Cancer Hospital

When Manhattan's great Memorial Hospital for Cancer & Allied Diseases was founded in 1884, cancer was not only hopeless but unmentionable. Memorial Hospital was the first institution in the U. S. to devote itself solely to the study and treatment of cancer. In 1926 Edward S. Harkness donated $250,000 for cancer research. The hospital was able to introduce treatment by large amounts of radium at a distance (tele-radium therapy). "Up to that time," says Dr. James Ewing, Memorial's grand old man of oncology, "the hospital had enjoyed the studied neglect of the public, while the medical profession had let us severely alone."

In June 1939 Memorial was able to move to a new twelve-story modern hospital which nearly doubled former capacity, and made Memorial the largest cancer institution in the world. Last week Memorial issued its Quadrennium Report (1936 through 1939). Highlights:

Services and Cures. Each patient arriving at Memorial is routed into one of eleven highly specialized departments, each with its own staff. Largest number find their way into the Head & Neck Service, next largest go into the Breast Service. Others: Gynecological (womb cancers, etc.), Gastric (stomach), Genitourinary, Bone and Medical (the leukemias and lymphatic cancers). Best cure records (between 60 and 70%) run in lip, skin, womb and breast cancers. Worst (under 10%) are in prostate gland and the leukemias.

Cheeriest part of the hospital is a children's ward. Last year patients ranged from eight weeks to 14 years, almost a third had cancers, the rest benign growths. Last year, the ward provided its 68 patients with sliding boards, play tent, electric trains, a miniature fireplace with space for stockings at Christmastime. Last week, the children were busily painting pictures for Columbus Day.

Known & Unknown. Most cancer men, like London's famed Sir George Lenthal Cheatle, "have a completely open, not to say vacant mind" on the cause of cancer. But two known causes of cancer are now established: 1) organic compounds derived from coal tar, an industrial hazard setting up skin irritations frequently leading to cancer, 2) abnormal metabolism of body chemicals which produce sex hormones (TIME, Sept. 30). Both carcinogens have chemical characteristics in common. Memorial's laboratories have been working on these and a host of research projects on the influences of diet, heredity, radioactive elements on cancer.

Recognized danger signals are: unusual lumps, bleeding from any body opening, sores that do not heal, persistent indigestion and weight loss, growth changes in moles or warts.

Fellowship System. Every six months Memorial takes on nine young physicians for a six-month trial, selects one or two for three-year fellowships. After working in eight clinical services, assisting in at least 300 different operations, taking special courses in Xray, radium, pathology, they go to the far corners of the earth to crusade against mankind's No. 2 killer.

Last December, at 73, Dr. James Ewing, Memorial's director for eight years, resigned, is now Consultant Pathologist, Cornell's Professor of Oncology Emeritus.

New head of Memorial is husky, handsome Dr. Cornelius ("Dusty") Rhoads, 42, onetime associate member of Rockefeller Institute, where he specialized in anemia, poliomyelitis, kidney disease, deficiency diseases. President of his class at Harvard Medical School, since graduating (cum laude) he has led a hard-working life in medicine, has topped every group he has been with. Last week Dr. Rhoads, cooperating with the Red Cross and his staff, was working in off-hours collecting blood for Britain from New York City Councilman Newbold Morris, other volunteer donors.

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