Evening star., 1923-03-15
Declares ''Cancer Week" Agitation Futile.

as actually recorded by the board Of
health in the Weekly Bulletin. eN-
ceeded those from tuberculosis by
451. whereas hitherto those from
tuberculosis had been in excess:
The trouble is that the society.
originated by and still largely con
trolled or directed by surgeons es-
pecially interested in opera tions OIL
cancer, OF, latterlv, in also expert
menting with N-ray and radium, still
has nothing better TO offer than the
same old methods, under which there
has been the steady and distressing
increase in its mortality. They seem
to be ignorant OF. or have ignored.
the repeated advice OF surgeons. az
we'll as medical men, who in writing
have acknowledged the futility OF
surgical operations and have urged
serious attention to the internal and
systemic, or constitutional. considera
ton and treatment of the disease.
The names and opinions of these .
often very prominent men have been
repeatedly given in recent medlca,
writings. but have been unheeded.
Many Expressed Views.
Possibly the public would like tc
know some of the names of these
justly prominent men who have beer
honest ard bold enough 10 thus eN
press their views in opposition to
those of their fellows: Such are the
great English surgeon Aberneth!-
who wrote more than 100 years ago
The best timed and best conducted
operation brings with il nothing but
disgrace. if the diseased propensities
of the constitution are active ana
powerful" saying also that after
an operation we are most particu-
larly melted TO regulate the consti
tuition. lest the disease should be re
h,-, IiSt,, ,,rh4
Other distinguished names are
Walshe, Lambe, Sir Ashley Cooper
Sir Highes Bennett, Sir James Page,
Sir Arbuthnol Lane. DR.. Forbes Ross
and Dr. Robert Bell all Of England.
and even the late DIR. John b. Murphy.
and DIR. William J. Mayo in this
country have indicated in their writ
ings the importance Of this aspeo'
of cancer. The most recent advocate
is DR.. Sauerbruch, the famous Gerk
man pioneer in thoracic surgery In
a recent quotation he Is made TO say:
Cancer is the local manifestation
Of a constitutional disease. We must
20 back to the humora1 conception
of life. Nirchow, who on solidistic
basis taught that all the cons1itu-
tional manifestations of cancer were
secondary to the local lesion, is
shown to be wrong and that the
old humoralists are in line with mod
ern progress.
"Based on Wrong Principles"
And yet this prodigious effort of
Cancer week." based on wrong prtnc-
pies. Aebli, conscientious Swiss
writer. by careful analysis of the death
records from cancer in Switzerland for
twenty-three years. where such rec
ords are recognized to be peculiarly full
and exact, has shown, by tabulated
cases of those patients who had been
operated on. and those left under or
binary medical, not special, treatment.
that. apparently, operative procedures
either lessen the life expectancy or have
such a slight influence in prolongns
life that il may be regarded AS negligi-
BILE On the other hand il has been re
peatedly shown by several writers that
exactly the proper. prolonged. dietetic.
hygienic and medicinal treatment can
and does eradicate the disease, many
patients surely affected with it having
lived five, ten. fifteen, eighteen and one
observed twenty-eight years perfectly
well after having taken the first treat
ment. When will the world be COLI
vinced?
L. DUNCAN BULKLEY. A. NJ. NJ. l..
Senior Physician to the New York
Skin and Cancer Hospital. Member
of the American Society for
Cancer Research, etc.