CANCER WAR

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 49, 27 February 1934, Page 10

CANCER WAR

AUSTRALIA PREPARES

NOTABLE CONFERENCE Z

(From "The Post*" Reprtttntatjvt.) SYDNEY, February 23.

Considerable prominence • was ;giveß' by the Sydney, Press this week to" the arrival by the Wanganella of a young New Zealand scientist, Mr. VJ. .A.' Strong, a graduate of Victoria College, Wellington, who is to make a special study of'-the fight that is taking place against that dread disease, ■cancer. Mr. Strong's' main purpose is to study •in the great hospitals in Sydney and.1 Melbourne, and in between he will attend a;most important conference which' is to be held at Canberra" from April 17, to April 20. , More than sixty delegates, including noted specialists from all over Australia and New Zealand, university professors, research scientists, and representatives of all the Federal and State health administrations . will attend^ 1^ is expected to be the largest gathering of experts yet held in Australia to discuss new methods of attack against the deadliest disease of modern times, •■';•'.

A. detailed agenda. which is mow being prepared by the' Conimonwealth.' health authorities will deal 'exhaustively with all aspects of cancer problems. Special attention will, however, be given to the association, of research, physicists, pathologists, and doctors. With the highly-technical development of the X-ray machine, this branch of study has advanced, beyond the knowledge of the medical men., It is pointed out that the control of generating plants alone requires a specialised skill. This is indicated by the fact that last year tho power used in-X-ray appliances' had'been increased from 200,000 voltr to 400,000. , . • ' .

Special interest: attaches to this nspect of the conference following, the recent issue of a report by the,; Health Committee of the League of (Nations, which advocated . world reform.; in the medical profession to bring -it into line with modern scientific attainments; The conference will consider what: can., be done in that' direction in: Australia. Another outstanding topic at the ■conference will relate to necrosis problems —the damage to the healthy tissues when X-ray treatment is used for. cancer. Statistics will also ■be presented to the delegates showing tho results of radium treatment of cancer in Australia since 1928. It is expected that thew "will reveal some highly-important - information which will be used as aguide by the medical.profession. .During the past four or five years more than 10,000 cases of; cancer have been, so treated with radium which cost the Federal authorities £100,000.- Incidentally the samo radium is worth, very much more than; that today., It has recently been reconditioned. That the expenditure was not in vain will be shown by th« measure of success which has attended radium treatment. . :