W.E.A.

Evening Star, Issue 19550, 7 May 1927, Page 3

W.E.A.

LECTURE BY DR RADCLIFFE-TAYLOR On Thursday evening the subject of the public health class lecture given by Dr Radclitfe-Taylor was ‘Can Cancer Be .Cured—What Are the Early feigns In introducing the subject, the lecturer pointed but that, though the general death rate, the infantile death rate, and the death rate from tuberculosis had decreased 30 per cent, to 45 per cent., the death rate from cancer over the same period had increased 20 per cent., in spite of the fact that huge sums of money were being spent in almost every country in the fight against this . disease. • Although the cause was still a mystery,'a great deal of work had been done, and, it was perfectly certain that many people who died from cancer might have been saved had the disease been recognised in its earliest form, when it was cufable. The only cure at the present, was by means of b sugical operation undertaken early, and it was therefore most important that the public should know and recognise the early signs of cancer in various parts of tho body so that thoy might consult a doctor before it was too v»te. Once the disease had started it grew relentlessly every hour of every day, until finally it killed the patient,' Cancer always began as a local disease, in which stage it was operable. It attacked a diseased rather than a healthy organ, and would spread to the surrounding structures. In the early stages it rarely caused pain. While the disease was local and the growth accessible, cancer was curable by operation. Many people neglected to consult their doctors because they had a fear of operation, but,later, when the disease had spread and became painful, they were often anxious for an operation, when it was too late. The lecturer then show’ed pictures, of cancer of the lips, mouth, tongue, breast, and face, and pointed out the earliest signs and methods of prevention in each case, and impressed upon the class the importance ot early surgical treatment. Radium and X-rays were used in the treatment of cancer only in conjunction with operative treatment, or in those cases where operation was impossible. Early diagnosis in this disease was all important, and delay was always disastrous. A NEW CLASS

The first meeting of the new W.E.A. class to be held at the Trades Hall was held on Monday evening, when Mr R. W. Souter gave a lecture on ‘Unemployment.’ Mr Souter said that the causes of unemployment might be classified into persona] causes and those arfs ing out of the economic system itself. Many personal defects were really the result of the system, for example, the largely undirected drift of the rising generation into industry, which helped to recruit the ranks of casual labor. The causes arising out of the system itself could not be fully understood or ascertained without careful study. From the point of view of the unemployment problem, the fundamental feature of the system was the individual’s freedom of choice in the allocation of his income. Consumers, said an American writer, determined production by their dollar votes. Price was the indicator which production followed. All unemployment was the result of an upsetting of the equilibrium supply and demand. One possible solution was therefore the permanent organisation of the whole community by a central authority; but discussion in the meantime was better confined to possibilities of minimising unemployment under the existing system. The most important of all the causes of unemployment was the depression phase of what was commonly called the business cycle, and one of .the greatest of economic problems was the rational control of the cycle through banking policy and business forecasting. This _ involved permanent statistical services, organised co-operatively, by industries, and also by the State, in this'matter America was leading the way. _ Suggested explann lions of the present unemployment in New Zealand wore discussed, and the, paramount need of more scientific knowledge on the above lines was shown. Tho lecture was followed by a useful discussion. The organisation of a full programme for the class was postponed until the next meeting, when Mr Souter will speak on the ‘ Economic Problem.’