The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-12-08

ing through the Review of Reviews for Deem
Der.
Dr. Kelly has had for use single gram of the
precious substance, quantity barely sufficient
to fill small salt spoon, but even so has had re-
markable results from his half decade of expert
mentation. These results, however, are not such
to Justify the hopes Of a miraculous cure
which has been held out to the public or to give
any foundation to those "radium specialists and
''radium institutes,' all of which, because of the
extremely high price of the substance, on
their very face, frauds But still the results are
more encouraging though not enough to give US
hope that the surgeons knife may Immediately
be dispensed with.
When commenting on this last point Dr. Kel-
ly was very careful to make it plain that radiun1
cannot supplant surgery: Eat BEST he says
"radium is its handmade" And he strongly ad-
vised that every person be most careful to have
expert examination made of any kind of swelling
or other condition giving the faintest Fremont
ton of the dread disease. prevention he says
sis the medical professions greatest hope If
cancer is caught in its earliest stages almost
every case that can be reached by the knife may
be cured.'
Radium has proved most useful in superficial
cancers, those that form on or near the surface
of the body. '1n many cases it effects cures
without pain and without deformity.''
It also be used as an aid to surgery in de-
strOying those scattered tissues not available to
the knife. In some cases cancers, not too far ad-
vanced, may be reached where the surgeon would
not dare to cut, such as, for instance, the neck.
Cancer of the uterus, which is such dread to
women and which has usually proved inaccessi-
BILE to the surgeon, often gives way to radiun
treatment.
Blemishes, birth marks, port wine stains,
and other skin irregularities have been easily
handled by the radium specialist
Cancer, the doctor explains, is group of cells
which have escaped the control of that innate
bioogic law that causes the tissues and organs
to grow in symmetry. Cancerous cells are really
anarchistic tissues that have gotten free from
the harness and run wild in extreme prolific
growth. Were it not for the law of symmetrical
development, ones thumb would grow to seven
or eight feet in life time; and since these can
Ger cells have somehow escaped the control of
that law they are doing that very thing, grow
ing at such rate as to become peril to all 9TH
er cells and tissues.
If a surgeon succeed in cutting out all of
these prolific cells from the flesh he can stop the
cancer, but if any scattered ones remain they
Will multiply so fast as to develop new cancer
Gus mass. That is the reason that surgeons are
most successful in curing cancer in its early
stages: they succeed in getting out all the can
GER cells
Radium is dirty salt that emits three rays,
called alpha, Beta and Gamma" 1t is the last
OF these three that seems able to destroy dis
eased tissue. 1t will pass through healthy cells
without damage, but it disintegrates the cancer
cells lying behind and causes them to seem to
melt away.
The radium SALT" writes Mr.. Hendricks in
describing the method of administering the
cure,' is kept enclosed in a fine platinum tube
about an inch long. The tube is again encased
in lead, which is used because it acts as filter.
keeping in the alpha and beta rays-which are
more destructive of normal tissue-while letting
the gamma rays slip through The tube further
screened with soft substance, is then laid
in immediate proximity to the diseased part; if
necessary, it be attached by surgical plaster
In some cases incisions into the diseased part
may be made as recommended by Dr. Able It's
action upon the cancerous tissues begins at once
the application lasts from to to "a hours
Sometimes in a month six weeks the growth
vanishes. The radium so used can be used over
and over again