THE COKE OF CANCER.

Waikato Independent, Volume III, Issue 183, 25 January 1906, Page 3

THE COKE OF CANCER.

SUCCESS WITH THE X-RAYS. An article just published in the Lancet by. Dr. Williams, electrotherapentist in the West London Hospital, gives a list of the cases of cancer which have been conclusively cured by the application of the X-rays. The many failures which were reported when the X-rays were first applied to cases of cancer led to the belief that the method was useless. Dr. Williams said that the majority of these failures occurred when very imperfect and untrustworthy apparatus was being used, and his experience was small regarding the effects produced, added to which only cases which were too far advanced for operation were sent for Xray treatment, Dr. Williams is now able to make a startling report, though it is expressed with all the habitual caution of the doctor. He talks of “ encouraging results,” and later says: “I am chary of using the word ‘ cure ’ to cases which have been under the X-rays, but ‘ arrest ’ and ‘ alleviation ’ are terms which may fairly be used.” But with ten actual cases of cure quoted there is little room to doubt. The first case mentioned by Dr. Williams is that of a woman aged sixty-four years. Three times she was operated upon for the removal of cancerous growth. After the third operation the cancer recurred, and then the X-rays were applied twice a week with an ” exposure of from five to ten minutes. The case is now practically cured. The second case was that of a man sixty-eight years of age. A superficial cancer was cured in eleven applications of five minutes each. The next case is even more remarkable. A cancerous growth which had recurred after operation was cured by six applications of the X-rays. That was five years ago, and there has been no return. In another case the patient, a man of fifty-nine years was advised by Sir Frederick Treves, the King’s physician, not to undergo an operation owing to the extensiveness of the growth. The application of X-rays was stopped two years ago and there has been no recurrence. And so with the remainder of the ten cases.