The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Health Bulletin April, 1951cancer discovered (not including casesof known Cancer who came to theClinic). Of this 41, 18 or 44% wereclassified as early, and 23 as late. In1949 there were 71 cases of Cancer discoveredin the Clinic, 48 or 67.6% werefound to be early. In 1950, 72 cases ofCancer were discovered in the NewHanover Clinic, and of this group 55 or76.4% were classified as early. Thismeans that more and more people aregoing to the Clinics for examinationswhere there is still a possibility of acure. These Clinics only scratch thesurface as far as the eradication ofCancer is concerned, but they serve toalert the public to the danger, and toimpress upon them the necessity ofroutine examination and of immediateexamination if any of the well knownsignals of Cancer are present.I doubt if there is a physician whohas worked for any length of time inone of the Clinics who will not admitthat he has learned a great deal aboutCancer. I wish every physician couldserve in a Clinic, once a week for a year;we would all then be more Cancer consciousand would automatically look forCancer in the areas where they occurmost frequently. Vis: skin, tongue andmouth, breasts, uterus and rectum.At the Annual Meeting of the NorthCarolina Division of the American CancerSociety last October it was decidedto appoint a Committee to look into thefeasability of the establishment of ahome for indigent, incurable cancercases. To those of us who have givenmuch thought to the matter, the needfor such a home where terminal carecovild be given seemed to be one of themost pressing problems.This Committee explored many possibilities,and has spent considerabletime seeking a suitable location andtrying to get an appropriation from theLegislature in order to remodel somebuilding for this purpose. At this timeeither some of the buildings at CampButner, or the buildings—now abandoned—andformerely used as a CountyHome near Lumberton, seem to offerthe most practical solution to the problem.But unless some funds are forthcomingfrom the State to put the Buildingin operating condition we are doomedto failure. Once the building is rehabilitatedand equipped, we believe wecan find the means to operate it. Thoseof us who see much of Cancer in its advancedstages know what a hopeless andtragic situation it presents to that immediatefamily. The patient is usuallyelderly and must of necessity live withsome member of the family. This throwsa tremendous financial and economicburden on a family which is alreadystruggling to make ends meet. The resultis often a broken home, and theCancer Patient has the additional worryof knowing he is unwanted and is helpingto use up the family's meagre resourcesin a hopeless struggle againstsure death.HOW MANY LIVESFOR A DOLLAR?By Mrs. George E. Marshall, State CommanderExecutive Vice-President American Cancer Society,North Carolina Division, Inc.Mount Airy, North Carolina"Three and one-half million veterans... an average cost of $3,000 per case... a grand total of ten billion dollars!"I backed up and read again. Yes, I wasright the first time. Unless by somemiracle of research a change is wroughtin the present incidence of cancer, somethree and one-half million of the 18,-000,000 living veterans of our ArmedServices will have cancer, will be hospitalizedby the Veterans' Administration,or will be eligible for VA hospitalization.Three thousand dollars for alife! The total cost, in cold cash, willapproach ten billion dollars. We, thetaxpayers, foot the bill.