CANCER CURE WANTED

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 March 1922, Page 3

CANCER CURE WANTED

— ——.—. SIR, WILLI AM 5 ENO’S OFFER. A FURTHER £lO,OOO. The offer of Lord Atholstan, of Montreal, of £20,000 for an effective cure for cancer has greatly caught the imagination of Sir William Veno, the Governing Director, of the Veno Drug . <>., Ltd., Manchester, and h u is anxious to supplement it. A year or so ago Sir William. Veno passed through a very distressing experience in regard to this terrible disease. As most of his intimate mis are aware an affection of the .ip, which was causing him discom.i.t, was diagnosed as cancer, but proidintially, after very searching examination the trouble was found not to of a malignant nature. The experience, however brought home to i in an extremely poignant manr tho terrible urgency that exists r real and immediate progress in regard to this disease, and he looks upon ord Athelstan’s offer as a move in ■ right direction. Sir William Veno, therefore, desires :o supplement the present offer w’th another of £lO,OOO to any student or adnate, who, within the next live years is able to satisfy the Royal C'ol.l'ge of Physicians and Surgeons, London, that he has discovered an effective cure which is not surgical, for this disease. Sir William Beno is unaware as to whether Lord Athelstan’s offer is associated with any more specific conditions than those which have appeared in the Press, but lie is coni' nt, if any such conditions exist, to allow those which govern his own offer to coincide with them. Sir William Veno makes the further suggestion that progress in pathological, surgical, and medical science might be greatly stimulated in other directions by the creation of such direct incentives as that offered by Lord Atholstan in the case of cancer. We are still waiting for an effective cure for consumption, and there arc other malignant diseases whose aetiology and treatment are more or less a matter of conjecture. If for successful work done, say, during the next decade uitable and substantial rewards were forthcoming, it is clear that study and research would be greatly stimulated. a.re must be many people of means who have reason for taking this question to heart, and Sir William Veno suggests that they should come forward with offers that will give our students and scientists something tangible to strive for. The student who votes himself to research at the present moment has very little to look .or in the wtfy of pecuniary reward, mfii work may be a labour of love, ■ind it is undoubTedly full of honour, but human nature will always respond to a direct incentive more quickly than ■i a hope of gaining merely abstract laurels.