WAR ON CANCER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22540, 3 October 1936, Page 17

WAR ON CANCER

HOPEFUL OUTLOOK the ensol treatment progress with research ; LIKELY use in dominion Important advances in the treatment of cancer were described yesterday by pr. N. Davis, who is returning to Australia by the Mariposa after examining the latest developments in research into the disease in the United States and Canada. The outlcok was more promising and hopeful tian at any time during the past 10 years, said Dr. Davis, who lias been requested by the Commonwealth Government to prepare a report on the results of his investigations. A far-reaching development was the discovery of the treatment with ensol, a preparation from human cancer cells, bv Dr. H. Council. Dr. Davis spent some time nt the Henry Council Research Foundation a; Kingston, Ontario, .whore SO scient sts from all over the world were devoting all their time to cancer research under Dr. Council. The foundation had been liberally endowed by the American millionaire, Mr. Irenee Du Pont. " Decided Step Forward " The concensus of opinion was that the ensol treatment wis a decided step forward and that it could be used in any stage of cancer, either by itself or in conjunction with surgery, radium or X-ray. The greatest success had been' obtained with cancer in the abdominal organs, which had previously been regarded as rather hopeless. Searching tests had brought a note of restrained encouragement to cancer workers because so many pronouncements in the past hj.d proved disappointing. Dr. Davis has arrarged for ensol to be available for treatment immediately in Australia and is taking supplies back with him. It will be manufactured in Australia within a few months. While he was at the foundation a cablegram was received from New Zealand inquiring as to the possibility of supplies being available here and the discoverer expressed himself as being entirely sympathetic to the establishment of a clinic in the Dominion, provided certain conditions of control were fulfilled. He has just received a cablegram from Dr. Connell that patent rights for ensol have been granted in New Zealand. The profits accruing from the sale of the preparation -are being entirely devoted to further medical research. Diagnosis Devnlopments A series of micro-photographs showing how ensol almost completely breaks up a group of cancer cells in a test tube in a few hours is being taken to Australia by Dr. Davis. The preparation, which sttacks the disease through the blood stream, naturally takes much longer to set in the human body. "Apart from improvements in treatment, rapid developments are being made in testing for diagnosis and certain discoveries promise hopefully toward the unravelling of the cause of the disease," Dr. Dav s said.