Evening star., 1947-04-27
cancer FunQ
Put to Work
One Million Spent
by Researchers
This Year
By Hosoard W. Blakeslee

By Hosoard ". Biakesiee
NEW YoRK.-The money actually
spent in cancer research passed the
n1illion-dollar mark this year for the
first time.
BY the end of this year it is likely
to be more than three million dol
lars.
This uprush is just the beginning
that promises to put cancer research
in the multi million-dollar class, due
to the campaigns for money Of the
American Cancer Society and the
appropriations of the Federal Gov
ernment.
More than 10 years was needed to
arouse the public and the medical
profession to anything more than a
few-hundred- thousand dollar annu-
al research program for the disease
that is the second cause of death.
More Detection Clinics.
To the 100000 Americans now
living who, by the predictions of the
American Cancer Society, will get
cancer, there is another phase of
this upsurge that is far more in
teresting and personally important.
This is cancer detection clinics.
Where there were only one Or two
dozen of them two years ago, there
are now l19 in the United States.
Most of the present hope of saving
the lives of cancer victims of the
immediate future centerS in these
and similar clinics to come. They
catch cancer early, the only period
when likely to be durable.
1t is Illuminating to contrast all
the past history of cancer cures
with the estimate of what could be
done by early treatment. The
American Cancer Society's figures
are that 95 per cent of skin cancer
could be cured, rs per cent of
breast. Is per cent of uterine and
95 per cent of lip. But the entire
list of cured cancers, as kept by the
American College of Surgeons, is
under $4,000.
There are many sites of cancer
not included In the estimates of
high-percentage cures by early
treatment But one thing is certain
about these, that more will be cured
through early examination, and that
the opportunity for doctors to make
early tests will develop ways of de-
tecting now undetectable types of
cancer.
New York Leads.
The 119 clinics are distributed un-
evenly over % States. New York
State with % and PENNSYLVANIA
with 20 lead the count.
The first was the Strang Clinic,
organized in New York City in 1887.
Between l and per cent of those
reporting to this and other clinics
have cancer.
But in the 10 years of the Strang
Clinic not one man or woman who
was cleared by examination. de-
veloped incurable cancer during the
year elapsing before the next exam
ination.
Women inaugurated the early
clinic movement. The Strang Clinic
was established by DR.. Elise l'Esper-
ance and her sister, Miss May
Strang. In Philadelphia the move.
that put Pennsylvania close to the
top was made by DR.. Mildred w. S.
Scnram, ,director of the Donner
Foundation of Philadelphia. Before
that DR.. Chaterine MacFarland in
Philadelphia had established the
Nations second clinic.
Society Aids Clinics.
In Chicago, DR.. Augusta Webster
opened the first clinic.
The American Cancer Society is
contributing money to more than
80 of these early clinics. The society
collected $14 4429 900 in l945 and 1916
and is after an additional $4,000
600 in l947. Sixty per cent goes to
the communities that raise the
funds for local cancer work.
The research program is tremen-
dous and slow in getting under way
because there are literally many
hundreds Of possible Investigations.
Each one has to be. individually
examined by medical men and
scientists before an allotment is
made.
Up to 1947 s3,50o,OO0 has been
allotted for research projects that
numbered nearly 300 in March and
will go much higher:
One aip is new in cancer, a CO.
ordination in research like that of
great industrial laboratories. The
researches to date cover chemistry,
physics, biology and medicine. be-
sides general research necessary for
direction of the scientific battle.
A longtime objective is complete
hospital records on cancer patients
and their families. For cancer in
the laboratory is not the same thing
as cancer in human being Ulti-
mately the cancer notifications
made by human bodies will have to
be known and for this the hospital
records will be needed.
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