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advice have to admit that they have known of the condition some time
before going, and have suspected the nature of their lesion. In many
cases it seems that it is this very suspicion and fear that has kept them
from seeking advice. For many years now the question of the education
of the public on this subject has been debated, on whether it is desirable
that something should be done or whether more harm than good might
result from it. If it is agreed that something should be done, the next
question is what line should be followed. In January, 1957, the Central
Council for Health Education helped to focus attention on the subject by
arranging a one day's conference in London on " Cancer and the
Education of the Public." Commenting on the fact that one of the
reasons there was so little cancer education at present was that so many
medical men suffer from cancer apprehension, fearing that if they spoke
about cancer the public would become alarmed, one speaker said: " We
must cure the doctors of this fear of frightening people." Saying that for
many years the official view of the Ministry was that cancer education
should not be carried out for fear of creating cancerphobia in the public,
another speaker said they had not met this fear of fear in the public, and
submitted that " we must create an optimistic climate of public opinion
which would support cancer control as a long-term project for the public
health services."
The following are the views of another speaker who is engaged on
cancer education, particularly on the value of disseminating information
about early signs and symptoms of the disease and the need to educate
people to the fact that cancer can be cured:
" The impression that all one need to do to alter the public reaction
to cancer was to make reliable information available and that by correcting
mistaken beliefs and dispelling ignorance one might banish unreasonable
fear and henceforth expect rational behaviour was not borne out by
experience. An investigation amongst women in the Manchester area
showed that most women who found a lump in their breast were acutely
aware of the possible significance but they still delayed. There was no
sign of urgency when cancer was so generally believed incurable. The
dissemination of information about symptoms might have no other effect
than to make people better informed but less willing to seek treatment
because their deep-rooted fear of cancer remained unaffected. It resided
on a deep emotional level and any claim to alleviate fear might try to
influence this primitive level of thinking. It would help to promote
general confidence on the value of treatment if those who were cured
knew what they were cured of and could tell others about it. Statistics
about cure rates offered little help, but personal testimony was helpful
and impressive. Another vital requirement was to get people used to the
idea of discussing cancer as freely as other serious diseases and in a
manner that did not frighten so much as enlighten."
Coronary Thrombosis
Of the half-million deaths which occurred in 1956 in those living in
England and Wales, nearly 75,000 were ascribed to the group " coronary
disease, angina." This cause has accounted for steadily increasing
numbers of deaths from nearly 38,000 in 1947, to nearly 55,000 in 1950,