FIGHTING CANCER

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 122, 19 November 1937, Page 15

FIGHTING CANCER

ORGANISING WORK

PROGRESS IN TARANAKI

PUBLIC INTEREST

The efforts being made in New Zealand to combat cancer have been advanced a stage further by a Visit which has been paid this week to the Taranaki district by the president of the New l Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign (Sir James Elliott). Addresses were given by Sir James in the main towns in Taranaki, and as a result gratifying support was given to the movement. An up-to-date X-ray, machine is to be installed at' the New Plymouth Hospital, and, this, it was stated, would be usable in 99 per cent, of the cases in the district. The New Plymouth Hospital Board proposes to make the machine available to all the boards in the- province at the lowest cost that can be arranged. Another suggestion made during the series of meetings was that consultation clinics should be established in the district.

Speaking to a "Post" reporter to- j day, Sir James said that while nearly all Taranaki cases could be dealt with at New Plymouth there would be some referred by the New Plymouth clinic for special treatment at Wellington. The people generally had very little general knowledge of the cancer problem, and they appreciated the opportunity of getting some definite information. There was a large Maori population in the Taranaki district, and it was hoped that an investigation of racial, dietetic, and housing conditions would prove of value. The people of the Taranaki district seemed to realise clearly that by taking an interest in the cancer scourge, which killed 85 people a year in Taranaki, they would be keeping the medical profession up to the mark and getting better facilities for themselves for diagnosis and treatment than they had had up to the present. The medical profession was also deeply interested and concerned. It should be emphasised that the problem of cancer did not belong to the hospital boards and the medical men alone. It belonged to the people. The death-rate.could be enormously reduced if the people realised the necessity of early treatment. Nearly half the cases medical men saw were too late. Therefore the co-opera-tion of the public was needed. LENGTHENING LIFE'S SPAN. During his visit Sir James emphasised the fact that the problem was far too big for any jealousy or parochial feeling. It did not matter who did the work so long as it was done. It had been estimated; he said, that in any audience one in every six people over 40 were bound to die of cancer, which killed more people in one year than fell in any one of the war years. Although cancer attacked older rather than, younger people it was not to be thought that those afflicted were of no use to. the community. The average life of mankind had increased by 10 to 12 years and it was felt that by research into the cause, cure, and prevention of cancer those afflicted could have their spans of life greatly lengthened.

The growth of the campaign against cancer was outlined by Sir James, who said that the Royal Family had taken an encouraging interest in. the work". British scientists were pre-eminent in the fight and their work.was now organised. New Zealand had a part to play, there being no overlapping, and the research being done in the Dominion dove-tailed into the Empire campaign. New Zealand was not too small to help.

The wide variance In methods of treatment was stressed, by the speaker, who said that treatment itself was a form of research. New Zealand,was also doing its'part in the supplying of statistics, He described the arrangements made and the progress of the work. .. .

The society also had .educative work to do, meanwhile being careful of "cancerphobia." Cancer could be*cured if caught in tiirie, and certain troubles should always be investigated, by medical men, but it was not desired to cause everyone to suffer from imaginary cancer.'