CANCER IS CURABLE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19122, 17 September 1936, Page 14

CANCER IS CURABLE

SECRETARY’S APPEAL EARLY ACTION NEEDED NOT A NEW DISEASE “Cancer is not a disease of modern civilisation; it was prevalent hundreds of Vears before Christ, as 1 lias been found by examinations of mummified remains,” remarked Mr. L. Stanford, C.8.L., national appeal secretary for the British Empire Cancer Campaign, who was the guest at the Napier Rotary Club luncheon. “Cancer is definitely curable in its early stages, yet many people waste valuable time in consulting ‘quack curers wlio have no knowledge of proper treatment, and the lost time often makes the difference between a cure and death.” In New Zealand there were four centres ♦of campaign, with a research centre at Dunedin, Mr. Stanford pointed out, and the' problem was one that needed the closest attention of every thinking man and woman. One in every seven people who die at Home over the age of 40 died of cancer, and the disease played havoc in the business world, as it carried away a man or woman just when he or she was the most valuable. NATURE OF CANCER Mr. Stanford then continued to give a brief outline of the nature of cancer, ill the human body, he said, there were millions upon millions of ceils, so small that one square inch of skin contained b 011,001,000 of them. The cells were constantly being worn away and replaced by new. ones. When a person reached aault age the growth of the cells had attained a proper balance. Cancer was really a speedmg-up of the cell growth m aduiis —cancer is mainly an adult ailment. The cells became erratic, divided and formed into lumps. Not every lump was cancerous', but many of them weie of a malignant nature.

It was felt in 1920 that, while there was a great deal of effort being made by researen workers to discover the cause ol cancer, overlapping of the work was occurring, so me xJritisli Empire Cancel Campaign was formed to organise and to save wiaste of effort.

FOUR BRANCHES OF RESEARCH

“Research work,” he said, “comes under tour headings —bio-chemical researen, biological research, radiological research, auu clinical research.

“The object of the first group is to study llie growtii aud general behaviour oi tue disease and try lo mid a cancerproducing subject, fi they can do that, Like searen for an antidote is a clear-cut iask. It was iound that people who dealt with lar ni great quantities were prone to. a certain form of cancer, and the natural miereuce was that the tar contained some cancer-producing substance. A quantity of tar was tliereiore distilled into its various components, and by painstaking research a cancer-producing substance was separated from it. Thus the way .was then clear to remove the danger, and that form of cancer is now not nearly so serious as it previously was. .

“Then there wasi mule-spinners’ cancer, prevalent among the workers in the cotton industry in .Lancashire, it was thought that there must be something in the shale oil used at that time on the machines that was causing the disease, as in the case of tar, anu experiments were accordingly conducted on much the same lines. 'Hie cancer-producing substance was once more iouud, and the necessary preventive measures taken. It is at present thought that cancer of the lung may be caused by the exhaust fumes from commercial vehicles, and re-' search in that direction is proceeding.’ ' ‘ RADIOLOGICAL The radiological side of the research work, Mr. Stanford added, was connected with the radium, and deep X-ray. The speaker described radium as a cliild in tne nursery of science, but nevertheless said, it was playing an important part in treatment ot cancer, despite mistakes in its initial use. It was now possible to say that radium played a very important part in the light, and was a very vaiuaole weapon.

Clinical research was carried on at the bedside of cancel* patients, with careiul checking of the eitects of the treatment applied. Comparisons of cases and reports of the treatment administered were the main, part of this important department.

A propaganda department used its utmost endeavours to compel people to recogmse the initial symptoms ot the disease. Many people died who eoulu have been saved it the disease had been treated earlier, but in the tinai stages, little could be done.

“Cancer in its early stages is den niteiy curable,” said Mr. Stanford.

Funds for the research campaign were maintained by voluntary contributions toward the cause being received from ine humblest people.