CANCER RESEARCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20363, 18 September 1929, Page 14

CANCER RESEARCH.

CAMPAIGN IN DOMINION.

CO-ORDINATION OF EFFORTS.

CLINICS IN THE CENTRES

[t!V TELEGRAPH. —OWN COUUESJ'OSDENT WELLINGTON, Tuesday.

Sir Louis Harriett, of Duncdin, who took a prominent part in the discussion on cancer at the recent Medical Conference at Sydney, was a passenger by tho Ulimaroa, which arrived at Wellington to-day.

Sir Louis emphasised the importance of tho British Empire cancer campaign, and especially of tho research work now being done in all the leading countries, and of the co-ordination of efforts to successfully combat what is now reeognised as one of tho chief scourges of mankind. Although up to the present the research work has not led to tho ultimate discovery of tho cause of cancer, it has revealed a great deal of valuable information that permits of a more accurate diagnosis of tho disease arid of treatment in its earliest stages, and also enables doctors to classify tho different types of cancer, the degrees of malignancy and to accord tho most suitable treatment.

What is of the utmost importance aro the increasing benefits that have arisen through tho treatment of can err by means of radium and X-rays. This explains why it is that a wave of enthusia'sm has developed in regard to the campaign against cancer. Sir Louis said they already knew a great deal about cancer, how it arose and what predisposed to it. It was not absolutely necessary to know the essential cause in order to do useful work. He instanced Pasteur's wonderful work in connection with the elimination of hydrophobia, oven although tho cause of that dread disease still remained a mystery. Although the actual cause of cancer has eluded research for many years, they could still do a great deal to lessen the disease. The idea was to standardise and co-ordinate all tho work in the various centres of tho Dominion, so that there should bo no overlapping of effort, and so that the work should be done on a uniform basis. Each centre was to have a cancer clinic, at which cases would bo studied by the physician, tho surgeon, the pathologist and the radiologist, and the appropriate treatment carried out on the most approved, lines. A careful register of all cases would be taken for present benefit and future guidance. Each centre would be equipped with a radium and X-ray department, on the most modern lines. Every centre would have its appropriate amount of radium and X-ray appliances, with the pericnced medical men in charge. Iladium emanations would also be sent to country places for use in cases which could not conveniently be brought to the main centres.

The suggestion was made by Sir Louis that Dr. Burrows, the director of the radium service in Australia, should bo invited to visit New Zealand to assist in establishing the radium service, and Dr. Burrows might collaborate with Dr. A. B. Begg, who was coming to New Zealand to conduct cancer researches. Sir Louis said Dr. ,J. S. Elliott had informed him that .Dr. Begg, before coming to the Dominion, would visit Paris, Brussels and Stockholm, in order to b,ecome familiar with the latest work being done on cancer in the laboratories in those centres. There would thus shortly be a favourable opportunity for standardising throughout the Dominion all the various organisations for this great campaign against cancer.