CURATIVE AGENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21879, 15 August 1934, Page 10

CURATIVE AGENTS

On the curative side, continued Mr. Rowntree, they could point to recent advances in radiation treatment. Partly as the result of the pioneer work done by the Radiology Committee of the campaign a silent revolution had been effected, for it seemed probable that the recent changes witnessed in the radium practice of the whole cancer world were no mere therapeutic experiments of passing interest, but evidence of a fundamental change in the future picture of cancer treatment. The radium bomb—so-called —was coming to be regarded as a necessity for all well-equipped cancer centres. Fortunately, the radium position had been materially eased by the discovery of radium deposits in Canada. It was not pretended that radium was a cure for cancer in the ordinary acceptance of the term, but it could be claimed with confidence that in certain cases it could and did effect results of a character not hitherto obtained by any other method. One had only to point to cancer of the lip, tongue and uterus to realise the change in current practice. In these situations radium had in part or in whole replaced operative surgery. It was not to be expected, Mr. Rowntree added, and they could scarcely even dare to hope, that some sudden flash of genius would solve the cancer problem in a day. Every indication seemed to point to the necessity for laboratories, concentrated effort by skilled teams of workers who, by pooling their experience and repeating and correcting one another's observations, would ultimately, by the remorseless logic of controlled experiment, arrive at the truth.

CONTROL IN RUBBER Confidence in the success of the international rubber restriction schemo was expressed by Sir Philip CunliffeLister, Secretary of State for the Colonies, at the annual luncheon of tho Incorporated Society of -Planters (Malaya). He said that the outlook for the rubber industry was incomparably better than most of them expected a year or two ago. They had at last, and for the first time, an effective scheme of control. Ho had been an unrepentant apostle of schemes of balanced production for a good many years past. It wa<» an impossible situation to go on indefinitely producing at a loss more than the world wanted. Control meant a certain limitation of production, but it was a great deal better business for the industry and overybody else to produce 70 per cent at a profit rather than 100 per cent at a loss. Once an industry was organised on a sound basis control did not mean permanent restriction; it meant that the industry was better fitted to respond to every increasing demand that came along. Tho scheme had already improved conditions irt the industry, and he was glad to know that in many companies that improvement was reflected in salaries and in conditions on the estates. He would regard the scheme as a failure unless everybody in tho industry was going to get benefit out of it. A schemo of this kind was not designed so that things should stand still, but designed, while giving security, to encourago efficiency to the utmost. There were units in the industry which might be stronger and more efficient as the result of well-considered amalgamation. Ho did not mean a promoter's amalgamation, but it was the duty of the rubber industry to take the opportunity of tho new sense of security which tlie scheme offered for those units which were not tho most efficient for their purposo, to get together and to see that the industry, both from tho individual aspect and as a whole, was as officicnt as it could be. The control of a scheme which involved the intervention of Governments must be in Government hands. It would be the object of the international committeo which was running the schemo not to bolster up inefficiency, but to encourage efficiency to the utmost.