CANCER RESEARCH

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 19 August 1933, Page 5

CANCER RESEARCH

DAILY ADVANCE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY TREATMENT While no great advances in the treatment of cancel' have been made recently in any part of the world, there has been more clfectivc use of the methods or treatment by radiation, particularly i:i the direction of accurate measurement of dosage and output from radium and X-ray apparatus,” stated the report of the Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland division of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society, presented bv Sir Hugh Acland at the annual meeting (says the “Times”). As the result of recommendations of Dr. D’Ath and Dr. Lynch, who attended the annual Australian Cancer Conference, representing the New Zealand Government, it was decided to obtain the services of a specially trained physicist to calibrate, supervise and standardise the radium, radon and X-rav installations throughout New Zealand. Through the generosity of the trustees of the Travis bequest in giving a grant for three years, a physicist would shortly be appointed to carry out this highly necessary work. i DR. BEGG’S WORK While no direct laboratory research was done in Christchurch, the division contributes £SOO a year to the research work carried out by Dr. Begg in Dunedin. IT is reports during the year demonstrate bis untiring efforts to solve some of the problems of cancer that bad been assigned to him, ami though lie had made no startling discoveries, nevertheless, the ground lie had covered would assist t Hose outside New Zealand engaged upon other aspects of this diease. The following extract from a recent report of bis sums up the present position: “While, therefore, one cannot predict when the ultimate solution of the cancer problem will eventuate, one can be sure that, it is on tile way and that, a daily advance is being made into one of the bidden,secrets of Nature.” There was one other activity of the society to be mentioned, namely, the necessity for educating the public to seek advice should they develop symptoms suspicious of cancer. It could not be too frequently stated that many forms of cancer were curable if they were treated efficiently in Iho early stages. To this end the New Zealand branch had recently issued a Ismail pamphlet entitled “The, Truth About Cancer,” setting out in simple language some of the earliest symptoms of the common forms of cancer. There were 2500 copies of the pamphlet ready for distribution, free of cost, by the divis-