The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-07-27
COUNTY DOCTORS

AT HONESDALE IN SEPTEM-
BIER. WITH DIR. MINER AS
TALKER.
The quarterly meeting of the
Wayne County Medical society was
held Thursday, at the summer home
of DR.. George T. Rodman, at Fair
view Lake, Pike county. The fol-
lowing members were in attendance:
Doctors w. A. Stevens, A. b. Stew
ems, E. o. Bang, S. A. Bang, F. w.
Corson, A. j. Simons, o. J. Mullen,
G.. T. Rodman, r. w. Brady, p. F.
Griffin, w. T. McConvill and L. b.
Nielsen. Also the following visitors:
Doctors j. NJ. Wainwright, A. w.
Smith, ID. A. Webb, j. ID. Wilson, II.
F. Smith and r. G. Perkins of Scran-
ton; d. B. Hand of Dalton; r. H.
Ely and X. T. Wall of Hawley.
About half the doctors were accom-
panied by their wives.
At 1890 a. IN. President w. A.
| Stevens called the meeting to order.
After routine business had been dis
! posed of, Doctors John E. Bennett
of Starrucca. Wayne county, and
Frank o. Smith of Shohola, Pike
county, were unanimously elected to
| membership, making a total active
membership of 32. DR.. G. T. Rod
man of Hawley was elected delegate
to the annual convention of the med
ical society of the state of Pennsyl-
vania to be held at Pittsburg Oct
3 to Oct. 6.
The subject for the consideration
of the meeting was Cancer"
How we can help check the NOR
tality from cancer" was the subject
Of very able paper by Jonathan NJ.
Wainwright, NJ. D., surgeon-in-chief
to the D., L, and W. railroad and
chairman of the cancer committee of
the state medical society. A general
discussion followed.
This meeting was part of a move
ment going on all over the state to
try to check the present very high
mortality of cancer. The paper and
discussion showed that the present
mortality is due very largely to the
fact that great part of the general
public hold very erroneous ideas
concerning cancerous growths and it
is believed that general instruction
of the public concerning cancer will
be as useful in saving lives as a sim
liar instruction has already proved
in the case of tuberculosis.
1t was shown first of all at the
meeting that cancer is a very pre-
valent disease, some four or five
thousand people dying of it every
year in Pennsylvania, and in a num-
ber of districts in Pennsylvania the
death rate from cancer is as high
as that from tuberculosis.
The most harmful idea that is held
by the people is that cancer is neces.
sarily a hopeless disease and that
| when an individual is afflicted with
it, there is no use for any treatment
, whatever. This idea was strongly
, combated by all physicians present
and it was shown that if proper
treatment is begun early, cancer il
: one of the most easily durable
: chronic diseases that there is. 1t is
never a constitutional disease affect
ing the whole body, but in it's early
|
confined to a few cells, and if these
! diseased cells are removed surgically
the patient, in a vast majority o.
cases, will be permanently cured
OF course, if the patient delays seek
| ing medical aid, the disease viii
: after a time spread and finally
reach an incurable stage, and the
} principal reason now why so man!
2 people die of cancer is because they
| are so prone to wait until these lat
+ ter incurable stages are reached. /
? these people had applied to medica
l men for treatment early, while thei
= disease was still local and entirel!
t durable, their lives could probabl!
( have been saved.
In nearly all cases, cancer shows
e itself in ample time for complete
= cure. The ways in which it show
( itself, of course, differ in differen
9 portions of the body. One of tn,
most frequent situations of cance
= is in the breast. The trouble her
e first appears in the form of a small
= hard lump. Any person who notice
S such a lump should seek medica
= advice at once, because If it is
: cancer it is very simple to remov
: it while it is still small and it viii
= almost surely never come back.
= Cancer is also common in tn,
: stomach. Here it shows itself i
= some form of indigestion or dyspep
e tic symptoms which are obstinat
and do not yield to medicines. S
that anyone who has prolonge
symptoms of Indigestion shoul
Immediately have their cause deter
- mined without waiting until tn
/ trouble has become too serious t
# be relieved.
Cancer also appears sometimes o
n the skin or superficial mucous men
: branes, as the lip. Here it appear
It as a little ulcer or wart-like swell
IS ing which will not heal up.
IS One of the most frequent sites {
l. cancer is the womb. Any bleeding
even If but a single or occasioni
stain on the underclothing, Occurin
after the menoDouSe or the deVeloI