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631
The hope of prevention lies in knowledge of the cause of the
disease. In this knowledge we are lacking; and so as yet we do not
know how to prevent Cancer. But we do know how to prevent the
extension of the disease which so often renders it incurable. Research
as to its cause is making progress—though slowly.
It is calculated that in this disease there is an average loss of
over a year before submitting to skilled treatment, and that not one
person in ten comes sufficiently early for effective treatment. The
problem is to get the case in the hands of competent medical adviser
while it is still in the early and curable stage, or even more fortunately
whilst the patient exhibits merely those conditions which are recognised
to be danger signals of the disease. The more important of
these danger signals are sores, cracks, lacerations, lumps and ulcers
"which will not readily heal. If people would only pay attention to
these danger signals and early seek medical advice thousands of
premature deaths could be prevented. The tragedy of Cancer mc.y
be expressed in the words "Too late"; and the fact that the disease
in its earliest stages is painless is often responsible for the delay in
seeking medical advice.
For several years I have availed myself of the opportunity of
my Annual Reports to impress the more important facts which the
public should know with reference to the disease; but the time has
now arrived for some local effort of education upon the subject—
as bv an occasional public address within the Borough.