The health question box

Cancer of Stomach Q. Is cancer of the stomach curable? A. Nearly forty years ago, Professor Bill­ broth, the famous Austrian surgeon of Vienna, devised an operation for removal of a portion of the stomach in cases of cancer of this organ. The operation was at first unsuccessful but as a re­sult of later improvements this operation may now be performed very safely, and when the cancer is still confined to the stomach there is an excellent prospect that the disease will not re­ turn; but even if it does return the patient's life may by this operation be very greatly prolonged, the patient being given a number of years of comfortable and useful life even though at the time of the operation the condition was so grave that death must have occurred within a few weeks at the longest.

How to Prevent Cancer Q. What precautions may be taken against cancer? A. First of all, one should abstain from flesh foods, since cancer is a disease of flesh eating men and animals. In addition the follow­ing facts published by the International Journal of Surgery should be kept constantly in mind, especially by women, who are more subject to cancer than are men : 1. "Cancer of the uterus commonly arises be­tween the ages of thirty and fifty. 2. "The normal change of life is never marked by an increase in the menstrual flow. The loss of blood, however slight, between menstrual periods or after the establishment of the menopause, is presumptive evidence of cancer and calls for an immediate, searching examination. 3. "A watery discharge is almost as suggestive as is hemorrhage when occurring late in life. 4. "Pain is a very unreliable guide and does not occur until the disease has advanced beyond the uterus, when it is too late to assure good re­su...

Cancer Less in Vegetarians Q. What are the statistics as to the relative prevalence of cancer among vegetarians and non-vegetarians? A. Doctor Williams of Bristol, England, in his work on cancer, gives the results of statis­ tical researches in all civilized countries and such information as is available concerning countries in which statistical records are not kept. Doctor Hoffman, of the Prudential Life In­surance Company, has also published a work in relation to cancer, in which a large number of staistics are given. Careful study of these statistics leaves no room for question that while vegetarians are not absolutely immune in relation to cancer, they are far less subject to this form of degeneration than are flesh eaters. This is true of animals, as well as of men.

Cancer Increasing Q. Is cancer increasing? A. Cancer is undoubtedly on the increase. Within the last fifty years this disease, which was well known, but was rare in its occurrence, has increased in frequency until at the present time it destroys one out of twenty of the total population of the United States. The total mortality among the civilized people of the world is probably not less than one-half million yearly. And this terrible destruction of life by one of the most horrible and loathsome maladies is steadily increasing.

Is Cancer Curable Q. Is cancer curable? A. Most cancers are at their beginning purely local in character. Early and thorough removal of the disease will doubtless effect a cure in the majority of cases. It should be remembered, however, that the predisposition to cancer remains and hence a new development may occur; consequently simply removing the cancerous growth by surgical operation is not sufficient. The patient must be placed under a special regimen, which means a restricted anti­ toxic and laxative diet, out-door life, day and night, and the adoption of all possible means for building up the resistance of the body.

Causes Q. What is cancer? A. Cancer is a general term, like fever. The morbid growths to which the term cancer is commonly applied differ much in character as well as in appearance.  Growths which recur when they are removed, or which show a tend­ency to invade the tissues and to develop similar growths in different parts of the body, are known as malignant as distinguished from be­ nign growths which do not invade the tissues, but are generally enclosed within capsules, and purely local growths which, when removed do not recur. Malignant growths include quite a large family of neoplasms (new growths) which are recognizable by their microscopic structure and often also by their gross appear­ ance. The different forms of cancer or malig­ nant disease differ in the degree of their malig­nancy or tendency to recurrence and some forms are much more curable than others. Skin cancer for example, or epithelioma, when con­ fined to the skin is almost certainly curable by any one o...