BUY RADIUM OR NOT?

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2131, 24 April 1914, Page 7

BUY RADIUM OR NOT?

FOB -WELLINGTON HOSPITAL,

Tho report by Dr. Hardwick Smith on radium, which was presented at last month s meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and tho question as to whether the Wellington Hospital and Charitablo Aid Board should place a sum of money on this year's estimates ior tho purchase of a supply camo up for consideration at yesterday's meeting of tho board. Dr. Hardwick Smith had suggested in Jiis report that a sum of £5000 should be placed on tho estimates for tho purchase of a quantity of radium. Mr. B. R. Gardener, in commenting on tho report, said that the timo would soon arrivo when tho hoard would havo to consider tho purchase of radium. Most of the largo hospitals abroad were now iismg it, and tho board could not put the question aside for long. The,t m y £J?° k , at tlw lar £<> "umber of .people (800) who had lost their lives through cancer in New Zealand last year. He moved: "That tho question ?[ Purchasing a supply of radium for ■tho Wellington Hospital bo held over for discussion till a future date." Dr. Mackenzie said that the reason Why cancer had increased was that people lued longer now than in the past, and consequently grew to an age when cancer took advantage of their wasted tissues to attask them. They had only to look at past statistics, and they would find that tho average death-rate was highor then than now. People who died of cancor had done their large part in life's work.. ■ The case of the old people was not such an urgent mat* tor. "Before wo want to savo tho lives of tho people who have to die," said Dr. Mackenzie, "we should consider combating the diseases that attack tho young." For these reasons the speaker thought the reporu should be hold over. It was eventually decided that Dr. Hardwick Smith be thanked for his excollont and comprehensive report, and that further consideration of it be deferred to a future meeting.