Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-18
Special Gable to The American,

Special Gable to The American.
LONDON, Jan t7--Dr. w. S, Lag
arus- Barlow, director Of the Cancer
research department Of the MiddleseN
Hospital, whose brilliant success with
the radum treatment of cancer, an
nounced this morning, received great
prominence in the press, has mod
estly described the results of his
treatment Of so-called hopeless cases
as "encoura ging," although from
June to September last of 6S cases
treated SO were discharged apparent
ly cured, against a record Of 100 per
cent of mortality In the same period
of 1912.
In discussing his work DR.. Lazarus
Barlow, in spite of the fact that many
patients who entered the hospital to
die have been discharged and are
now going about their work, said,
with scientific caution, it would be
inaccurate to say that cures had
been effected tin considerable time
had elapsed.
DIR. Lazarus Barlow intends to
publish a complete record OF all the
cancer cases treated with radium at
the MiddleseN Hospital up to De
Cember 81 as soon as he has time,
and he declined to-day to discuss
specific cases on the ground that this
information must necessarily appear
first in the bulletin Of his own insti-
tuition, but he finally consented to
give some general advance observa-
tons on the results obtained He
said:
In cases suitable for radium treat
ment we introduce $50 miligrams
into the substance Of the growth ana
leave is for "a hours. Then nothing
IS noticed for two or three days, but
the pain and discharge begin to dis
appear from that time forward. BY
the fourteenth day you can see some
softening, and the growth com
mences to disappear-that is, d.
minution in its size then first be-
comes noticeable.
Fourteenth Is Critical Day.
From the fourteenth day onward
the growth in a satisfactory case
will progressively diminish until by
the end of the month or six weeks
nothing whatever is found except
small scar where the radium was in
PRODUCED
Although we do not find anything
In sight or touch, we must carefully
guard against the assumption that
the cancer is completely cured Min
ute GOlleCliOHE pl CtllS may nave
been left uncured by the radium, and
time alone can say whether this is
the case or not. That the primary
mass vanishes is certain, but one
dare not yet say whether the cancer
as a disease has been cured
Treatment by radium AT the
MiddleseX Hospital has been going
on for two years or more, but a
marked departure in the method OF
treatment took place about six
months ago when We began to use
much greater quantities of radium
and also TO introduce Il into the
growth. With that modification there
occurred a great improvement in the
results.
THE whole OF my work at present.
excluding a few cases of small rodent
cancers, has been on patients for
whom no further operation was posi-
BILE, since II was felt that the use of
an agent such as radium which was
under trial, was not justified in the
cases OF patients who could be dealt
with by operation.
Whether radium viii replace the
knife at some future date is question
one is able to answer. But there is
no agent which we have ever known,
with the exception OF the knife, that
has done as much, and no remedial
agent which has done one hundredth
part as much as radium. Much more
work is to be done, but the result OF
the work so far is very encouraging.
We must so forward
Deplores Alleged Corner.
Dr. Lazarus Barlow again deplored
the alleged corner in Tadium and the
resultant prohibitiVe cost, which di-
rectly hampers his work, because he
is unable to get as much radium as
he needs He said the hospital had
only 200 milligrams, and wanted
grams
The directors OF the British Radium
CORPORATION, OF which Sir Francis Fox
is chairman have issuel a reply to
DR.. Lazarus Barlow's complaint re
garding the difficulty Of obtaining ra-
dunn. They say;
Great efforts were made for re-
serving a supply of radium for the
hospitals OF England, and consider
able stock was held at their disposal
for over six months, but there were
delays on their part and German buy
crs stepped in and purchased the en-
tire stock At higher prices than were
offered by the hospitals here The
Germans also entered into contracts
with the company for considerable
quantities, which will keep the works
of the company busy for the best part
OF the current year
with view, however, to meeting