CONFERENCE ON CANCER.

Grey River Argus, 24 November 1910, Page 8

CONFERENCE ON CANCER.

.- ■ M; .Doumerkue, Minister of Public Instruction ia the French 'Cabinet, presided at the opening" sitting', of -the International Canfereaice on the subject of cancer, which took place recently at the Faculty -of Medicine Paris. * Upwards of twenty countries are represented , at the conference. Of particular interest are some remarks which were made by the secretary-gen-eral, Professor Delbet, who denied that cancer- is- incurable. "An operation^ undertaken in time, and well perform- % ed; can bring; about a cure,''-, lieVsaid. "But the credulity of the public and its instinctive faith in' quacks lead •to the delay of operaitions, so that they are responsible for thousands of victims. This is a 'social canker aaganst which the public should be put on its -guard." At the'afternoon-sitt-mg", the conference turned dt s attention ■to statistics. German statistics ; make out that the morality from cancer, per 10,000 inhabitants is as low as 2.4 , ip. Spain, while/7.45 is thie figure =iin Germany, a small fraction over 9 in. England, 'md 10 in France. (Switzerland and Denmark showing; the highest ay- . erages with 12.5. and 12.2 respectively. But the French experts seriously question the accuracy of these statistics, arguing that they <are ■■■ probr ■ably 5 to 10 per- cent w, : .'de of -the mark. It is extnemely noteworthy that Professor Delbe: gave it his deliber-* ate opimon that cancer is, after.tuberculosis, tbe greatest scourge of • the human race./ . -\ ■'■ ' '[.i ".'■'-.'