The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-08-01

public distribution, it appoints a
month to be designated cancer
control month, many state health
departments start campaigns OF
explanation among their citizens.
How much should the public be
educated about cancer? ! confess
l don't know. Enough so they use
common sense, and not enough TO
get frightened, or go off half
cooked at anything that happens
to their family or relatives or
neighbors and insist on unneces-
sary operations or some fool quack
treatment. But they should know
enough to realize when there is a
real indication for it, and to get
early and proper treatment. And
that is a tall order. A little learn
ing is a dangerous thing, and when
they get a little learning about
cancer common sense often flies
out Of the window.
Different Types Of Cancer
I think l know something about
the different cancers. l have had
a skin cancer and | don't think /
displayed any morbid fear about
it. had it right in my old vac
cination scar and l didn't recog-
nize what it was for several weeks,
and then when it began to bleed lit
never hurt) ! went to a dermatolo-
gist and he said-"Why that is an
epitheloma," and / went right out
of his Office to a surgeons Office
who cut it out, and it was sent to
a pathologist who sectioned it and
said, ayes, it is an epitheloma,"
and that's the last l have worried
about it since.
How do | advise or control my
household? Well, / do not deliber-
ately avoid it, but it never occurs
to me to talk about cancer to them.
They come to me pretty soon after
any symptom pops up in them
Chat is perhaps the advantage of
a doctors househcld) and if there
is, following the outline of the
American Society for the Control
of Cancer:
/. Any abnormal or irregular
discharge from any Of the body
openings.
2. Any sore, no matter how
small, on the skin, lips, tongue,
mouth, that does not heal within
ten days.
8 Any mole, wen or wart that
changes its texture or begins to
grow.
4. Any persistent hoarseness or
loss of voice not due TO cold.
5. Any lump--no matter if en-
tirely painless-especially in the
female breast.
Immediate Examination
II any of those things we're re-
ported to me ! would start an in
vestigation Immediately. That in
vestigation should include removal
of a piece of the tissue (biopsy)
and examination of a section of it
under the microscope by trained
pathologist. That is the final test
for diagnosis. There is no blood
test or electric test. Even here
some common sense can be used.
II the spot is on the skin and is
fairly small, have it all removed,
not just a small piece for micro
scopic examination, and when the
whole growth is removed have part
of it examined hhicroscopically and
then decide whether to have fol-
low-up X-ray or radium treat
ments.
But also know anent the above
list Of indications for examination,
that there are great many kinds
and cases Of discharge from one
of the cavities of the body that
are not due to cancer at all. In
fact most of them, so would ac-
cept a negative verdict with q
placid mind.
Surgery, X-ray and radium are
the only methods of treatment of
cancer that have ever been found
successful. Sometimes one is bet
ter, sometimes the other, some
times a combination. But they are
the only ways Of treatment TO
trust. There is no serum or chem
ical in the blood that at the pres
ent time has any scientific ground
for recognition.
The best hope for prevention Of
cancer is in the forms on the skin
and in the breast. You can see
or feel them. There is not much
excuse for anybody who neglects