IDEAS GAINED ON CANCER

Taranaki Daily News, 14 March 1933, Page 9

IDEAS GAINED ON CANCER

SUCCESS OF CONFERENCE DOMINION DELEGATES IMPRESSED. AUSTRALIAN- MEDICAL PROGRESS. NEW STUDY BUILDINGS AT SYDNEY. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The fourth Australian cancer conference was held at Canberra under the a,uspices of the Commonwealth Government from March 1 to 3, the New Zealand Government being represented by Professor E. ",F. d’Ath, professor ot pathology at Otago University, and Dr. P. P. Lynch, pathologist at the Wellington hospital, both members of the New Zealand division of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society. On their return from Australia by the Wanganella each spoke in high terms of the success of the conference. Discussions were vigorous, critical and constructive and from the gathering of over 70 delegates, including men at the peak of their profession, the nett result was that all obtained new ideas on their subject. The conference was very interesting because it showed what .advances Australia had made in the past three or four years in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Dr. d’Ath and Dr. Lynch said the advances were particularly notable both in radium and deep X-ray treatments. New treatments, although not always successful in eradicating the disease, had done much to prolong the life of the patient and to alleviate his suffering. The death rate was now moving from a younger to an older group—persons suffering from cancer were living longer.

One thing with which Dr. d’Ath and Dr. Lynch were impressed was the great advance made in medical education in Australia in recent years. There was great activity at the Sydney University and Sydney hospitals. A new medical school had just been completed at a cost of £130,000. There was also a new pathological institute at the Sydney hospital which cost £30,000 and a new pathological institute at the North Shore hospital. The money for -the medical school came from the Rockefeller Foundation and for the institute at Sydney hospital from a Japanese firm operating at Sydney. Both doctors were impressed with Canberra, an ideal place for holding conferences. The conference was held at the Institute of Anatomy, which provided an ideal atmosphere and background. They paid a ■ high tribute to the work of the Federal Director-General of Health, Dr. J. H. Cumpston, who as chairman contributed much' to the success of the conference.