CANCER EXPERT ARRIVES TO WORK IN N.Z.

Grey River Argus, 12 April 1948, Page 5

CANCER EXPERT ARRIVES TO WORK IN N.Z.

STATEMENT ON INCREASE OF THE DISEASE F.A. WELLINGTON, April 11. “There has been definite progress in the study of cancer in the past five years”, said Doctor F. Bielschowsky, who arrived from England in the Ruahine to be director of new laboratories established at 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 in- > fluenced by drugs, he said. He laughted, and said that it was absolutely absurd, when asked if he had heard of the claim of Mr Braund that he was curing cancer in Australia. He said: “In many cases of advanced cancer, when medical men can do little or nothing, poor people in desperation go to quacks. I object to the quack who takes money out of these poor people”. Dr Bielschowsky said that his particular interest in cancer research lay in the conditions which favoured the development of tumours. Biochemistry was one of many factors in research, and through it endeavours were be-, ing made to find dietitic means of controlling cancer. His wife, also a qualified doctor, would help him 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 a virus.

He said that if a patient went to a doctor early, the chances of cure, by one means or other, might be very good. There might be an early diagnosis of skin or breast cancers, but the biggest trouble was that of early diagnosis of abdominal cases. “Cancer is increasing to-day, 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 are naturalised British subjects. They hope to settle and make their home in New Zealand. For the past nine years Dr Bielschowsky has been carrying out research • at Sheffield UniVerSlty ' AUCKLAND, April 11 The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has bought an electron microscope in Britain and it is due to be delivered very soon. A young Auckland physicist employed by the department (Air K. I. Williamson) has been in Melbourne for the past six weeks engaged in the study of this instrument. He said, the electron microscope had contributed fresh knoweldge in almost every branch of scientific research, incl’.ling the photographing oi the fluei/.a virus for the first time,, and much valuable work on textile fibres and paint pigments. The most powerful ordinary microscope was limited to about 2000 magnification. hTe electron instrument resolved detail much more finely to obtain magnification of