdin Hospital. Hear what is^ stated on this point by the highest medical authority, the Wellington Division of the British Medical Association : , ■". "Sufferers from cancer from Auckland to.the Bluff are travelling under painful conditions to Dunedin for treatment. In our opinion, if treatment by. Radium were available in the four 'centres','- considerable expense and pain would be spared these unfortunate sufferers. In addition, their treatment, would be begun earlier, continued longer; and their cases more carefully observed if undertaken nearer their own homes. Thus the results should be even better. This committee confidently .anticipates that the residents of Wellington district will see to it that the unfortunate sufferers from cancer in their qwn district may very shortly be able to receive just as efficient treatment as those in the Dunedin district." v ..'■..

Clearly this remark about the painful pilgrimage.'to, Dunedin has ' special interest to dwellers, in those country districts within an effective radius of: Radium treatment from Wellington-. That is why the. Radium (Radiation) Appeal is directed to the ylarge district bounded on.the north by a line from Now Plymouth to Napier, via Taumarunui (inclusive of; these towns), on the south by the - southern boundaries, of "Marlborough and Nelson ■ Provinces.

'.Whether the country dweller comes for treatment, or . whether,emanation treatment is sent to him, it. is clear that, for the middle belt of the North Island, Wellington is : the centre and the Wellirigton Hospital is-the location for a Radium Department. .'.-■.''

ONE PURPOSE ONLY AT ONE

TIME.

The emanation .treatment is a wonderful feature of Radium., Its transmissibility singles it, out among Radium agents, 'in somewhat the same ► way as electricity is singled out among motive powers. But the reader bhould at the same time .understand that the '"longarm" method has its limitations. Like transmitted electricity—though' for a different reason—Radium emanation loses power, in transit; one T sixth or 15 par cent. of. its strength is lost every twenty-four, hours. When. Radium is placed in a centre like Wellington, it may be used, to provide treatment of patients by Radium (that is, by what is known as Radium salt),,or treatment of patients by emanation. But the same quantity of Radium cannot be. used for both purposes at the same time. If the Radium is used for the purpose of taking from it,emanation (which operation needs an emanation outfit-costing £500 to £600), the Radium cannot.be used at the same time to apply directly to a patient as Radium salt. If you have only a limited quantity of Radium, you have to decide which of the two purposes you will put if to. If you have a,greater quantity of Radium, then you may have enough, to split it into halves keeping half in the form of Radium-in-solution (that is, in the form suitable for the collecting, of its emanation) . and half in.the form of Radium salt (that is the form suitable for direct application of Radium to. the patient). Now, if the community wishes , "to. have it both ways," if the community wishes to make an effectivo use of both Radium and Radium emanation, the community must subscribe the full sum appealed for; and in this the country dweller' has " a special interest. •

THE-DECENTRALISING OF TREATMENT. • .

In the light of the' foregoing explanation, the point of the' following paragraph in the report of the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital (Dr. D Macdpnald Wilson) at once becomes plain:— „ .

"I am personally of opinion that each main centre should have its own supply Of Radium, and'that in addition there should be ; an emanation depot which could. augment the supply if required. I. would suggest that,if Radium is obtained for the whole Dominion, and not by each local centre, that as a minimum two grammes should. be obtained. One gramme to be procured as salt and divided equally between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch. find Dunedin The other gramme I would .suggest be'kept in solution in Wellington, and emanations taken daily nnd supplied • to tho various centres when their local stock requires augmenting. "Although 1 have already favoured central control, by specialists, yet this rule, like all other rules,, must have exceptions. Patients in New Zealand are not always able-to travel to a centre to obtain treatment. If a central emanation station wero provided, other large centres^ (such as Hamilton, Napier, and New Plymouh to mention North Island only) would, have facilities for certain cases. In many cases the application is wnDle and devuid of danger, and a doc-

tor accustomed to hospital procedure could carry, out the treatment W "th such a plan any national campaign for funds would receive the. greatest support riJ& "P th 6 four ™2ii

It .will be seen that, in order ♦« ™ i : the best use of the transmit Radium emanation and of the Radium salt itself, and m order to provide suitable doses for distribution and at the same time maintain reserves for massive dosage at the Radium Department itself a good' deal of money is needed, and it is hoped that country people willjoin with city residents in a liberal subscription

I******** * ********* * BY HELP OF RADIUM. * * * * While Radium is to cancer a * * relief and sometimes' a cure it * * -is not claimed to be a general * * ■ cure of cancer. But of certain * * non-cancerous diseases, Dr D S * Macdonald -Wilson, Medical * * Superintendent of Wellington * * Hospital, writes: — "Diseases * * in women, at present only cur- * * able by major operations, can ? * be by one,painless appli- * * cation of Radium." S * "Although Radium is not a * * panacea, m the treatment of such 4 * cases [that is, cancer], you may * *- safely assure the public that * * they will giv e . more than £10 000 * * worth of relief to the numer- * *ous unfortunate sufferers, from * * this disease in this district " * * Dr. W. E. Herbert. ' |£ * ; • "We LDunedin Hospital,' * * speaking through Professor L * * E. Barnett] have been the pion- * *eers among New Zealand hos- * * Pitals of the Radium treatment. * * We feel ■ • £ yk . . : : . . TK * We Have Made Good." * ********* * ********! to the Radium (Radiation) Appeal, which aims at £10,000' (net). '■'Allowing fir a liberal Government subsidy, every penny will be needed for Radium and A-ray. purposes.