HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-03-31, Page 42Pays 2
The odds are one in six
One person in six will have
some form of cancer in his
lifetime. But the real battle
that we have to wage is
Cancerphobia. The fear of
cancer. Everybody has it.
The word alone is almost
synonymous with fear. But in
the early 1500's, so was
Smallpox. The mere mention
of the name struck fear in the
hearts of early pioneers. An
outbreak could wipe out a
settlement.
Before that in' Europe, it
was the Plague. And it wiped
out almost half of the
population. So when you -talk
about fear it has to be put in
perspective. And when you
look at the strides made by
medical science in stamping
out the very diseases that
once caused people to flee in
terror, you realize that what
has happened is that not only
have we come up with im-
munization serums, but we
have educated people to
recognize symptoms and to
know what to do about them.
If you're over 35 you
remember Polio outbreaks
that closed entire school
systems. Today, Polio strikes
no fear in parents' hearts
because of,.an effective
vaccine programme.
Because cancer has so far
resisted treatment by a single
vaccine, we still fear it. But
we shouldn't. Because, and
this will come as a surprise to
most people, studies of
cancer around the world
suggest that 80 percent of it is
related to environmental
factors and therefore could be
prevented. This is so im-
portant a statement that we
ask you to go back and read
that last sentence again.
Notice, we didn't say `cured' .
. . we said 'prevented'. Like
everything else in life, there
are just two little hitches in
this idea.
Firstly, we have to use
effectively all the' knowledge
and skill we have at hand;
secondly, we have to educate
you and the rest of the people
in this world, that by taking
seven • common sense
precautions, we can
drastically lower the odds
that you will ever have any
form of cancer.
Unfortunately there is an
almost universal attitude
toward canter prevention
that amounts to apathy. Same
thing happened during the
Plague. People thought that it
was the Will of God. That if
you died it was fate.
Then ever so slowly, one or
two enlightened people
discovered that sensible
hygenic practices prevented
the spread of this dread
disease. We can look back
from our place in time and
say that not to wash
regularly, or not disinfect
areas, seems ludicrous. We
take better precautions today
when someone in our own
family has a cold than we did
a few hundred years ago for a
killer disease. The key to this
advance lies in one single
word ...education.
Knowing what something
was and what to do about it,
eradicated many diseases
and is bound to reduce still
further aliments such as
cancer.
It is for these reasons that
we have spent a great deal of
time and effort to come up
with 7 simple steps that can
quickly alert you to the
possibility of cancer. And
that's important because if it
can be detected soon enough
there is an excellent chance
that it can be cured. For
sample, early detection and
treatment of skin cancer now
give us nearly a 100 percent
rate of success in curing it.
Admittedly, the rate is lower
with internal cancer, but it's
still pretty good. If you can
detect it soon enough and take
treatment.
So it's up to you. We can't
force you to take these seven
Set sights high
Les Pitblado, left, campaign chairman for the Goderich Branch of the Canadian Cancer
Society, and Harold Chase, vice campaign chairman, go over plans for the annual fund
raising drive underway during April. The Goderich objective in 1977 is 58,800. (staff
photo)
steps. And we can't start a
programme that would
compel everyone to report for
a medical check up. That's
why we say the big step in
beating cancer isn't coming
up with 7 simple steps to
health ... it's getting you to
do them. Regularly.
Have a medical and dental
check-up.
Watch for any ch
your normal state of h
Find out about anyl
sore that does not heal,
Protect yourselfaga'
much sunlight.
Do not smoke.
Have a Pap test.
Do a monthly breast
examination.
Microbiolo
wants to
contribution
you
onc(
don
e
abl
dCo
st
t tc
e's
enc
st
ogE
ent
om
If
opli
it
r
nk
ddit
for
hat
is
g
m
sts
The days seem hardly long
enough for Dr. Julia Levy,
even when she stretches -the
working hours to 15. As a
professor of microbiology at
the University of British
Columbia she,teaches the full
basic course on microbiology
and two courses on im-
munology. She serves as vice-
president of the British
Columbia Cancer Control
Agency and as a member of
one of the grants panel of the
National Cancer Institute of
Canada. She writes and, last
year, saw published a 700 -
page textbook on
microbiology. Above all else,
she is a scientist who spends
as much time as possible in
the laboratory working on
tumour immunology.
She did basic research in
immunology until three years
ago when she "tuned in on
cancer" and says she is now
very excited about the work.
"The basic approach of our
research is to study, in
animals with tumours, the
relationship of the animal's
ability to defend itself against
a tumour and the develop-
ment of the tumour. We have
found that the vigour of the
animal's defense system
decreases as the tumours
grow, so that in the final
stages there is no resistance
at all.
"An understanding of how
the growth of tumour cells
can affect the animal's ability
to respond to the tumour may
be fundamental to un-
derstanding malignant cell
growth in humans. Also, any
knowledge on how the body's
defenses are impaired may
lead to the development of
procedures to reverse the
situation. At this time our
work is directed mainly to
understanding the
phenomenon," says the at-
tractive, auburn•h
scientist.
Among other project
Dr. Levy's lab, vaccina
being made for a tum
the bone and for lung
although these are not
use on humans.
Born in Singapore,
her father was a banker'
Levy came to Canada
and grew up in Va
She had thought of m
as a career but in herf
year science course
decided she "wanted
questions, not treat pa
She got her degree and
went to the University;
London for her Ph.D.
She is married to Dr.
Levy, who teaches
philosophy of scienceat
"He was trained in ph
he understands what lie
I don't understand what
does." They have
children and the whole
once a year goes up the
where they own some]
an isolated area. 'There'
Levy can enjoy herhobb"
cooking and gardening..1
Has she noticed';
resentment against Oa
science? "I have hada
examples of this but 1.
never been bitter. Ont
has to remember
�pfes
woman, in any P
must be tough. She ma
twice as hard as any
for myself, I have a
healthy ego structures'
td,
not allow' myself
discouraged," saysDtioo
"My greatest am
continue to work mei
munology and to
significant contribution.
Dr. Levy'sreNac,
funded by C
Cancer Institute of
through •the annual of
raising campaig .°
Canadian Cancer S0
cietY
This informative publication is brought to you with the kind co-operation of the following
Toronto -Dominion Bank
WHERE THE PEOPLE MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE
CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS
CLOTHIER FOR MEN
36 THE SQUARE
ODDER ICH
S24-4661
HUROMIC METAL_
INDUSTRIESLTD.
n
COl
rd