CANCER RESEARCH

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1933, Page 7

CANCER RESEARCH

PROGRESS MADE

WORK OF DUNEDIN CLINIC

DUNEDIN, December 19

Some interesting features of the progress of cancer research in the Dominion were revealed at a meeting held m the Medical School library, when representatives of the Ua-ncer Campaign Society from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin attended to review the year's worK. Sir Louis Barnett reported having recently paid a. visit of inspection to the consultation clinic, which is held in the radium and X-ray dtparvment of the Dunedin Hospital every Monday afternoon. There is an honorary consulting staff appointed periodically for this purpose, representing the university departments of (medicine, surgery, pathology j and radiology, and although the caZ-es brought forward for consultation are mostly hospital patients, any medical practitioner may bring to the clinic cases he ig attending in private practice, so that both his patients and he himself may benefit by the advice placed at their disposal by the specially trained observers.

Sir Louis Barnett reported that the organisation of the clinic appeared to be excellent, and, much credit for its success Was due to the registrar and to the nursing sister in attendance. Patients attended willingly in largo numbers, and were obviously .appreciative of the sympathetic and valuable service the clinic afforded them. Ag a contribution to collective research into the earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of malignant disease, the work of these clinics was undoubtedly of the highest importance, and already through the accumulation and pooling •of the knowledge obtained, the victims of this terrible affliction were being restored to health and comfort in ever increasing numbers.

AN ILLUSTRATION. A very convincing illustration of this optimistic statement was given by the clinic a,fortnight ago;..when a series of 14 women patients, who ' had been treated and apparently, cured of the dreaded cancer of ■ the breast, submitted themselves voluntarily for examination at a meeting o.f the Medical Association. Most of these ' cases • had been treated partly .by radiation, partly bv operation, but. in four cases no operation whatever had been done the cure being effected’.'entirely by radiation methods.

It was further reported to the meeting that Mr Strong, M.fic., of Wellington, who was recently appointed physicist to the society, was to go to the physical laboratories in Melbourne and Sydney t 0 study the methods in. use tllete for the standardisation and calibration of X-i’ay and radium appliances. On his return to New Zealand he would visit - (regularly the four main centres for the purpose of checking and calibrating the X-ray and radium apparatus in use, in order that it might be maintained at maximum efficiency.