SIRT. PARINSON.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 October 1921, Page 4

SIRT. PARINSON.

AN INTERESTING CAREER. AUCKLAND. October 3. From the position of a New Zealand station band to that of a leading London physician is th- n-markable life history ol Sir Thomas Harkins,in. who ai-l-ivi-il liy lie- tienniera on Someday on a holiday visit to bis until i* land.. Sir Thomas was born at Kaituna. Canterbury, where a number i t liis brothers and sisters still reside. \s a youth he came North, and for 13 months worked on Tckau station, near Raglan. Forty years ago he was diming cattle from Raglan to Wtiiuku. He went to Edinburgh. I- «' he graduated. and then acted for two years as physician on the estate of the Duke of Sutherland. He engaged in private practice in Scotland lor eight years, and then went to London, where be rapidly rose in bis profession. Before tlie war lie was physician to th,. German Court in London, and attended many members of the German Royal Family, being on intimate terms with l’lince Henry of Prussia. Prior to the war In' was invited to go to the Russian Court, but upon the advice of the British Foreign IMIh-e be declined tbe appointment. it being thought- that his occupancy of the position might lead to jealous anti-Hritish feeling. At the time the war broke out he was attending most of tlm members of the British Cabinet, and was present at 10 Downing Street upon the fateful night of August 4th., when the decision was made to draw tbe swot'll. Sir Thomas, it is understood is a personal friend of Mr -Asquith. Sir Thomas and Lady Parkinson will spend live months in New Zealand, anil will then continue their tour of the world going on to I Australia and theme to China and S .lava.

'•RADIUM A FAILURE." AUCKLAND. October 3. ‘ Radium lias proved a failure, ’ said Sir Thomas Parkinson, in an interview with a reporter, ''ll has dropped out almost entirely. Many of the lea-ling surgeons have now discarded it altogether as an agent in the surgery, ju a large clinic with which T am associated xu ' have given it up. \\ e only use it where patients insist upon it. w’c use it entirely upon their own re spimsibility. ‘•There has been no other agent that has been brought more mt» Iputi kery.’ What can he done with radium, can he done infinitely better with X-rays. Quite recently at a West London hospital they succeeded in establishing the fact that any ad-vani-ed X-ray has u selective property which will attack a malignant disease. The drift in London is to discard radium and concentrate mi X-rays. The latter lias stood the lest. Although many eases are unsuceessfnl. we can claim many remarkable cures 1 believe that money now spent on any form of original work should he concentrated on advancing the X rav. more especially un the new treatment brought in by an Austrian. I think it is very unwise indeed to spend large sums in attempting advanced treatment with radium. “It is very wrong that the public should get a false impression of its properties and actions. Not only is it an ineffective remedy in most eases, but positively dangerous results are prod need by burning and aggravating rather than by improving the disease.”