CANCER CAMPAIGN

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 28, 3 February 1941, Page 8

CANCER CAMPAIGN

RADIATION THERAPY

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, February 1

The construction of a 1,000,000-volt X-ray generator at St. Bartholomew's Hospital which will make possible a new investigation in- radiation therapy is disclosed in the report presented to the annual meeting in Lon don of the British Empire Cancer Campaign.

The president, the Duke of Gloucester, in a letter to the meeting, stressed "the utrhost necessity of conserving lives in these days, especially by the control of disease." The outbreak of war made unavoidable the curtailment and, cessation of some cancer research work.

The income for the year ended July 30, 1940, was £53,767, compared with £76,458 in the previous year.

The million-volt X-ray tube for deep therapy was built (by MetropolitanVickers Electrical Co.) to produce rays having properties similar to those of radium rays, but of greater intensity The tube has allowed a great deal of research work to be done in finding the type of radiation which will give the maximum benefit to the patienl in the minimum time, thus reducing the cost of the treatment of allowing many more patients to be treated by one equipment. The large amount of intricate high voltage generating equipment is separated from the treatment room by a wall of barium sulphate concrete two feet thick, and the X-ray, from the patient's point of view, is entirely shock-proof.