CANCER-A NEW FACT

Hokitika Guardian, 23 August 1930, Page 7

CANCER-A NEW FACT

Many/ years have passed, says the T London “Times,” since attention was first-drawn to the fact that cancer of the i skin was more repvalent among workers engaged in the Scotish shale industry than among the rest of the That discovery was followed by‘the recognition of the cancerproducing; substances which, when applied : tb-the skin of an animal, give rise, tp,.malignant growths. The nature of these substances has engaged worldwide interest, and many attempts Have been , made to isolate the-prine-iple ’or the element concerned in the RrjOjduction of cancer. So far these efforts ■ have not succeeded,' though a btxfy of ;new knowledge has l>een acMuired. - The most striking among the is- that high temperatures appear to be necessary for the production of most of the cancer-producing su'bstan-ees.'-An such temperatures : be far beyond the capacity of the animal body/ it has been assumed that living I tissue is capable of a synthesis at low temppraturen which can only be produced outside the body by the use of great heat. - The ‘ ihattei’ stood thus until recently has. now been carried to . a stage forward by the discovery in the Re- • search'lnstitute of the Cancer Hospital. that a i certain cancer-producing substance'shows a blue-viloet' fluore- - scene© which becomes very intense in J a>beam of ultra-violet light. This light gives a characteristic, spectrum with three bands. Work is npw/iir progress to discover wether this spectrum is obtainable from all cancer-producing substances/. . In a report published in the “British Medical Journal” Dr. Kehnaway and his co^Jworkef .expressed the hope that the vbry frequent- recurrence of the. fluorfjpectrum in cancer-jproduong substances' might make it possible to -in.- the; preliminary of materials, such ae lu^neating.^oils,. : suspected ,bf containing. -ihpSe ' substances. The manufact-\u|rs:-'6f; - lubricating oils have helped 'work in many ways, a- lively anxiety to Products . from injurious -efSentslf lt: ;;is thought ifS/Itnbwledge which: may prove; of ■ .hijihest Importance has rewardthis co-operation of the factory and W thte : laboratory. •