THE CANCER PROBLEM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19766, 14 February 1927, Page 7

THE CANCER PROBLEM

VIEWS OF DOCTORS' MUCH RESEARCH BEING DONE f Per Press Association. T DUNEDIN, Feb. 12. The public will probably be disappointed at the outcome of the discussion iu the Alcdical Congress on tho problems associated with cancer, for no new views were put forward, either in regard to the cause or cure of the malignant disease. Professor P. MacCallum, of Melbourne University, when interviewed, uttered a warning against the extravagant claims made from time to time and deplored the spurious prominence given some of these. He was sceptical concerning tho alleged spread of cancer, for in many instances an investigation of statistics showed that the data were insufficient, vitiated, or wrongly applied. Some interesting work on heredity in relation to cancer had been carried out by Miss Slye, who had found out that so far as mice were concerned, cancer was dependent on true interited characters. It was too early yet to pass final judgment on the work of Dr. Gye, whose claim that a certain form of malignant disease was due to an ultra-microscopic virus and a chemical specific factor had been challenged. In Liverpool Dr. Blair Bell had treated patients with a colloidal form of lead and claimed success, and a great deal of research was being carried out as the result of his ideas. Professor AfacCallum said that it was scarcely possible to draw any useful conclusion from the heretogeneoui mass of available facts. They knew a great deal about cancer and hoped tc know much more in the near future. Dr. Wi Repa (Gisborne) said that ii his experience cancer was common among the ATaoris, although the re verse was held to be the case. He suggested that formerly, when the ATaoris were a very warlike people.few of the males reached the cancer age. Dr. L. E. Barnett (Dunedin') said that in recent years there had been an Improvement in the mortality from cancer of the mouth, breast and uterum, and Dr. A. Norton AfcArthur pleaded for earlier d ; agnosia, while Dr. P. D. Cameron (Wellington') was anxious that every woman suffering from cancer should he examined by a surgeon, physician, gvnaceologist. and radiologist. Ho was satisfied that a great deal of success had boon attained by means of deep X-ray therapy.