CANCER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1835, 22 August 1913, Page 5

CANCER.

—fr-- — TASMANIAN.DOCTOR'S CLAIM. , USE OF X-RAYS. % A remarkable discovery is said to have been Made by Dr. Roberts, senior house Mtrge.an °f the Jlobart general Hospital, concerning the treatment and cure cf cancer. 1-or years ho has specialised ill the treatment of cancer by the use of X rays, and his experience in this direction ha-s lead to a development of great importance. 1 Dr. Roberts's treatment consists of further development in the use o.f t he Rontgen ray by employing only secondary .rays, pv tins means tie lias, during the past three years, treated 10 cases, and, according to.the Sydney "Telegraph':;" correspoiHicnt, has had 100 per- cent, of cures ot surface cancer. Dr. Roberts has laboured unceasingly in the furtherance of his work. He conducted a.ll interviewer to his operating-room and demonstrated the use of tho X ray instrument. He Showed llis own discovery of the use of the secondary rays for cancer of tho breast. He uses a large thick plate of pure tin upon which he strikes the primary rays of th° X rays instrument, lie adjusted a plate, turned on the current, and amid tho roar of a dynamo told the pressman something of the action of the, ray. The patient sits'on a chair with the tin plate close against the cancerous gicwtli. The X rays strike from tlio tube and _ excite the plate, striking both ways, but in each case these secondary rays are very different from the primary rays. The excited metal throws oft' soft rays of known quality. These are rays that effect the cure if these secondary rays from these metals are reliable, and besides there is no risk of burning the normal skin tissue with them. That is the great risk with the primary ray. The secondary ray is always soit, but the primary ray is bald and penetrating. The ray tube contains various primary rays of different strength and different kinds, and thoso Tays of the greatest penetration may effect tne deeper parts' of the patient. ■ Contrary to the intention of tho operator,the further quality of tho rays varies with tlio condition of the tube. It is, therefore, impossible to be certain of its effects or to control it, but the secondary rays from the metals are capable of being modified by the operator, and further, of being adapted to the peculiar .circumstances of each case by the use of different metals. The metals used are silver, copper, and tin.

As to whether the lapse .of time'liad shown that his cures weio peinnanent, Dr. Roberts replied that he had followed up his eases as far as he possibly could, and so.far lie had not had one case* of disease coining back. It was now three years from the first case he had treated with secondary rays, and there had been no recurrence of trouble. J uiit'before ho started his new method an old man had been coming to him tlireo times a week for Steven months, and he had. not been able to do him any good, but with the second; arv ray from the silver plate he took cancer oil' in three weeks, and there had been no- appearance of it since. The secondary lay lias particular action on the cancer cells. It kills them and they are absorbed and pa« away as bad matter. The great advantage of this matter is that the secondary iay has not the slightest effect upon t-'ho normal skin. Interesting comment on Dr. Eoberts's statement was made by Dr. S. G. Strahan, who is acting as X-ray and radium specialist at the Melbourne Hospital. "Dr. Roberts has been experimenting on slightly different lines from those already known for treatment of this surface cancer," said Dr. Strahan, "and lias met with'some success. For five'years the treatment of a case by these second or softening rays has been known, and used with a great deal of success, but whereas the treatment up to the present—and we have been using it on hundreds of cases for the past two years at the MelbourneHospital—has been, a process of using filtered rays through thin tin, Dr. Roberts

has used thick plates of tin and silver, mid has discovered rays which draw certain properties from the metals at tlio same time as they are being tillered.

"Hut,, in his experiments, which have extended over three years, ho has been combining the use ,ot primary X or radium rays with those secondary ruys tittered tlirough thick pieces of metal, ,so that it is hard to make any very big claim yet. The successful treatment 01 cancer by X-rays and radium rays refers only to superficial cancers aud rodent ulcers, and nothing of a mora searching nature. The treatment of these superficial cancers, where there is no glandular infection, has been carried out with marked success at the hospital, where by the use of both the hard primary X-rays and radium ray's, and by softened or secondary rays, we have had 90 pelcent. of cures. AYe have caused ulcers to disappear, in most cases not to return, but in those that do a continuance of tlio treatment has secured their healing. Obstinate cases are subjected to the influence of the secondary rays. Professor AVelsh, of the Chair of Pathology at Sydney University, said he thought that Dr. Roberts's statements as they stood sounded . very promising. "But, of course," lie added, ''wo don't know yet what prodf there is that the cases cured are actually cancer cases. Any.si-rgcon will tell'you that there arc changes in the breast and in the skin which simulate cancer very closely,' but which, are not cancer. Probably when the doctor makes his communication to some medical paper more definite proof will be given."

The .Professor was asked wliether a three-year test was long enough. "There are some cancers," he replied, "which, as it were, hang fire for more than three years. You may remove the. primary seat of the cancer, and yet the remote cells may show signs of'it after that time; Still, in the majority of cases, a three-year test would be more than enough."

"Until, however, the value of this new method has been proved," the Professor ended, "it would be very inadvisable for a sufferer from cancer to build any hope upon it. He should rather trust to what has been known in tho past to do goodremoval by means of the knife."