New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-18
CrOcker Foundation Work
at Columbia Hasn't Yet
Proved Its Value.
THREE-YEAR TEST
IS THE MINIMUM
All Known Means Are Tried, but
Exper;menters Refuse to Give
Positive Endorsements.

The physicians engaged in cancer re-
search under Or. Francis Carter WOOD
Of the George Croker Foundation, at
Columbia University. are spending a great
deal OF time these days testing cures by.
radium, but so far they have not FOUND
that radum is a cure, although they do
not wish to make a definite statement TO
that effect.
Rasiium is one OF the many specifics
which the Croker physicians are trying
under the most difficult conditions they
can impose. and they feel that ii will take
years OF study before they can be sure
that radi,1m or any other method is sure
cure for the disease.
That three years is absolutely the mimi
mum period In which any one can say that
a positive remedy has been found for can
Ger is the theory OF the physicians under
DR.. Wood.
The Columbia scientists point out that
many of the cancers which are said TO
have been cured by radium could have
been cured as easily and as quickly with
the knife. because practically any cancer
can be cured II cut out before ii has time
to develop.
Most of the experiments are made on
rats. mice and chickens, 5000 of when
, have been made subjects. DR.. Wood and
! his first assistant DR. William H. Wog-
Iom. spend practically all of their time
| i'm the laboratories, and, although they
have not found the cause of the disease,
they have no difficulty in injecting the
ina
| method Of cure is suggested it is tried
| on a hundred mice AS soon as cure
| is effected the work will be done. To date
! however the eXperimenters have not
found anything that would justify de-
I carng a sure cure.
I Only a few suggested cures have been
| tried on patients, and whether they have
| been successful the doctors cannot say
! because Of the three-year period, which
alone will determine the effectiveness
Even three years is not too long, In their
opinion, for cancers oftentimes return
after FIVE years, and there are cases wnere
| twelve years have elapsed between the
supposed cure and the date OF the recur-
renee of the disease.
Cures suggested by any one from Pata-
! gonia TO Hudson Bay and Madagascar 10
! Chicago will be tried by the Crocker
laboratories, provided that the physicians
are not held up for a fee before beginning
work. Cases have arisen where the man
suggesting a cure would not divulge MS
secret unless he received $4,000 in ad-
vance. Needless TO say, the money was
not forthcoming and the cure was not
tried.
New substances which might have a
possible value in the cure OF the disease
are constantly being tried and tested FOR
medicinal properties, and are applied 20
| the tumors on animals that are diseased.
Besides the work OF investigating
causes and cures, the laboratory Is en-
gagged in making itself an authority on
| the diagnosis OF the disease.
I The building which houses the labora-
| tories is 100 feet long and 30 feet wide
and Is on the field that Columbia bought
two or three years ago as site for the
| College OF Physicians and Surgeons, but
since devoted to other purposes because
OF the agreement entered into by Column
bIa and the Presbyterian Hospital.