DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER

Hokitika Guardian, 15 January 1927, Page 4

DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER

BLOOD SERUM DISCOVERY

(By Percy Dunn, F.R.C.S.)

; LONDON, Nov. 1. The discovery o? tbe Shaw-M.tc- ’ | kenzic blood scrum test for ninccr is one of the most striking examples of 'painstaking. Indefatigable reI | search work in this country, j For more than twenty years Dr i Shaw-Mackenzie devoted himself to I | this self-imposed task. Day after day, | tor many hours, his attention was exelusively concentrated upon it. His enthusiasm never lacked, so much ' so that it attracted warm interest j among his fellow-workers in King’s College laboratory. i Nevertheless he was encouraged by, ! and was cordially supported with advice from Sir AY. D. Halliburton, then Professor of Physiology at King's College, the director of the laboratory. The annual cost, by no means inconsiderable, of his prolonged investigations was provided by Dr Shaw-Mackenzie i himself. The results, as his work proceeded, had each to be recorded, tabulated, scheduled, and compared. The numerous note-books in his possession testify to the. additional tabour which this must have involved. | NEW GROUND, j When a new result was obtained this | often meant a new lino of investigation ; to determine its significance and bearing up the general scope of the ini qnirv. such a process of elimination • was continually in operation, delaying , the final issue, but that was unavoidable. In truth he was working upon I new ground which had never been explored before. i Still, his unquenchable spirit never abated, in the face of disappointments which form time to time had to be encountered. Nothing was allowed to intervene to arrest his progress. Ultimately the discovery of his test came within sight and Die reward of his ambition was achieved. TNTRTCATE PROCESSES. What has been the sequel, so far. in this country? Has the test been re- , ceived with any recognition worthy of j it as a distinct advance affecting the solution uf the c-ancer problem? Let it be remembered that it was evolved I from many intricate processes of scien- ' tific research, and let it he plainly ! understood that this research work has j been entirely ignored. « Not the least reference has been '

made to it., nor lias any attempt, oflicially. been undertaken to submit it. to verification. More surprising still lias been the attitude of the medical journals in this connection. Dr ShawMaekenize has been largely debarred from giving professional publicity to bis discovery. In n sense, perhaps, a policy of caution has probably accounted for this conspiracy of silence and neglect. This neglect, however, cannot he justified on any grounds. It should be remembered that the resoiroh work was a product of King’s College Inbjjtory. am] who can pretend to maintain that this distinguished centre of research would have imperilled its reputation by sanctioning the issue of a scientific result which failed to reach the high standard upon which it prides itself ?

The authority upon this point rests iu the hands of the director. Incidentally a marked instance of the suppression of the knowledge of this test occurred only two months ago. A distinguished physician wrote: “Since a positive diagnosis of cancer carries with it a prognosis of great seriousness, it behoves the practitioner to walk very warily. It is a wise practice never to diagnose cancer unless you are certain.” ADVANTAGES OF THE TEST. But., it may he added, while the practitioner is waiting for the confirmation of liis suspicions, the disease continues to advance, and when at last the aid of a, surgeon is summoned it has probably reached an inoperable stage. Tn illustration of the advantages of the test the following ease may be cited, one among mnnv to which attention lias been drawn privately. An elderly man was advised by bis friends to enter a large metropolitan hospital for the treatment of some ol>scuro gastric symptoms the nature of which suggested malignant disease. An exploratory operation was accordingly decided upon to e'oar up the diagnosis. Hilt, to this the patient objected. On returning homo the Shnw-Alac-konzio blood test, was resorted to. The reaction negatived rancor. 'I be gastric symptoms subsequently under treatment were completely relieved, and the patient is still alive and well.

CAXCEtt BEVEAI.FTX Ono day T was shown in tin? laboratory liv Or Sha w-Maekeiii'.io six tost tubes in a stanil, containing blond soruin to which tilt' test bail boon appliod. Tbo spocimens bad boon sent without any labels from a London hospital with tilt* request for a. report. Oufy ono of the six responded to tbo tost a pale, opalescent deposit elioracterislic of malignant disease. Ibe live other specimens were taken from patients suffering from various disceascs. On inquiry the cancer reaction revealed by tbe test wins evidence of a ease of cancer. This was subsequently confirmed after removal of tbe disease, tbo exact nature of it having previously been a matter oi doubt. It. remains to state that tbe opinion of the distinguished authority Sir W. ,) Simpson, expressed in the “Daily Mail” last week, again justifies tbe attention here being drawn to tbe elin-ieal importance of the Shaw-Mao-kenzie test. From tbe teebnieal aspect. it. is of interest to recall thai much speculation was excited in tbe laboratory with reference to tbe nature of the deposit which resulted from the test. For some time this remained undetermined. Afterwards it was found to be a. physiological product known tis cholesterol.

Does the presence oi this substance indicate an excess of it in cancerous blood, presumably owing, to some perversion of nutrition associated with the cause of cancer ? Science lias slill to inquire into ibis biological pioblcm. since from its solution mov lie derived who call tell?—a new link in hoping to advance our knowledge of malignant disease.

reddled that (>OO years ago the use of coal as fuel iu London was a capital offence. One man was even executed for this crime. Six hundred years lienee people wouhl laugh at this generation for thinking that coal was fit for nothing hut to burn NOX-PROI>t?CTIVE MILLION’S. Dr li. Lessing, consulting engineer. London, dwelt on the appalling waste resulting in Britain from the burning of coal which was not cleaned. He calculated that the tonnage of ash in flio yearly coal production in the United Kingdom exceeded by 25.000,000 tons tho output of iron ore. The cost of the railway transport of this useless material amounted to. £5,000,000. Add to this tho cost of the handling of tho ash, disposal and so forth and it. would ho seen that the non-produc-tivo expenditure' in Great Britain from the hunting of coal ranged from £lO,000.000 to £20.000.000. Air Walter E. Trent, mining and metallurgical engineer, New York, declared that tho process of pulverising coal to the consistency of talcum powder, so th'.at it becomes fluid when heated and runs like water, would be followed by the use of this new cotil in internal-combustion engines instead of petrol. In a few weeks’ time the first motor-engine to he operated by oil obtained by pulverising coal would make its appearance in IQansas City.