View report page

32
case ; and is Behla's opinion correct that the disease occurs in houses
with damp basements and cellars ; and is it more frequent in old
or new houses? Why does the disease show a preference for the
better classes and no excess in areas overcrowded by the very poor ;
and why is it prevalent among all domestic mammalia but very rarely
in wild animals? Trustworthy facts with reference to these points
are wanted.
The Committee of the Cancer Research Fund are directing
a "Crusade" under the Presidency of H.R.H. The Prince of Wales,
and with an Executive Committee which augurs well for success.
The Cancer Research Fund now amounts to a large sum and will be
expended upon Laboratory investigation, and the collection of statistical,
dietetical, topographical and other information with reference
to Cancer in Great Britain, the Colonies, India, and other Countries.
The Cancer Research Committee in this Country will doubtless
collect accurate facts regarding the geographical distribution of
the disease and these will be very valuable when considered
in relation to the habits, customs and surroundings of the different
peoples Hospital Returns possess a special value; diagnoses
are more generally correct and necropsies more frequent among
hospital patients, and if the Committee collects and deals with all
these, a very valuable and important work will be achieved. The
matter of the notification of cases of Cancer in order to facilitate our
local enquiry is probably out of the question, and I do not believe that
the gain would be a very real one —for probably it is safer to deal only
with mortality returns of such a disease as Cancer. But to get the
best value from those returns more post-mortems are required; when
there is reason to doubt the correct diagnosis of fatal internal cases,
having regard to the public interests involved, the relatives and
friends should be brought to consent to such an examination. Doubtless
also the microscope should be far more extensively and generally
used in the future than it has been in the past. Recognising how inadequate
the information obtained from the present Death Returns is,
we shall agree that the information must be very largely supplemented
if our investigations into the causes of Cancer are to be given a fair