Advances in Medicine

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 283, 15 November 1923, Page 5

Advances in Medicine

Radium Treatment

NECESSARY ADJUNCT TO SURGERY DISCOVERIES IN DIABETES AND TUBERCULOSIS. (Our Own Reporter.) Wellington, Nov. 15. Radium is a necessary adjunct in proper expert hands to the treatment of malignant disease. This opinion, held by Dr. Hardwick Smith, has been consolidated by experience he gained at Home during his recent visit to the Old Country. in an interview on his return by the Ulimaroa yesterday Dr. Smith said that he studied experiments at his old London hospital in the treatment of malignant diseases in women by radium which, in combination with surgery gave a greater proportion of cures in malignant disease than surgery alone gave. •‘1 am delighted tu heard that Wellington intends to obtain a supply of radium for the Wellington Hospital,” 1 he continued. “ Radium treatment will be of unestimable benefit to the public generally, and no centre like Wellington can regard itself as properly equipped medically without radium treatment for malignant and other diseases.

Dr Banting, the discoverer of insulin, he proceeded, was present at the Medical Congress and the subject was much discussed in the papers while the speaker was at Home. Not long ago it was somewhat difficult to obtain insulin supplies in sufficiency. In many cases of diabetes insulin had to be injected two or three times a day, and Id a modified form treatment had to be continued for years. About the time Dr. Smith left the Old Country the supply of insulin was becoming more plentiful. Many medical men were now treating diabetes patients with insulin, and then after a w’hile were leaving the patients to continue the treatment themselves, after a medical mar. had taken observations to regulate the doses, and had taught" the patients'howto treat ■ themselves. This self-treat-ment could continue indefinitely with care about diet, etc., the patient appearing for medical examination every few weeks.

Professor Dreyer, of Oxford University, had obtained a vaccine for treatment of tuberculosis. “It had previously,” Dr. Smith explained, “been found difficult to do so because of tuberculosis bacillus being surrounded with a thick envelope. Professor Dreyer, by a chemical process, was able to remove that envelope and thus the vaccine had more power to act. Experiments with vaccine on tuberculous animals showed great improvement after repeated injections. The same results had not shown so conclusively in human beings. Still he was on the right lines. The standard of milkin the Old Country was found to be below what it should be exceptjiertified grade A milk from tested herds with low bacterial count. He paid tribute to the Wellington municipal milk undertaking, which he considered well worth paying for against any extra cost. It was a much greater saving in keeping down economic wast of human life.

He found that the daily press in New Zealand gave more notice to scientific advances than did the daily press at Home, and that the standard of the people's education on the public health question was higher here than at Home.