MEDICAL SCIENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20832, 26 September 1929, Page 18

MEDICAL SCIENCE.

NEW CANCER TREATMENT,

KAYS TO KILL CELLS

( (From. Ode Own Correspondent.) LONDON, August 15. A paper by Dr Monckton Copeman, F.R.S., Mrs Frank Coke, F.R.C.S., and Dr Claude Gouldesbrough, on the treatment of cancer by means of “activated” flnorescin has appeared in the British Medical Journal.

Dr Gonldesbrongh, of Welbeck street, writes to-day in the Daily Mail that as a consequence of the publicity which has been given to the research, conducted at the Royal Northern Hospital, he has been inundated with inquiries from medical men and from the public. He proceeds: “The actual rays which are employed to kill the cancer cells are neither X-rays nor radium rays, but a totally different ray, the nature of which ,is not quite certain, but is most probably a ray near the ultra-violet line of the spectrum. " This ray is given off by the fluorescin when the latter, is excited or 'activated ’ hy either X-rays or,. more feebly, by radium. The X-rays used are of a certain quality and cannot penetrate beyond a. certain distance in the body, probably about 2J\ inches; consequently at present there are cancer growths situated too : deep in the body to be treated by this method unless radium can' be introduced. '

I say at present because we have great hopes that by’further research we can get oyer this difficulty, probably by using- a different salt of fluoresciu. “ Consequently, the best results arc ob-\ tamed with growths on or near the sur-1 face of the body. This fluoreacin ray J differs from or radium 'rays inasmuch as it appears to be completely innocuous to normal tissues while verydestructive to-cancer-cells.” . , I