ADVANCE IN CANCER TREATMENT

Southland Times, Issue 23780, 30 March 1939, Page 5

ADVANCE IN CANCER TREATMENT

RADIOLOGY AND X-RAY (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 29. Surgeon to Queen Mary since the death of King George V., Sir Alfred Webb-Johnson, of the Middlesex Hospital, London, arrived in Wellington yesterday by the Awatea. He will spend eight days in New Zealand motoring through the North Island with Lady Webb-Johnson. Sir Alfred said that he had attended the congress in Melbourne of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. The biggest advance in surgery in recent years was in chest operations. This had been brought about as a result of the war, when surgeons were constantly required to deal with deep chest wounds. Today tumours and infections of the lungs and tuberculosis were much more frequently treated with complete success. The most important development in cancer was in educating the public to seek advice early and not to dread the disease unduly. Then they could feel assured of successful treatment. The later the disease was left to run its course the harder it was to catch up; indeed it was often impossible. Big advances had been made in recent years in radiology and the X-ray treatment of cancer. In California, Professor E. O. Lawrence had invented the machine known as the cyclotron, which produced neutron rays many times more powerful than the X-ray or radium and it was hoped that by using these in conjunction with various chemical elements to control their action on a tumour. The incidence of cancer appeared to be greater at present than in the past because of a greater average expectation of life and a greatly increased number of people who had attained the danger age, middle age or over. Sir Alfred possesses the rare distinction of having been knighted by King Edward VIII, having figured in the only Honours List of his brief reign.