THE RADIUM APPEAL.

Shannon News, 27 November 1923, Page 3

THE RADIUM APPEAL.

Professor L. E. Barnott, Professor of Surgery, writes from Otago University:—"l have had the opportunity of seeing nearly all the eases that have 'been under radium treatment in Dunedin since the establishment of our little Eadium Department. Our- supply of radium was very meagre at first, but was gradually augmented, thanks to the public and. Government generosity, but even now we have only 186 .milligrammes) which cost us approximately £23 per milligramme. Nevertheless, we have had quite a gratifying number of successes, and we have come to the conelusion that radium is a very good friend to the cancer sufferer. We feel that we could lesson the number of failures from our radium treatment (and we never, hide the fact that our failures have been many), if wo had more radium and more convenient tubes for inserting it, ami in particular, if avc had; a radium emanation outfit and a deep x-ray therapy 'insJ.allation to use in conjunction with.-radium,, « "We have decided to have all the wants supplied, and oar appeal for funds is launched. Wc asking for £SOOO from the public, partly because we already have a certain amount of accommodation and equipment,'and-an expert radiologist trained in ■ radium work a!:eady partly hecavihe we think 500 milligrammes of ra-'Jium will sufuce for the ne :J.-s of Ctago and ScriV.smd at anv tato.

r "Vou, in Wolli/igto.-i I apposing for £lo,ouo, and J slioujf; like ta convey to you ray cordial wishes for success. Wellington should certainly have a thoroughly efficient ftadium Department, and, cater for the needs of its own district. At the present time wc have in Dunedin patients under , radium treatment who haye come from your province, and also patients from Auckland, Canterbury, and Southland. We have been the pioneers amongst T\Tnw Zealand hospitals of-tho radium

treatment. We feel we hive made good, and we intend developing, the Radium' Department of the Dunedin Hospital to the highest state of - efficiency that our funds will permit, so that our cancer patients may have the benefit of the most modern and approved methods of treatment, and our medical students who will be future practitioners in the Dominion may have the advantage of learning the latest developments in medical science. "I know you wish lis w'oll in our campaign, and we in Dunedin hope you too will find a ready rosponse from the public whose hearts must surely be touched by so worthy an appeal, a\nd so with the best wishes for entire sue-