MEDICINE AND THE LAW.
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464 of transmitter equipment has been a standing diffi- culty and, in spite of the cooperation of the War Office and the Post Office, some localities are still inadequately provided for. Queen’s Nurses. In the recent appeal for the Queen Victoria Jubilee Institute for Nurses and the Scottish Nursing Asso- ciations, Scotland has on the whole done well. As a national memorial to Queen Alexandra more than 87,000 has been subscribed in Scotland, this sum being more than a third of the gross amount of 233,086 collected in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Irish Free State, and the Dominions Overseas. The figure aimed at was 7d. per head of the population, and this was exceeded in many counties ; but the general strike and the coal strike affected the collection adversely. The amount available for the Queen’s Institute itself is nearly z47,000. Queen’s nurses, it may be noted, are steadily increasing their work for the various health authorities, and the process thus established will be materially accelerated under the new system of local government. AUSTRALIA. (FROlB1 OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) A Cancer Campaign in Queensland. DURING the last 15 months more than 50,000 has been collected in response to an appeal for funds to extend the facilities for the treatment of cancer in Queensland. A good deal of publicity has been given to the appeal by the daily press, and popular education in the detection of early signs of cancer, the available methods of treatment, and the danger of "quack" treatment has been carried out by lectures and I articles. The campaign is now about to be closed, and the funds collected will be handed over to an appointed trust. The original intention of the campaign committee, whose president is Dr. E. Sandford Jackson, was to set up a treatment centre in the State capital. This was to be modelled on an institution at Toulouse in France, and the estimated cost was 28,000. The proposal was later modified in favour of providing modern installations for radium and X ray treatment at existing hospitals ; it was thought that cancer patients would more readily attend a general hospital than a cancer hospital, whilst early cases are more likely to go to the out-patient department of a general hospital than to a special clinic. The first installation, which was officially opened on Dec. 20th, is now in operation. It consists of a deep X ray therapy plant at the Mater Misericordiae Public Hospital, Brisbane. The plant is capable of generating 300,000 volts, and the cost was ;B3500, which includes the cost of installation. Half a gramme of radium has been purchased by the committee for use through- out Queensland. The cost was 26000, and a further 21000 will be spent on insurance, needles, and applicators. Through the good offices of the Governor of Queensland, Lieut.-General Sir John Goodwin, the radium was obtained through the British Empire Cancer Campaign. Sir John was until recently the honorary organiser of that campaign, and the Queensland Committee owe much to his tactful guidance. The committee are concentrating mainly on the therapeutic aspect of cancer. While accurate records will, of course, be kept, research is limited in Queens- land because there is no medical school in the State University. The main difficulty which they have to contend with is the provision of treatment facilities over a very large area (670,000 square miles) with a scattered population (914,000), of whom over half live in the cities, and 32 per cent. in Brisbane alone. It will ultimately be necessary to equip the hospitals at the country centres of Toowoomba, Rockhampton, and Townsville with deep X ray and radium facilities. The Commonwealth Department of Health has already established laboratories at these centres, and the pathological work can thus be performed efficiently. Blair Bell’s lead treatment was recently studied by two members of the committee, Dr. Graham Brown and Dr. L. M. McKillop, who were given extensive e facilities during their visit to England. The prepara- tion of therapeutic compounds of lead has been begun in Australia. Judging from personal observation, the public have responded to the instruction about the early signs of cancer. In the dry, hot, and sunny plains of Western Queensland, basal-celled carcinoma (rodent ulcer) of the face, and less so of the hands, is com- paratively common. This is attributed to the long- continued exposure to the sun, and the insufficient protection of the face afforded by the narrow-brimmed felt hat in common use. As an offset to this incidence, tuberculous lesions of the skin are extremely rare; in fact, surgical tuberculosis is practically unknown, although pulmonary tuberculosis is fairly common, MEDICINE AND THE LAW. Advertisements of Abortifacients. SOME of the advertisements of alleged remedies for female complaints which newspapers publish are little better than incitements to criminal abortion. It would be a nice legal question how far the newspapers concerned could be indicted as accessories before the fact. Parliament has hitherto not prohibited such advertisements as those of venereal disease remedies were prohibited in 1917 ; the only possible restriction, therefore, is by voluntary action on the part of the organised bodies of the newspaper and advertising world. The Advertising Association, over which Lord Riddell presides, has issued a most important memor- andum to the Press of the country on the advertising of abortifacients. The memorandum frankly empha- sises that so-called " irregularity " in a woman is in the great majority of cases a symptom of pregnancy ; -, in the other cases it is probably a symptom at least of a condition requiring skilled medical treatment and sometimes of serious disease. A warning that the advertised " remedy " is not to be used by pregnant women is particularly mischievous as it will amount to a positive inducement to acquire the remedy for the purpose of abortion. The memorandum remarks that the Advertising Association has consulted the Director of Public Prosecutions concerning the advertisement of remedies for female " irregularities " and that he has expressed the firm opinion that such advertising is a serious source of danger to those whom it reaches, and has stated that it is being closely watched by his. department. The memorandum also recalls the fact that witnesses before the Parliamentary Select Com- mittee on Patent Medicines made it clear that in most cases these advertised " remedies " are definitely and deliberately purchased where pregnancy is admitted or suspected in the belief that they will terminate that condition. Finally the Advertising Association, after recognising that many newspapers already exclude mischievous advertisements of this sort, calls upon the- Press as a whole, and upon all advertising agents and others concerned, to decline to accept any advertise- ments of drugs or treatment purporting to be remedies for disorders generally termed irregularities, female ailments, or women’s complaints. This action will be generally approved by competent opinion as a public service of great value to the community. The indirect effect of the memorandum will not be incon- siderable, for, if any advertising agent or newspaper manager found himself within the reach of the law he would no longer be able to plead ignorance of the effect of the offending advertisement. The action of the Advertising Association will have made the publication of such advertisements in future a particularly deliberate act. If the memorandum does not have the full success which it deserves it will really be desirable for Parliament to take notice of the- minority of newspapers which ignore the warning.
Transcript of MEDICINE AND THE LAW.
464
of transmitter equipment has been a standing diffi-culty and, in spite of the cooperation of the WarOffice and the Post Office, some localities are stillinadequately provided for.
Queen’s Nurses.In the recent appeal for the Queen Victoria Jubilee
Institute for Nurses and the Scottish Nursing Asso-ciations, Scotland has on the whole done well. Asa national memorial to Queen Alexandra more than87,000 has been subscribed in Scotland, this sumbeing more than a third of the gross amount of233,086 collected in Great Britain, Northern Ireland,the Irish Free State, and the Dominions Overseas.The figure aimed at was 7d. per head of the population,and this was exceeded in many counties ; but thegeneral strike and the coal strike affected the collectionadversely. The amount available for the Queen’sInstitute itself is nearly z47,000. Queen’s nurses,it may be noted, are steadily increasing their workfor the various health authorities, and the processthus established will be materially accelerated underthe new system of local government.
AUSTRALIA.
(FROlB1 OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
A Cancer Campaign in Queensland.DURING the last 15 months more than 50,000
has been collected in response to an appeal for fundsto extend the facilities for the treatment of cancer inQueensland. A good deal of publicity has been givento the appeal by the daily press, and popular educationin the detection of early signs of cancer, the availablemethods of treatment, and the danger of "quack"treatment has been carried out by lectures and Iarticles. The campaign is now about to be closed,and the funds collected will be handed over to anappointed trust.The original intention of the campaign committee,
whose president is Dr. E. Sandford Jackson, was toset up a treatment centre in the State capital. Thiswas to be modelled on an institution at Toulouse inFrance, and the estimated cost was 28,000. Theproposal was later modified in favour of providingmodern installations for radium and X ray treatmentat existing hospitals ; it was thought that cancerpatients would more readily attend a general hospitalthan a cancer hospital, whilst early cases are morelikely to go to the out-patient department of a
general hospital than to a special clinic. The firstinstallation, which was officially opened on Dec. 20th,is now in operation. It consists of a deep X raytherapy plant at the Mater Misericordiae PublicHospital, Brisbane. The plant is capable of generating300,000 volts, and the cost was ;B3500, which includesthe cost of installation. Half a gramme of radiumhas been purchased by the committee for use through-out Queensland. The cost was 26000, and a further21000 will be spent on insurance, needles, andapplicators. Through the good offices of the Governorof Queensland, Lieut.-General Sir John Goodwin, theradium was obtained through the British EmpireCancer Campaign. Sir John was until recently thehonorary organiser of that campaign, and theQueensland Committee owe much to his tactfulguidance.The committee are concentrating mainly on the
therapeutic aspect of cancer. While accurate recordswill, of course, be kept, research is limited in Queens-land because there is no medical school in the StateUniversity. The main difficulty which they have tocontend with is the provision of treatment facilitiesover a very large area (670,000 square miles) witha scattered population (914,000), of whom over halflive in the cities, and 32 per cent. in Brisbane alone.It will ultimately be necessary to equip the hospitalsat the country centres of Toowoomba, Rockhampton,and Townsville with deep X ray and radium facilities.The Commonwealth Department of Health has
already established laboratories at these centres, andthe pathological work can thus be performed efficiently.Blair Bell’s lead treatment was recently studied bytwo members of the committee, Dr. Graham Brownand Dr. L. M. McKillop, who were given extensive efacilities during their visit to England. The prepara-tion of therapeutic compounds of lead has been begunin Australia.
Judging from personal observation, the publichave responded to the instruction about the earlysigns of cancer. In the dry, hot, and sunny plains ofWestern Queensland, basal-celled carcinoma (rodentulcer) of the face, and less so of the hands, is com-paratively common. This is attributed to the long-continued exposure to the sun, and the insufficientprotection of the face afforded by the narrow-brimmedfelt hat in common use. As an offset to this incidence,tuberculous lesions of the skin are extremely rare;in fact, surgical tuberculosis is practically unknown,although pulmonary tuberculosis is fairly common,
MEDICINE AND THE LAW.
Advertisements of Abortifacients.SOME of the advertisements of alleged remedies for
female complaints which newspapers publish are littlebetter than incitements to criminal abortion. Itwould be a nice legal question how far the newspapersconcerned could be indicted as accessories before thefact. Parliament has hitherto not prohibited suchadvertisements as those of venereal disease remedieswere prohibited in 1917 ; the only possible restriction,therefore, is by voluntary action on the part of theorganised bodies of the newspaper and advertisingworld. The Advertising Association, over which LordRiddell presides, has issued a most important memor-andum to the Press of the country on the advertisingof abortifacients. The memorandum frankly empha-sises that so-called " irregularity " in a woman is inthe great majority of cases a symptom of pregnancy ; -,in the other cases it is probably a symptom at least ofa condition requiring skilled medical treatment andsometimes of serious disease. A warning that theadvertised " remedy
" is not to be used by pregnantwomen is particularly mischievous as it will amount toa positive inducement to acquire the remedy for thepurpose of abortion. The memorandum remarks thatthe Advertising Association has consulted the Directorof Public Prosecutions concerning the advertisementof remedies for female " irregularities " and that he hasexpressed the firm opinion that such advertising is aserious source of danger to those whom it reaches, andhas stated that it is being closely watched by his.department. The memorandum also recalls the factthat witnesses before the Parliamentary Select Com-mittee on Patent Medicines made it clear that in mostcases these advertised " remedies " are definitely anddeliberately purchased where pregnancy is admittedor suspected in the belief that they will terminate thatcondition. Finally the Advertising Association, afterrecognising that many newspapers already excludemischievous advertisements of this sort, calls upon the-Press as a whole, and upon all advertising agents andothers concerned, to decline to accept any advertise-ments of drugs or treatment purporting to be remediesfor disorders generally termed irregularities, femaleailments, or women’s complaints. This action willbe generally approved by competent opinion as a
public service of great value to the community. Theindirect effect of the memorandum will not be incon-siderable, for, if any advertising agent or newspapermanager found himself within the reach of the lawhe would no longer be able to plead ignorance of theeffect of the offending advertisement. The action ofthe Advertising Association will have made thepublication of such advertisements in future a
particularly deliberate act. If the memorandum doesnot have the full success which it deserves it will reallybe desirable for Parliament to take notice of the-minority of newspapers which ignore the warning.
