WAR AGAINST CANCER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18949, 21 February 1925, Page 9

WAR AGAINST CANCER.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. EVE OF GREAT DISCOVERIES-WORLD-WIDE INVESTIGATION. 1 [isr TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WELLINGTON. Friday. An interesting review of the results being achieved in the great centres of activity yi; carirer reseyli&'fi] in the scientific: world has been given by an Australian investigator on . his way home from a tour, of Great Britain, the Continent and America. He remarked that he considered the world wa-s on the eve of big discoveries in_.._the.. campaign against life's greatest enemy. Dr. A. N. Burkitt. professor of anatomy in the. Sydney University, went to England several months ago to study cancer research. In his tour he investigated the efforts of the British Empire cancer ( campaign, the work being done by the famous Middlesex Hospital, whose research activities are closely followed- by the whole scientific world. He. visited;. Scotland, Belgium, Austria, and Italy. He found wonderful work being carried out ja the cancer research laboratories pf. Milan and Turin. From Italy he went to the United States and Canada. The startling announcements fror.„ Philadelphia, Toronto and California of recent months impelled Dr. Burkitt to spend some time there. He inquired into the discoveries of Dr. Glover, who that he had established scientifically, by inoculating and immunising animals, that the disease was due/ id a micro-organism, and had isolated® that c&ncer germ and proved by conclusive laboratory tests H 3 part as the causative factor. Professor Millikan's Work. What interested Dr. Burkitt most during his travels, to. judge by his enthusiasm while speaking, was the work being clone at St. Louis mid in California. *Tf theories, t ol ■ Dr. Burrows, of St.' Lduisj aro. accepted by modern science the world will yet ring with his name as the discoverer of a Cure for cancer," said Dr. Burkitt. Dr.' Burrows was developing with very great; significance the production of certain forms of the disease experimentally in certain animals. 1 His Success had been two-fold. He ! could produce cancers and clear them up. "Many eminent scientists on the .American Continents fully believe in him". Professor R. A* Millikan, the most noted physicist and chemist in the limited States.; who won the Nobel prize last year, will probably shortly be co-operating with Dr. Bur-i rows 011 the physical and chemical sida of caucer research. I think he is nearer; than anyone else to the ultimate goal." The method of tissue culture and its bearing on cancer research were also reviewed by Dr. Burkitt. This method had long passed the infancy stage and had led to the important discovery that blood serum, i.e., Wood without its 'corpuscles, actually retarded growth. r .lhe serum was now known to contain two antagonistic principles, growth restraining and growth promoting substances. The Secret of Growth. Another noted investigator who impressed Dr. Burkitt greatly was Professor Evans, of California University. Professor Evans had definitely : isolated tho principle concerning growth—from the pituitary gland inside the skull—and was making preparations to extract from the pituitary an administration for stunted growth 111 children. The properties of vitamines in Tood were also being investigated by this scientist. After commending the work of the Empire research campaign, which was 4 great weapon forged against a single disease, Dr. Burkitt paid a high tribute to Dr. Burrows and Professor Evans. While science ' had not yet fully endorsed Professor Evans' findings, Dr. Burkitt said that the people of America had tremendous faith in him. Dr. Burkitt echoed the view recently expressed by Sir John Bland Sutton, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, that it was quite possible that the cause of cancer Would one day be found by a genius working in bis own way. and perhaps working by Himself. He expressed pleasure that during his absence the Federal and State Governments had made, grants for cancer research in Australia. He repeated his belief that the world was only at the dawn of what should be a great era of preventive medicine and hygiene which would enormously reduce the sum of human suffering.