DEFINITE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE STUDY OF CANCER

Wanganui Chronicle, 12 April 1948, Page 4

DEFINITE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE STUDY OF CANCER

(P.A.) Wellington, April II “There has been definite progress in the study of cancer in the past five years,” said Dr. F. Bielschowsky, who arrived from England in the Ruahine to be director of the new laboratories established at the Otago University by the New Zealand Branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society Certain types of cancer, it had now been established, could be influenced by drugs, he said. “It was absolutely absurd,” he said when asked if he had heard of the claim of Mr. J. Braund that he was curing cancer in Australia. “In many cases of advanced cancer, when medical men can do little or nothing, poor people in desperation go to quacks,” said Dr. Bielschowsky. “I object to a quack who makes money out of these poor people.” Dr. Bielschowsky said his particular interest in cancer research lay :n conditions which favoured the development of tumours. Bio-chemistrv was one of the many factors in research, and through it endeavours were being made to find dietitic means of controlling cancer. His wife also is a qualified doctor and would help nim in that branch of the work in the Dunedin laboratories.

Some cancers might be caused by a virus, but there was not the slightest proof yet that human cancers were caused by virus, he said. If a patient went to a doctor early the chances of cure, by one means or the other, might be very good. There might be an early diagnosis of skin or breast cancers, but the biggest trouble was an early diagnosis of abdominal cases.

“Cancer is increasing today because the percentage of old people is on the increase,” he said. “This is the greatest single factor, for the disease is rare in the young. It is in the fifties and sixties that it is most prevalent, and there are more of those ages because infectious diseases are losing their terrors.”

Dr. Bielschowsky and his wife ate naturalised British subjects. They hope to settle and make their home in New Zetland. For the past nine years Dr. Bielschowsky has been canning out research at Sheffield; University.