The Hawera Star. TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1925. THE CANCER GERM.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 14 July 1925, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1925. THE CANCER GERM.

Delivered e\ery evening by 5 o’clock -u Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatolu, Kaponga, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia; Wliakamara, Oliangai. Meremere, Fraser Road, an Ararata.

ji' it be true, as announced by two separate London newspapers, that the germ o 1 cancer 111 as been definitely isolated, then a new star of hope lias risen upon suffering humanity. The death-rate from this scourge oi twentieth century civilisation has been steadily rising for a number or years, until now it is known to strike down one person in every seven who dies when past the age of fifty. It. is possible that part of this apparent increase in the prevalence of the disease may be due to improved diagnosis, but there are better methods of treatment and of alleviating suffering to set against this, so that, taking everything into consideration, the trend of the cancer graph is steadily upward. That is sufficiently serious to be alarming; but the worst feature of the disease is the very slender hope of recovery that can be held out to sufferers. Medical science,, which has accomplished .such wonders, in other directions, has been brought to a halt by the hitherto hidden germ of cancer. To get rad of an evil effect it- is necessary first to determine the cause and then to take measures to remove it. In this case the evil effect —the cancerous tumour —is known, and modern surgery has been able to do* something towards staying its growth. But while the cause remained bidden little real progress coul.cl be made. Physician and surgeon alike were working largely in the dark. Now. with a knowledge of the organism responsible, they will be the better able to undertake preventive treatment; and the discovery of a cure .should he brought appreciably nearer. In the meantime it will be well for the. world nob to build its hopes too high. It would be more .satisfactory, too, were the announcement made .by a paper of slightly higher standing; so many reports of scientific discoveries are premature. But at least it may be taken that some show of success has been met, and every .step forward in these investigations must bring fresh hope to stricken hmlies and core hearts.