HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-03-31, Page 52Page 12
At work all year
Although April is cancer month and the time of year when the Canadian Cancer Society is
seen in its highest profile due to the fund raising drive, the work of the branch goes on all
year long as secretary Marj Brown knows. Goderich Branch president Fordyce Clark,
left, and vice chairman of education John McKlbbon go over a list of activities and work
during the past year with the group's secretary. (staff photo)
o muc
sun can
be ba
Skin specialists .have how
established that suntan is
unhealthy. It's about time.
Among white people, they
report, skin exposed to the
sun ages more rapidly than
skin that is kept under wraps.
In addition, they report that
skin cancer and excessive
exposure to the sun appear to
be related.
This news will cause
nothing but joy among the
palefaces of North America
and Europe who have for
years been driven onto the
agony of beach and rooftop at
the height of summer to
escape the social stigma of
unboiled skin.
Now, after all these year,
we all have the perfect alibi
for retiring to the grape arbor
when the outdoor set heads
for the beach. Going to the
beach is unhealthy. •
Those with pale skin have
known for years, of course,
that sun was unhealthy. Fiery
necks and- blistered . ab-
domens brough back from
thirty -minute naps by the
seaside proved the evils of
strong sun beyond a doubt.
The palefaces were, until
now, however, unable to do
the sensible thing and sit in
the shade because of the
terrible social reprisals
which such sensible
Super sleuthing needed
I00 cancers, all differ
Scientists need to be super
sleuths.
As an example, there are
more than 100 different forms
of cancer but they all share..
three common features: the
cells grow more rapidly than
normal cells, they grow into
more primitive forms and
they can be transported by
the blood stream into various
parts of the body, a process
known as metastasis.
Cancer researchers
everywhere would like to
know what makes these
malignant cells behave in
these ways. Are hereditary or
genetic factors involved? Is it
because of some external
influence like cigarette
smoking or carcinogens in
food? Are , there other fac-
tors?. Or do a number of
processes occur along side
one another to produce these
deadly cells?
The number of ..possible
L7 .r
-. +:r,: _
.e.. CANADIAti CAN(,(A ;6C D r i
Don't forget the
Daffodil Tea
April 27
explanations and theories are
almost as varied as the
number of forms of cancer
and it may be that. not all
cancers develop and spread
in the same manner. Each
may have a different pattern
of growth.
At the Lady Davis Institute
of the Jewish General
Hospital, Montreal,
researchers under the
direction of Dr: Norman
Kalant are concentrating
their efforts -in several areas
in their attempts to find the
answers to ante of these
questions.
One investigator, Dr. Mark
Wainberg, is looking closely;,
at a derivative form of BCG
vaccine which is often used to
prevent the development of
tuberculosis. _
He has found, ex-
perimentally, that this
derivative can stop tumour•
growth and also delay or
prevent metastatic (secon-
dary) tumours.
The agent Dr. Wainberg is
using is MER (methanol
extraction residue), which is
obtained, ,: as its name
suggests, by extracting BCG
from the vaccine with
methanoL,,The technique was
developed at the Hebrew
University in Israel where
Dr. Wainberg Studied and
'II
t
worked. At the Lady Davis
Institute he has found that
when MER is given to guinea
pigs which have tumours
induced chemically in their
limbs, not only do the original
cancers stop growing, but
metastatic tumours do not
develop.
Another researcher, Dr.
James Perdue, is looking at
the effects mitogens and
mitogen receptors have on
cell growth. Mitogens are
substances like insulin,
hormones and febrinogen in
normal human serum that
seem to have a role to play in
a cell's maturing process.
Every normal cell has
mitogen receptors, but not all
of them are uncovered to
receive the mitogens tran-
sported in the blood stream.
Dr. Perdue is trying to find
out if cancer develops when a
rtormal cell leaves too many
receptors uncovered and thus
experiences a bigger
response: to normal amounts
of., mitogen which in turn
leads to one of the features of
cancer - continuous, un-
controlled growth.
This Quebec project, with
other Canadian research, is
funded by public donations to
the Canadian Cancer Society
made during the annual April
campaign:• �.
behaviour invat'l
provoked from sun cultil
These terrorists had
cessfully spread the,
that an unboiled hide)
for an unhealthy body
conversely, that a al
made its possessor phys
fit. There are few soca
fenses more odious in?
America than unheaithi
And so — fiery necks
blistered abdomens.
The sun cult has at
been led by the lead
skinned people. These to
everyone knows a fe
are coated in skin ot,'.
density that the 1
powerful rays are mak
penetrate and burn ji
simply turns brown.
longer they lie spread -ea
on the beach, the morel
pelts come to resembles
travelled suitcases.
Most of the pale -skiff
took up tedious regime!
disciplined tanning
minutes exposure onel
twenty the next, and;
until they had browned
point where they coal
two hours of the -�bN
without risking first
burn.
This did not, of course;
them from arrogant,��
that their skin was
inadequate. The worst,
was the social obligay'
tan, an obligation sa,;,;
enforced by whisp
campaigns to the effect
girls without tans haat;
fun, that men returning':
office from vacation wi-
tans suffered severe
and might be dangerous
for promotion.
Now, with medical sqr
at last confirming that.
is unhealthy, the as
vengeance is at hand
summer the pale-skins�`,
imperturbably in thea_:,
when the leathery th
their clothes and pro
roasting. "What! You
to say you're going out
sun! Your -skins will,:
years old by the time
30 if you don't cut back:-.,,
"Ifthe experience
cigarette industry is Of
the threat of cancer W
persuade many to give;
sun, but the threw
pi emature aging is '..;
matter. .In contem
North American culture;
are few horrors as tern'
aging. A conscien
campaign of public=i
suasion conducted by
dermatologists may t
us all to go back to a pt,;"
live -and -let -live between',.;
and people.
Sanity about sun
cannot be expected to
restored immediately,,.
once the rapid -aging re';',.
$tening _
publicizedn-tan, the thorsum.;
cannot be far off when.the
'with the • leathery hide
start spending aftern'
dark rooms with a jaro
chalk:;,After�all,. what
going.. to' want a'girl
skin may become senil1
age of 297..:
"n.