Payette enterprise., 1922-11-16
CONTROL Of CANCER
NATIONAL CANCER
WEEK
BY Frank Billings, Sc. d., NJ. d., Pro-
fessor of Medicine, Rush Medical
College and the University of Chi
cago. .

From the priest-physician or an
. cient times, the medical profession
inherited and still retains the high
/ ideals and altruism OF the priest
hood. This .idealism is expressed il
the avowed main purpose OF physi-
cians-"to relieve suffering and pro-
long life" Guided by this idealism
modern medicine is the accomplish
ment OF the medical profession, SAM
tarians and other scientists. With
| the necessary cooperation of an en-
| lightened educated public, the appli-
cation OF known and tried reliable
means OF prevention has lowered the
death rate of tuberculosis of the
llungs,-the great white plague, fifty
per cent, or more, and has well-nigh
cradicated typhoid fever, typhus
fever, yellow fever, diptheria, chol-
era, malaria, smallpox bubonic plague
and other diseases which have killed
thousands upon thousands of people
in the past. Through the efforts OF
the medical profession, nobly sup
ported by philanthropic citizens in
the education O. the public, the
death rate among infants and child
rem due to diarrhoeal and other dis
eases, has fallen in many communr-
ties to fraction of the former NOR
tality. All this has been accom-
plished by the unceasing efforts of
physicians and public health workers
in educating the public and in the
rational application of reliable meth
DDS of disease prevention and in
the utilization of scientific means of
treatment.
Today physicians are fighting an
other dreadful plague,-CANCER.
This disease has no terrors for the
young for the death toll of this di-
sease is not taken until mid-life. Alter
the age of forty Cancer becomes one
of the most potent agencies of the
Angel of Death. Under Ine efficient
leadership OF the American Society
for the control OF Cancer, the medical
profession has announced that the
week of November IL to 1S is to be
a nationwide Cancer Week. devot-
ed to the attempt to educate the pee-
pie to recognize the early symptoms
of Cancer, in order that its victims
may obtain psompt assistance and
check the trouble in its beginning
when a cure can be effected. When
the disease is far advanced, it is al
ways fatal; there is NO LATE cure
for Cancer. In the EARLY recogni-
ton Cancer lies the hour of cure!
Ninety thousand people die yearly
of cancer in the United States and
the number of deaths from this di-
sease is steadily increasing. Many
of these lives could be saved if the
treatment Of the disease were begun
i'll time. Today ninety Thousand peo-
pie have Cancer in an early and cur,
able stage; a majority of these will
die OF the disease unless they seek
treatment in time to be cured.
Is it not still true, as old, that we
are our brothers keepers2 Will you
not help his cause by informing your
self of the early signs and symptoms
of Cancer and by spreading the news
to others? We ask you to help these
sufferers before it is toe late by iein-
ing in the Cancer Week activities
Above all, inform yourselves as to
the early symptoms of Caneerl '
Pamphlets of information can be
obtained from the American Society
for the Control of Cancer, purely
philanthropic educational association,
the Office CT which is at $40 Seventh
Avenue, New York City,