The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-10-14
CANCER OF THE STOMACH

Is it possible, asks correspondent for doctor to take one look at an X-ray of a mans stomach and announce definitely that the pa tient has cancer and will not live more than year? That is exactly what doctor told my
 family after advising an X-ray examination be- cause my father did not look well. Father has had no pains but the doctor says he will have
 plenty of trouble in the next few months.
 Father is 56 years old, has a tobacco cough but
 has never been i'll a day in the 23 years I've
 known him, except for occasional headaches which he always assuaged with some kind of headache powder. haven't much faith in this doctor because he Is dead set against an elec- tric fan blowing directly one, believes in avoiding drafts winter and summer. Yet can not ask dad to see another doctor because of the terrible sword hanging over his head, of which he is unaware. (Mrs S. E)
 doctor may be good doctor even though he wear red suspenders smoke two-for sto- ges That this doctor harbors quaint notions about drafts by no means implies that he is not competent to diagnose cancer of the stomach. I do not think any doctor can positively di- agnose cancer of the stomach from X-ray evil dence alone. though certainly good doctor who has examined the patient and knows the history can arrive at very sound opinion that the trouble is cancer, when he sees the X-ray negative.
 I am no hero, but sure I'd rather have the candid opinion of the doctor if were the patient in this case. There might be things I should wish to do, or other things l should not
 wish to do, if knew had cancer. It Is not
 fair to withhold such an opinion from the pa- tient in such a case. There may be some jus
 
 case from a young person. But a man who has
 lived fifty years has had a fair whack at life and it really doesn't shock him so terribly to learn that he is numbered for the harvest. Anyway, if the correspondent lacks faith in the ability of the doctor, she should give her | father at least the chance of appealing to an- confirmation of the diagnoss-provided of course that only reputable doctor Is consult ed. It would be cruelty indeed if the man were persuaded to go to some charlatan who prom doctors hope.
 If had cancer of the stomach I'd just say goodbye to the doctors. unless I needed relief for pain or other distressing symptom. Certain ly should submit to no surgical exploration, unless there was a reasonable doubt of the
 diagnosis possibility that the condition might be some benignant tumor or lesion which
 might be amenable to radical surgery. In my judgment Medicine to-day hasn't a remedy
 only the well known palliatives for pain or other symptoms
 Many if not most cases of cancer of the
 stomach are quite painless in the earlier months. There is only loss of strength, weight and color to arouse suspicion. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS The Wheat Surplus
 What you write about plain wheat is true.
 We have been eating 1t as . breakfast dish for two years, since you recommended it, and 1t is
 not only cheap but most palatable food. bors to try 1t, they think we are queer, eating the food that is good for pigs and chickens As you once remarked, we farmers are awful | suckers to cart our wheat away to the mill and then go to the grocery to buy 1t back with a pretty label and fancy price on it. e. R.) Answer-Of course farmer isn't to blame if his education was neglected What cuss him for is his obstinacy in clnging to worn out tra- ditions like that one about natural wheat be- ing fit to feed pigs and chickens. Maybe it is. It is also fit to feed men. If the dumb farmers with a lot of wheat on their hands could wake
 up to realize the truth about this, he might dis
 pose of a considerable share of his surplus crop at a reasonable price. It is indeed absurd that
 the famishing city workingmans family should not get some good wheat to eat, because the poor gullible farmers who have the wheat inn | agine it is fit only for beasts to eat.
 Challenge Accepted
 Without ulterior motive ask you to try this experiment.. Don rubber gloves and slit length- wise the cartridge case of a haif-pOund dyna. mite cartridge. Sit beside 1t and read the paper | for while. No distress will be noted Then | remove the gloves and toy . few moments with the cartridge contents. After the man -szed headache you get is over, give us another short discourse the impermeability or the non- absorbent qualities of your skin. (W. c. H.) Answer-If you can persuade any scientific authority or physician of standing to attend the test, I'll gladly undergo it--provided I shall have control of the air breathe throughout the experiment. Nitroglycerin headache is caused only by the fumes inhaled, just as amyl nitrate is inhaled when we seek the vasodilator effect of that emergency remedy.
 (copyright John F. Dille Co.)