Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
COMBATING CANCER
BY FREDERIC J. .HASKIN.

Physicians, surgeons and other
scientists who are deeply interested In
the war OH that dread disease, cancer
are letting it be known that they re-
gard It as extremely unfortunate that
Widespread publicity is given from
time to time to reports that the can
Ger germ has been isolated, and that
an antitoxin or other cure has Deen
discovered that promises mankind
protection against an affection that
grows more serious from year to year.
Whatever has been accomplished
toward isolating the cancer germ. 1t
is stated by the best authorities that
no medicine, diet or serum mas peen
| found that Is a cure for the disease.
This fact should be impressed upon
the public it is declared, and along
| with 1t should go the knowledge that
cancer can be cOmbated successfully
| If attacked in its early stages. I'm
mediate surgery Is the hope and al
most the only hope of sufferers, and
there are precautions that should De
observed by everybody who develops
SYMPTOMS Of the disease.
What to do and what not to do has
been epitomized by the American So
cietv for the Control Of Cancer into
an all-important warning, OF which
perhaps the most important part IS
| the generalization. Don't be afraid to
learn the truth as to whether or not
YOU are threatened with cancer. !"
Probably next in Importance Is the
admonftion to avoid all quacks, pro-
prietary remedies and Indians and
gvpsies who make cancer diagnosis or
| promise cures.
ANY person who has any continuous
| Irritation, sores that do not heal.
moles which change their shape and
size or abnormal discharges Is
warned that he should consult q ply
stefan at once. So. too, any one who
| has broken teeth or dental plates
| which rub or bind should go to a
dentist. Again, IL you have persistent
| Indigestion, or lose weight steadily,
| or If YOU have a lump in the breast,
! go to physician.
In short, if there is anything the
| matter with you that worries you. and
that suggests the possibility Of cancer,
go to your doctor and learn the truth
| Immediately, bearing in mind that a
cancerous condition may remain local
for q long period during which 1t can
| be checked at any time, or 1t may
| spread with appalling rapidity and at
| tain fatal proportions while the victim
! Is considering whether there really is
anything serious the matter with him
and what, If anything, he should do
about 1t.
It's Rayages Increasing Yearly.
In the United States, cancer kills
about 1876, 900 people a year now. and
| it is increasing at the rate of about
| 21a per cent a year. It is almost the
only major disease that humankind
| is heir to that science has been unable
to wage a winning fight against. Ty-
phoid, malaria, yellow fever, smallpox.
tuberculosis, diabetes, goiter, have all
been checked in their ravages, to a
greater or lesser degree, but cancer
| inflicts an increasingly large number
| Of fatalities every year. In two dec
AIDES II advanced from seventh to
| fifth place among the diseases causing
death.
The primary reason for this, it Is
| believed, is the disposition Of so many
people to deceive themselves or be
deceived as to the seriousness OF their
condition and as to what can or should
be done about it. Too many people
develop symptoms of cancer and ig-
more them, or permit themselves to
be deluded into believing that some
quack remedy or treatment will af-
ford prompt relief or sure cure.
| Another reason is. strangely enough,
the general increase in longevity. It
seems anomalous that because people
generally are living longer than they
| did a few generations ago they are
more likely to die OF cancer and cancer
deaths will increase. but the author1-,
| ties say 1t Is none the less true.
Cancer Is a. disease Of middle age and
old age. Science combats with In
creasing success other diseases, with
! the result that more people live to an
age when they are likely to develop
cancers and to euccumb to them. 1t
| Is also explained by the experts that
cancer is rather more prevalent in
the cities than in the country, so the
increase in our urban population
| means more people to become its po-
tential victims.
While cancer has been called a mod
ern disease. 1t Is known to have ex-
listed and to have been mentioned by
the Egyptians and by the Hindus in
their medical writings as long back
as 2, 900 B. G. The disease occurs not
only in man, but in all warm blooded
animals It Is not equally frequent
at all ages. Certain types of cancer
have been found in newborn infants,
showing that they are congenital, but
this is extremely rare, and as a rule
cancer begins to appear at the age
of IS, increasing rapidly in frequency
until the age Of Ga little earlier in
women. . little later In men. After rs