Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-01-30
RADIUM AND CANCER
The New Cure 10 Still Largely Mat.
ter of Experiment.

Radium as q cure for cancer still Is
in an experimental stage and its use
in the treatment of internal cancer
results fatally in a large per centage
Of cases, according to the testimony
before the house mines committee Of
DR.. William H. Campbell, director Of
the radium clinic Of Pennsylvania. DR..
Campbell a few days ago told the
committee that, so far as the deeper
cancer are concerned, I'VE cannot tell
today what the outcome of the radium
| treatment will be-"
We can tell" he said, that there
is disappearance Of the tumor; that
the radium causes the disintegration
of the tissues Of the cancer, but some
thing is created in that disappearance
which is absorbed by the blood and
which kills my patients. I cannot tell,
nobody can tell, for four or five years,
just what the result will be"
How many Of your patients have
died as result Of your treatment?"
asked Representative Byrnes Of South
Carolina.
DR.. Campbell demurred at this, but
finally said that two out Of five Of the
cases treated ended fatally. He added
that all were in cases where the dis
ease would have resulted in death in
few months without treatment.
DR.. Campbell said that at the pres
ent price Of radium the cost to patti
ents ought not to be prohibitive. Il
can treat patients at four cents per
miligram Of radium per hour on an
investment Of $4,000 and double my
money in a year. he declared.
DR.. Francis B. Donoghue, Of Boston,
urged that the committee include, in
any legislation for protecting the ra-
dunn supply, Substitutes for radium"
He said that mesothorium, much
cheaper product than radium, was
equally effective.
James C. Gray general counsel for
the Radium Chemical company, told
the committee that radium treatment
had relievd him Of cancer after several
ineffective operations. He opposed
government interference with the pro-
duction Of radium.
DR.. j. T. Anderson, director Of the
hygienic laboratory Of the United
States public health service, declared
that the public health service was In
position to take charge Of the pro-
duction Of radium for the benefit Of
the entire country.
Secretary of the Interior Lane told
the committee that congress should
break up "the monopoly that keeps
radium at fabulously prohibitive
price" and enact legislation to put
the curative mineral on the market
cheaply for large numbers of suffer-
ers. He said there was no intention
to lock up the mineral or lands indefi-
nitely but simply to get radium out
for public use where 1t would not be
in the hands of a monopoly.
Secretary Lanes proposal was to
divide a certain area into tracts Of $50
acres, allow exclusive licenses to pros
pect and If prospector found radium,
to allow him all the usual rights ex-
cept that the government would take
20 to rs per cent Of the radium obtain
ed. He would give the government abb
solute control over a certain definite
area for the development Of radium on
its own initiative.
Il believe that we should not be con-
fined to developing the ores on any
single withdrawal area" said Secre-
tary Lane. We should say to all the
prospectors in the west go out and
find these ores. the government will
buy the ore from you at reasonable
compensatory price and will reduce
the ores ourselves"