Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-07-27

erature to those in the more remote
rural districts and outlying farming
districts which could not be reached
by the lecture system.
Copies of this literature were trans
lated .nto French and distributed to
the large French population In many
cities.
In this way, through the efficient
working of a committee representing
widely diversified groups of people,
and by the hearty cooperation Of the
medical profession. of the State. q
vastly greater number of people have
had the vital facts about CANCER placed
before them than probably could have
been done in any other way in State
of this kind.
Papers on the general subject of ma
, lignancy have been read before each
county medical society, and a lecture
or talk has been given to every nurse
in training in every public and private
hospital throughout the State, thus
rounding out the proposed plan to
reach every possible group Of people.
1t is the desire of the committee to
carry on the cancer work with as
much vigor and over as long a period
as that against tuberculosis in order
to accomplish the desired results; and,
| with this aim, 1t has been suggested
, that the cancer control work in the
State, be further systematized by an
effort to form q more or less perma-
| nent organization and plan of pro-
cedure. so that part of the work
shall become more or less automatic.
In order to accomplish this, it has
been suggested to the Maine Medical
Association that the president of this
association and the presidents Of the
county medical societies should be ex-
offlcio members Of the Cancer Control
Committee, and that 1t should be a
part of their duty to see to 1t that a
paper on the subject of cancer becomes
| a permanent part of the program OF
| the State meeting and that one paper
at least on this subject be read before
| each county medical society each year
| The editor of the State Medical journal
| should also hold a similar position on
! the committee and be urged to publish
| at least one article in every number
of the Journal on some phase of the
| subject and should, in conjunction with
| two or more other physicians. arrange
| for the publication in every newspaper
of the State of occasional articles on
| cancer such as are put out by the
American Society for the Control of
| Cancer. 1t should be the duty of the
staff of every public hospital in the
| State to see that at least one talk on
cancer be given to every class of
nurses in training each year, and the
duty of the president of each county
| medical society to see that similar
! lecture be given to nurses in each pri-
/ waite hospital in the county.
1t is believed even further that the
! time has arrived when an effort for
prophylaxis against cancer should be
Systematically made, and it has been
| proposed by the chairman of the
| Cancer Control Committee that So
| called observation" clinics be estab.
! lished in the larger hospitals of the
| State, to which the profession can send
| doubtful cases for diagnosis, and in
| which the inoperable case can receive
| proper X-ray and radium palliative
| treatment. and in which as large a
| number of patients, especially women
| shall be kept under observation for a
| period of from five to 10 years in or.
der to detect if possible Che early onset
| of malignancy of the treatment OF
definitely pre-cancerous conditions.
Such a clinic can be run as an out
patient clinic or as part of any out
patient division: and, if cases are
properly catalogued and an adequate
foliOW-up system instituted, there
should be no difficulty in following
| cases and obtaining valuable results
along the line of prophylaxis.
If the above recommendations be-
| came automatic each year, your COM
| mittee would be freed of a heavy bur-
| den of responsibility and would then
| be able to deal much more easily with
| other details of carrying on success
fully an intensive campaign.
We have this year the promised
support in greater measure of the
! American Society for the Control of
Cancer who propose to furnish us
| with large amounts of literature and
helpful suggestions to county chair
| men, as we'll as the aid of field di-
rector"
Following this report, which was
highly commended by members Of the
| committee, plans for the annual meet
ing of the Maine Public Health Asso-
citation were considered. 1t was decid-
ed to hold the 1923 Maine Health In
Stitute and annual meeting of the as
ISOLATION at Bangor August % and 20.
This action was taken following the
receipt of cordial telegram from the
Bangor Chamber of Commerce re-
questing that the meeting be held in
Bangor and pledging every possible
assistance.