RADIUM FOR CANCER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15503, 9 January 1914, Page 7

RADIUM FOR CANCER.

ENGLISH SURGEON'S CLAIM.

TREATMENT A SUCCESS.

REMARKABLE RESULTS.

Br Telegraph— Association—Copyright.

(Received January 8, 9.30 p.m.)

London, January 8. In September, Dr. Barlow, of the Middlesex Hospital, announced that by treatment of advanced cases of cancer with radium remarkable results had been achieved in the preceding six months. Growths had disappeared in a truly astounding manner. Dr. Barlow now announces that the success of the radium treatment for the disease has been completely proved. Dr. Barlow reports that 24 cases of cancer beyond surgical aid were admitted to the Middlesex Hospital from June to September, 1912, and all of these died. Sixty-eight cases were admitted during the same period in 1913, and were treated with radium. Of tho 68, 36 died, and the remainder have been discharged able to attend their daily duties. Such a state of affairs is unprecedented. In one or two cases there has been a recurrence, but Dr. Barlow is hopeful that with fuller knowledge of radium these recurrences can be prevented-

Dr. Barlow adds that if 1500 millegrammes of radium were buried in a cancerous tumour, the tumour simply withered up and disappeared. A few cells might be left active, and it was these that afterwards caused the recurrence. Time is required to substantiate the remarkable results achieved. Nevertheless, there is no longer any doubt that the immediate effect is a matter of urgency. State control of the sources of radium would prevent any ridiculous inflation of prices being artificially engineered. The hospital is handicapped by lack of radium. Sometimes a single patient is using for 24 hours the whole of the 144 milligrammes which the hospital possesses, and no other treatment is possible, while hundreds of patients are awaiting their turn. The need is all the greater because small doses of radium are useless.

"CURES" FROM BRUSSELS.

INTERESTING CASES. (Beooived January 8, 11.5 p.m.) Brussels, January 8. Two doctors named Rouffart and Jacobs have submitted to the Society of Gynaecology the cases of two women said to have been definitely cured of cancer in the womb by means of radium. The radium applied in both cases was valued at £10,000.