FIGHTING CANCER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 852, 21 December 1929, Page 13

FIGHTING CANCER

DOMINION-WIDE CAMPAIGN STARTS IN FEBRUARY AUCKLAND DIVISION MEETS A campaign to raise funds for the ] research and treatment of cancer will i start in Auckland early in February. The campaign will be a Dominionwide one, but it is expected that Auckland will play a, big part in this effort to stamp out and observe the treatment of this disease. Yesterday afternoon a meeting was held in the Town Hall to form the Auckland division of the British Empire Cancer Campaign. The Mayor. Mr. George Baildon, presided, and was elected president of the division. The following committee, with power to add, was elected:—Mrs. W. H. Parkes, Mrs. K. Gordon, Mr. \V. Wallace (chairman of the Auckland Hospital j Board), Dr. E. B. Gunson, Mr. Kenneth Mackenzie, Dr. N. McDougall. and the presidents of the British Medical Association, the Rotary Club and the Commercial Travellers’ Club, ex officio. It was decided that Mr. Mackenzie approach Mr. M. R. O’Shea, registrar of the University, and ask him to act as secretary and treasurer. MISCONCEPTION During the meeting it was pointed out that there is a conception on the part of the public that radium in the treatment of cancer had failed, and at the last meeting of the Hospital Board some of the members made remarks to that effect. In view of this Dr. Gunson stressed the nature of the research work which the committee proposed to, do, and quoted the following extract from an English publication: j "The need of research work was emphasised by Lord Moynihan, president of the College of Surgeons, England, in opening a radium clinic two months ago at Burnley. He stated that many cases of cancer of various organs were now being treated by ra,dium in expert hands with a success which sometimes equalled and sometimes surpassed the best the surgeons could do. Radium, however, was a dangerous remedy, and he was delighted that in Burnley they were putting their clinic into the hands of experts, who could control such factors as the amount to be administered, the frequency of administration, and the length of exposure. In this way they could carry out valuable research work side by side with treatment. “To the individual suffering from cancer it was all the world to him that he should be cured, but behind the Individual was the mass of people, and in the treatment of every individual case it was essential that such research work should be carried out as would increase knowledge and strengthen the doctors and physicists in their attack upon future cases.” The bulk of the-work to be done in Auckland will be clinical. It has become evident that the use of radium calls for very expert knowledge. Thi3 can be gained not only by careful noting of patients, tumours, etc., but also by noting the exact dosage of radium and a careful following up of patients after treatment to record the reaction and change. It is essential that all data bearing on every ease should be correlated and tabulated as is done in other parts of the world. The pure academic research work, is only a small part of what will be done in the campaign. Quite SO per cent, of the funds will go to the immediate treatment and relief of patients and the fund will be expended in such a way that this relief will be put into effect as soon as the money is available. The committee, however, will insist that full records of every case be kept to do justice to the treatment of radium. As far as practicable the work to be done will be equally distributed in the four principal centres of the Dominion. r The Central Committee of the fund has agreed that it shall consist of tnree delegates each from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, together with the chairman of the hospital board and the Mayor of each of those four cities, ex officio. When the campaign opens in February a film showing the growth and development of cancer cells will be exhibited and it is also hoped that Dr. Elliott, of Wellington, will address a public meeting. Dr. Gunson, convener of the Auckland Committee, will call a committee meeting in the Town Hall on January 7.