Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1917-01-26
RADIUM IS USED. WITH SUCCESS
IN ADVANCED CASES OF CANCER
important Palliative Results Have Been Obtained but Cannot
Be Relied Upon to Effect Permanent Cure in Late
Stages Of InoperabIe Tumors Is the Message
of Science to the Public.

LII. Joseph ". blOOugOOu Oh johns
Hopkins university spoke from the
surgeons point Of view on cancer In
the human being, dwelling especially
upon the Importance of the pre-exist.
ing LESSONS which may develop into
cancer and In the treatment and re-
moval of which lies the chief oppor-
tunity OF preventing this disease. Doc.
tor Bloodgood made Ii clear that can.
Ger In Its early stages Is easily cured
"The disease" he said, usually
springs from pre-existing lesion al
lowed to go unattended. Chronic irri-
tatiOn Of sore may also contribute.
In external cancer the warning Is Wis.,
ible or can be felt. Unfortunately
pain is rarely present. A mole or u
wart, small area covered with scab,
small lump or nodule beneath the
skin, an unhealed wound, all of these
may indicate potential cancer. The
appearance of these defects should
mean a call upon the physician for ex-
animation as to the probability Of in
cipient cancer. Nothing Is lost by
taking the precaution If symptoms are
not found and, on the other hand, the
risk is too great TO allow the warn
ings TO go unheeded. The question in
this case is decided by the physician,
and in many cases minor operation
removes probable cause Of the dis
ease"
Always Gives Warning.
mo man ever yet had a cancer on
the lip or tongue without first expert
encing some warning" continued the
speaker. THE defect may be burn
from continued smoking OF an irrita-
ton from ragged teeth. The probabili-
ties of cure are excellent when men
heed such signals of possible danger
and are treated at once. Tobacco
users are more subject to cancer than
those who do not use 1t. There is no
means Of preventing cancer Of the
breast, the appearance Of q lump or q
discharge from the nipple being the
first sign, but when such Jumps are at
once removed on their discovery, half
will be found benign, that Is, not can
cerous. The removal of benign Jumps
undoubtedly prevents cancer in many
cases, since modern medicine clearly
recognizes the danger Of benign Jumps
turning to malignant disease Of the
breast. The chances Of permanent re-
covery in true breast cancer vary with
the exact type of the disease, but are
excellent If 1t Is recognized early and
completely removed. The chance of
recovery grows less and less as the de-
lay Is more and more protracted until
cancer Is incurable from the extent of
the local or general involvement. Can
Ger of the stomach Is a more difficult
proposition, but even In such cases
there Is usually warning. Abnormal
sensations Of daily recurrence should
not be neglected. So-called indiges-
ton or what is styled collie may be
the warning. The chances are that IL
Is not, but 1t may be so. II the pain,
the sensations, the message from this
part Of the body comes time and time
again, especially among people over
thirty or forty years Of age, a physi-
clan should surely be consulted"
Nothing to Be Ashamed Of.
The mortality from cancer" con-
cluded the speaker, "could be reduced
considerably If the average person
knew how to take care of himself. II
is not blood disease ii Is not q dis
ease which people have any reason t.
be ashamed Of. So far as physicians
can tell, 1t Is not brought on by i'll
health or food. 1t comes to healthy
persons, the healthy man or the
healthy woman; but If the simple, cas-
lily noticed warnings be needed the
task becomes comparatively easy and
the only miracle we have to perform
Is to educate million people where
we now educate one."
A historical survey Of the crusade
against cancer through the education
of the public was given by Curtis L.
Lakeman, executive secretary Of the
American Society for the Control of
Cancer, He said that the first widely
known campaign of this kind was inl-
tiated by Professor Winter of Koenigs-
berg, Prussia, In 1891. AS result the
cancer death rate of that vicinity had
been definitely lowered and a large
increase In the number of women ap-
plying for treatment In the early and
operable stages of the disease had been
noticed