The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-07-05

| WASHINGTON, D. c., July 5.-Can-
Ger is the next common enemy that
man is scheduled to fight. All over
the world this mysterious disease is
| taking heavy toll.
In Kashmir, where the natives carry
! charcoal stoves like muffs for warmth,
cancer of the walls of the stomach is
often contracted as result of the
continuous heat and irritation. In the
Philippines native women chew the
fiery betel nut and even park wads
of their favorite chew in the cheek
over night. Cancer of the cheek with
them is common malady.
Among highly civilized races the
. disease finds more victims than among
the Asiatics. Cancer is taking more
lives in our own country each year
than We lost in the war. One person
in every 10, who lives to be more than
40 years old dies of cancer The death
rate from it in this country is said to
be on the increase.
This is the situation as detailed by
the American Society for the Control
of Cancer Yet the outlook is hopeful,
the society believes. Each year the
organization is holding Cancer Week
al OfS4 dhC NOhAAbA anu NOS1OAAo NAAN
prominent citizens are giving their
time to arouse the public to the i'm
portance of fighting cancer intelligent
ly.
Gradually people are beginning to
realize that cancer can be cured in its
early stages, and they are learning to
recognize the symptoms. But there
are still people who believe that can
Ger is inevitably fatal, and so long as
this impression remains little headway
can be made against the disease.
tuberculosis has been checked in
its devastating advance only since
people learned to treat it intelligently
instead of carefully hiding it as fam
lily disgrace. Cancer is still widely re-
garded from medieval standpoint. 1t
is thought Of as an affliction so terri
Bile that no one must admit, even to
himself. that he has it until the worst
is definitely known. A lump that
grows with sinister regularity is Just
a little tumor" And if it turns out
to be a cancer the victim comforts
himself with the thought that nothing
could have been done anyway.
Doctors estimate that whole year
passes in the average cancer case be-
fore the patient grows sufficiently
alarmed TO consult an expert. By that
time the disease may have spread so
through the body that even though the
local cancerous growth is removed the
trouble may appear elsewhere.
Durable In Early Stage.
This is unfortunate, we are told, be
cause it is sos unnecessary. With all
the mystery that surrounds cancer one
fact shines out This is that cancer
-, To- - l. dnfinifPlU
durable. Once it spreads to the glands
and through the blood to other parts
of the body, doctors are practically
helpless.
The difficulty is to make people I'M
derstand the symptoms and the dan
ger of delay in obtaining diagnosis and
treatment Cancer is not like typhoid
or scarlet fever, diseases that run a
swift course and leave the body. 1t
is more like the attack of decay in
tooth. 1t implants itself insidiously in
an individual perhaps without any
warning of pain. In some mole, or
scar, or tiny sore, a few normal cells
become lawless. As one doctor puts
it. the cells lose their ability to live a
community existence; they go crazy.
At first their wild course does lit
tie apparent injury. If the wild cells
are near the surface of the skin an
abnormal condition is generally no
ticed in an unusual growth or appear
ance. The troublesome cells are grow
ing and a poison is being manufac-
tured The destructive work is be-
gun. 1t is in this local stage that the
wild cells can be controlled. The
American Society for the Control of
Cancer is urging that lump or other
suspicious symptom should be ex-
amined by a competent physician as
soon as it is noted-within As hours if
ossible-instead of allowing it to go
for a year untreated.
Like a decaying tooth cancerous
tissue left alone goes from bad to
worse 1t is estimated that the dis
case untreated is practically 100 per-
cent fatal. On the other hand, even
with the delays that make treatment
more difficult, doctors estimate that
so percent of the cases that they han
die are cured. They say that it is I'M
fortunate that so little notice is taken
of cures. Patients who have been
successfully treated often try to keen