The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-09-07
OVERLOOK CANCER SYMPTOMS.
Would Be Fewer Deaths if People
Recognized the Disease.

Cancer mortality figures would be
relegated to the scrap heap if the
knowledge of its symptoms was sys-
Dramatically made public and all classes
of people knew how to recognize the
disease and understood what to do
about it. This was the gist of Dr.
John Babst Blake 5 address yesterday
afternoon at the Women 5 Municipal
league, 6 Marlboro street, says the
Boston Post.
DR.. Blake and DIR. Edward H. Mich
OILS, both speaking under the auspices
of the American Medical association,
dwelt on the prevalence of the disease,
its symptoms and how to ''catch it be-
fore it spreads in the human system
Dr.. Nichols dealt with the laboratory
side of the subject.
"Within five years, if what is com
mon knowledge among doctors on the
subject of cancer declared DR.. Blake,
twas known generally by the public,
the cancer mortality figures would be
cut down 70 per cent.
cit is absolutely true that cancer
is more dangerous condition. Its NOR
tally is second to that Of tuberculo-
sis. But if the available knowledge
of its symptoms and the methods of
curing it was spread broadcast, we
would see a remarkable shrinkage and
Idwindling of the number of fatal cases
of cancer inside very short time.
cit would not be hard to prophesy
the eradication of the fatality of this
disease, with everybody having a def
mite knowledge of what to regard with
suspicion as symptoms. Catch the case
when it is young and Il strictly local
matter, and it is a simple operation
| to remove 1t entirely.
"The symptoms of cancer are apt to
/ be overlooked as common and of no
Significance. When a man has passed
40 years of age there are a number of
things which should be regarded with
suspicion on his body.
"a mole on the skin which suddenly
begins to change shape or color, wart
which begins to grow again, the APP
Ipearance of a bumpy growth which per
sists in remaining after four or six
weeks, or cut which fails to heal up
in 10 days, these things must be regard
ed with suspicion after q man or wo
man is 80 or 40 years old.
GA great obstacle in the eradication
iof the disease is the firm conviction il
the public mind that Cancer means
death Cancer is absolutely 'cura
BILE when it is purely local and has ne
roots out-by the removal of it. In
variably eradication of cancer by tbs
knife, if the operation is performe,
when the ease is young and local
means 'cure to stay cured
At present in the death rate of PEG
pie over 40 years of age, one death on
of II is due to cancer. In the case o
women, one out of every eight at owe
40 years, is due to cancer With mel
over 40 it is one out of every IA.
DIR. Nichols, in speaking on the lab
Oratory side of the disease, said in par
that not until it is known what life i
will men ever learn what cancer is
! DR.. Nichols pointed out that in tn
! case of women, cancer of the breas
: and other parts was a very rapi
growth, and should be attended to in
\ mediately. One month was almost to
long a time to watch the case withou
operating.
The X-ray was advocated as a cur
only in such cases where the canoe
was strictly a surface, skin diseas,
and situated in such a place that tn
I knife would disfgure and maim sue
a place being the eyelid.