PROBLEM 5. How to Achicve Better 



be easily removed. A cancer is a growth 

 that starts in one place and spreads to 

 other parts of the body, where other 

 growths develop. It does this because 

 some of the cells of the original growth 

 break off and are carried about the body 

 by blood or lymph. Once it has spread 

 far there is not much to be done about it. 

 This is why an early diagnosis and early 

 treatment are so important. 



The abnormal growth of cells may oc- 

 cur in any organ or any tissue. No one 

 really knows why certain cells run wild 

 in this way. Cancer seems not to be 

 caused by a germ or virus; it is not, 

 therefore, a communicable disease. Fur- 

 thermore, we know that the tendency to 

 form cancer in man is so indirectly in- 

 herited that heredity of cancer need not 

 be a source of worry to any person,* In 

 recent years considerable evidence has 

 been accumulating that cancer may be in 

 some way connected with vitamins, hor- 

 mones, or enzymes in the body. 



When and where we should be on the 

 alert. Sometimes the lack of definite 

 symptoms in the early stages causes can- 

 cer to be overlooked by the patient. But 

 lumps or unusual bleeding should al- 

 ways be looked on with suspicion. So 

 should moles on the skin be watched, 

 especially when they tend to grow. It 

 is not safe for you to treat moles 

 except under the direction of a compe- 

 tent physician. Cancers of the skin are 

 not uncommon but fortunately are not 

 serious if treated the correct way. Can- 

 cer of the lip seems to be brought on 

 sometimes by excessive smoking; in fact, 

 there is evidence that continued irrita- 



* Little, C. C. The Fight on Cancer. Public 

 Affairs pamphlet, 1941. 



Health for All 361 



tion of any kind in one region may start 

 up the growth and multiplication of the 

 tissue cells. In certain industries, the 

 workers, unless properly protected, seem 

 to be affected by irritating substances. 

 This is true of people who work with 

 dyes, tar, luminous paint, or a variety of 

 other substances. 



Treatment of cancer. Surgery, in 

 which the cancerous tissues are removed, 

 is commonly used for certain kinds of 

 cancer. Other kinds may be treated with 

 x-rays which, in the proper dosage, kill 

 the cancerous cells but not the healthy 

 ones. Radium, which gives off rays simi- 

 lar to x-rays, can be used to treat some 

 internal cancers by placing it in a cap- 

 sule near the cancer cells. The giving 

 off of rays is called radioactivity. Re- 

 cently it has become possible to make 

 radioactive such ordinary nonradioactive 

 elements as phosphorus and calcium. Ra- 

 dioactive phosphorus has been used for 

 some kinds of skin cancer and radioac- 

 tive calcium has been tried in healing 

 cancer of bone. Much research is now 

 being done, and well-trained young men 

 and women are needed to carry on the 

 work. Education, too, is an important 

 part of the fight against cancer. People 

 must be persuaded to have a regular 

 physical check-up once a year and in 

 this all of us can help and all of us must 

 assume responsibility. 



Circulatory diseases. Diseases of the 

 circulatory organs cause even more 

 deaths than cancer. As many people 

 reach middle age, the heart muscle be- 

 gins to weaken. The weakening may be 

 very slow and if so, less strenuous exer- 

 cise to prevent overwork of the heart is 

 all that is needed. 



