New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-04
PUBLIC WARNED
AGAINST RADIUM
Medical Society Deprecates
Blind Faith in Power
to Cure Cancer.
SURGICAL METHODS
STILL PROVE BEST
No Proof Yet That Mineral Has
Eliminated One Advanced
Case of Disease.

Pittsburgh. Feb. a warning against
blind faith I'm The cure ~ cancer Dy radi-
UNI was addressed - the public tonight
by repre sontativcs Of the American So
ciety FOR the Control Of Cancer u is
planned to hold similar meetings in vari-
Gus parts OF the country.
The speakers tonight pointed out that
the radium treatment Of cancer is as Yet
p matter Of experiment.. and the success
ful results have been obtained chiefly in
the treatment Of external cancers. par
ticularly ~ the skin
A sufficient quantity OF radium and the
required experience in its use will not be
available Tor some years. and in the mean
time it is practically certain that large
numbers OF people are likely 10 be de-
luded by false hopes The first principle
in cancer treatment is the extreme dan
ger OF delay. and thus far a thoroughly
QUE 'ifed operation seems 10 hold out the
onl. nope for a cure.
or the thousands of cancer cures
brought forward. practically none YIELDS
satisfactory results and the warning can
not be made too strong against pubic
faith in the frequent announcement of
cancer cures by other than surgical meth
DDS
According to the speakers. radium mas
probably been shown TO exert a definitely
curative effect on certain Of the mod
erately malignant and superficial cancers
Of the skin. mouth and other readily ac-
cessibe mucous membranes. provided 1t
IS applied while the disease is still local
and in the early stages.
Radium definitely relieves suffering
when used in the advanced stages OF
deeper-seated cancers. but in those cases
II improves only the visible or tanglpie
manifestations. and eXerts no effect upon
the disseminated disease as whole. IL
Is believed that there Is no proof that
radlum has finally cured any one case OF
advanced and disseminated cancer.
Statistical evidence was presented pN
Frederick /. Hoffman. statstician. OF
Newark. who said the recorded expert
ence of the best hospitals goes TO show
that earliest possible Opel dtioh iOi N'~'
seems TO offer the only hope Tor cure
These records prove conclusively that
the initial loss of life in such operations
is very low. The statistics of private
practice also prove that the FISK OF re-
currence is gradually becoming less, whle
the percentage of distinctly favorable re-
suits is increasing.
In Pittsburgh 36s deaths from cancer oc-
CURED in 1912. and the rate was 81 10 the
100 90 Of population. as compared with 81
for New York City, 80 for Philadelphla
and 70 for Chicago. The speaker sa'u
that in 1912 81 per cent OF all deaths from
cancer in the United States were at aeeA
forty-fve and over. 40,
Referring to the campaign Tor puoho
education now being undertaken by the
society Mr.. Hoffman described the re-
suits which followed the campaign INIT
ated in Eastern Prussia by winter oi
Koenigsberg. When the campaign "aa
started. in the early s0s, the cancer deatn
rate Of Koenigsberg had increased from
- in 1880 TO 10 in 1895. The rate continued
n increase up to 1897. when it reached q
maximum Of 1ss to the 10000 OF the popu-
Iation. Subsequent TO that year 'he 'a'e
oroduaIIv declined TO a minimum polh'
Of 1ls for the year 1917.