The San Francisco call., 1909-09-27
SURGEON SEES
CANCER ENIGMA
NEAR SOLUTION
Chicago Scientist Returns With
Message From Medical Con-
gress at Budapest
American Operators Credited
With Most Expert Work in
Curing Diseases
Especial Dispoieh 10 The Call

Especial Dispatch 10 The Cali
CHICAGO. Sept 26.-Dr. John B.
Murphy, on his return from Europe to-
day, brought a message from the in
ternational medical congress at Buda-
pest, which he attended. that medical
men were laying siege to the enigma
of cancer and that the day was at hand
when the disease would be listed
among the durable afflictions
Mr.. Bashford. a noted English
surgeon, read a paper at the congress
which reviewed the work done toward
solving the riddle Of cancer for the last
quarter of a century" said Dr. Murphy.
He did not profess to establish its
cause, but he demonstrated it's course
and progress in which it destroyed life.
Surgeons Like Explorers
AS result of this exposition there
is no doubt that the treatment of can
Ger could give better results.
Summing up all the work done in
the last two decades, as shown by that
paper, / think it is fair to presume that
the next five years should bring out the
tifc men are approaching the problem
as arctic explorers have sought the
north pole, and 1T is my belief that as
the north pole has been found by more
than one man, so will a number of men
arrive at the solution of cancer at the
same time.
New Treatment Outlined
"A new treatment for cancer was out
lined at the congress. 1t is simply the
early surgical removal. BY early I
mean short time after il shows itself
rather than. say. the fourteenth month,
which we generally wait for now before
attempting to remove it. The greatest
cause OF mortality in cancer and all the
acute infectious diseases is procrasti
nation in their treatment.
America has been doing some great
research work. In other lines also the
country has been achieving great re-
suits Since the last congress America
has had to its credit the obliteration of
mortality of spinal meningitis as the
result of the work of the Rockefeller
institute.
That is sufficient glory for any one
country, not to speak of any one man
or institution.
New lines of treatment are going
to be essentially the serum or vaccina-
ton treatment, and il given in time
diseases is going to be reduced to
practically nothing.
Glory for Americans
The basis of all of these is the
tality from which has been reduced
from 50 per cent to 1 q per cent The
mortality of hydrophobia is practically
nil if the Pasteur treatment is applied
in time. Deaths from lockjaw will be
wiped off the map.
The current of medical training in
the future is going to be a rapid and
increa sing one on the other side. where
90 years ago if you would ask a man
If he were going to America to OBJ
serve the work he would laugh Today
every advanced man there feels he
owes it to himself and to science to
observe the work being done in
America.
That is, l believe, the most strik-
ing change one observes that has
taken place in the last quarter of a
century. To use quotation from one
of the best operators l saw since 1
left for Europe. i always say to my
assistants that we must do that in
the exact and expert way the Ameri-
cans do it 1t surely was a great
compliment. He said that to a large
audience"