T
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MAIL TRIBUNE, Medferd,
Thousands of Disease Sufferers Turn
Jo 'Quacks' for Cures Every Year
Fdltor'l note: Every year thous
and of persons stricken with can
err are the vlrttms of "quarks'
who promise "cures" with pills,
ointments, health machines and
other devlreaj all of which have
peen proven woriniess oy respon
sible medical authorities.
In three dispatches written for
United Press International, Helena
Frost of the American Cancer So
ciety reporta on cancer quackery.
The stories were prepared after a
fact-finding tour of the nation.
By HELENA FROST
Written for
United Press International
Dr. Harold S. Diehl, senior
vice president for research
and medical affairs of the
American Cancer Society,
said recently there are a num
ber of basic truths about can
cer and the quacks. They are:
No diet or serum now
known will cure cancer.
Ointments and plasters are
worthless.
Massage and manipulation
are dangerous because they
tend to disseminate the can
cer cells.
No drugs have yet been
found that can cure cancer.
Surgery and radiation are
still the only means of sav
ing life ... if you don't waste
time.
Yet, despite this warning
from a distinguished physi
cian, subscribed to by the
most reputable medical asso
ciations and federal authori
ties, thousands of sufferers
from cancer and other diseas
es turn each year to groups
and individuals who promise
"cures."
Devices Seised
Scores of devices used by
these quacks have been seized
by authorities and their in
ventors and peddlers Jailed
and fined. Such gadgets range
from a "radiation cure" pil
low, said to contain uranium
ore but which contained only
sand, to a "virillum" spike,
which sold for $306 and con
tained, analysis showed,
l200th of one per cent of bar
ium chloride. Among the gul
lible who bought the latter
device was the mayor of a
large city. He wore it on his
coat lapel.
, A "cure-all" device, a con
glomeration of glass tubing
and metal, was offered for
sale to federal inspectors for
$10,000. It was found to con
tain $1.60 worth of radium.
A slate drug inspector un
derwent an examination by
a self-styled "radionics natur
opath" who used an intricate
device which diagnosed that
the inspector was suffering
from "cancer of the liver with
91 degrees of malignancy."
The same machine selected
"the correct drug for a com
plete cure." The inspector,
however, previously had been
pronounced In perfect health
by a group of reputable phy
sicians. Health Movement
A number of purveyors of
cures operate under the guise
of a "health freedom move
ment." They support the right to
practice of "any doctor wish
ing to administer particular
therapeutic treatments, as
permitted under their licenses
to ir.t .v ." But, they do not
say mi.y !ch doctors are so
called "drugless healers," that
their licenses do not permit
them to practice medicine;
that they are not properly
trained or qualified to disg-
THE
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& THE FUTURE
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Don Stathos, imuror
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7V Bedford
U ol
o
A
Or. Monday. May 30, 1960
CANCER QUACKS -Each year thousands
of persons stricken with cancer and other
diseases turn to groups and individuals who
promise "cures." Scores of devices used by
these quacks have boon seized and their in
ventors and peddlers jailed and fined. The
metal and glass "cure-all" shown here is
nose or treat disease by mod
ern scientific methods.
They "vigorously oppose
stralt-jackot legislation . . .
which would ban the use of
any type of cancer therapy
not endorsed by medical
groups. . ." But they do not
say that "freedom of health
can be synonymous with free
dom of death, when the early
cancer patient fails to seek
surgery or radiation-in time.
Two Conventions Yearly
The National Health Feder
ation (NHF), a so - called
"health freedom movement,"
was organized in 1055. It has
headquarters in San Francis
co, nine state organizations
and 300 local units. It meets
in national convention twice
yearly, and between times,
regionally and locally. It col
lects dues, solicits "defense
funds" and sells "liberty
stamps" to maintain a Wash
ington office for the frank
purpose of lobbying. Fred
II. Hart, president of the fed
eration, publishes a bi-month
ly National Health Federation
THE
THINGS
YOU
OWN
0
one such device. Offered for sale to federal
inspectors for $10,000, it was found to con
tain $1.60 worth of radium. Drinking the
glass of water "radon-activated" by the
device was supposed to effect the cure.
Bulletin. And Don C. Malch
an, a member of the NHF
board, edits the monthly Her
ald of Health.
Commissioner George P.
Larrick of the Food and Drug
Administration, (FDA) des
cribes the NHF as "a setup
for high-powered nationwide
salesmanship. But the product
they are selling isn't free
dom." Hart also is president of the
Electronic Medical Founda
tion, proponents of a theory
of "radionics" and devices
"invented" by Dr. Albert Ab
rams early in the century.
The foundation and Hart are
under a Federal injunction
"of consent" to stop interstate
shipment of 13 devices which
"are misbranded, since they
are not capable of diagnosing
or curing any disease."
Hart was interviewed in his
San Francisco office. The pur
pose of the interview, and sub
sequent interviews with Com
missioner Larrick, Dr. Stuart
M. Sessoms, chief of the Can
cer Chemotherapy National
Service Center, and Dr. Louis
M. Orr, president of the
American Medical Associa
tion, was fact-finding.
Allies Attracted
The loose interpretation of
"health freedom" has attract
ed oddly assorted allies.
Among the 10,000 members of
the NHF and those caught up
in the fringe of interest, are
sincere do - gooders, fadists,
cultists and other non - con
formists. And among them are can
cer quacks and other pro
ponents of "cures."
On the board of governors
of NHF are four men who
were involved in FDA court
cases - two are under federal
court injunction and a third
was sentenced to a year in
federal prison for violating
federal food and drug laws. A
number of olhers are active
promoters of the Hoxsoy can
cer treatment. And one spon
sored a political movement,
the American Rally, and pro
posed the nomination of Har
rv lloxsey as vice president
of the United Slates.
Fred Hart sees no conflict
in his organization's hetero
geneous supporters. But how
do those who are totally op
posed to drugs, who believe
"nature s way, reconcile
their credos with those who
push pills and other "chemo
therapy cures for cancer?
This Is for the record: Our
only concern here is with the
cancer quacks. The honest
rebels against orthodoxy are
not under discussion.
People Indispeniible
Yet as Commissioner Lar
rick points out: "These peo
ple are indispensable to the
charlatans. Just because of
their interest Bnd sincerity
They are grist for the mills
that grind out letters and pe
titions to Congress, and gen
(rally attack our laws, which
o o
(UPI Telephoto)
may be imperfect, but are the
only means of protecting the
public from the modern medi
cineman. I ask these dissent
ers to stop, and think before
they accept every departure
from conformity as 'a good
thing.' To remember that
homicide, too, is an act of
non-conformity to the laws of
society.
Under federal law, the FDA
can prosecute infringement of
interstate commerce with
foods, drugs and mechanical
devices that are worthless for
their labeled purposes.
"To win a case," said Lar
rick, "we must be able to con
vince a judge or a jury that a
'cure' is worthless. In just one
case our medical officers
traveled more than 17,000
miles ot interview patients:
their families and physicians
When the case was tried we
were able to prove that all
the patients 'cured' by the
quack fell into three groups:
"Those who thought they'd
been cured but never had can
cer. "Those who had cancer but
had been previously treated
by surgery or radiation and
attributed their recovery to
the fake remedy.
"Those who had cancer and
still had it ... or had died of
it, by the time our medical
officers saw the families."
But federal law is limited.
The injunction against the
Electronic Medical Founda
tion and Hart, as its president,
is an example: The Abrains
gadgets can no longer be ship
ped out of California, but
FDA "estimated in 1954, when
interstate traffic was enjoined,
that there were about 5,000 of
these devices in offices of
local fringe pracitioners
throughout the country."
Stronger Laws Urged
Larrick has long urged
strengthening of laws that
govern state and local prac
tice. And California now has
an anti-canccr-quack law, first
of its kind in the United
States, enacted in June, 1059.
The new provision in the
slate'j Health and Si'fe'ty Code
was sponsored by the Cali
fornia Division of the Ameri
can Cancer Society and the
California Medical Associa
tion. It says significantly:
"Various persons in this
state . . represent them
selves as possessing medi
cines, methods, techniques,
skills or devices for the effec
tive diagnosis, treatment or
cure of cancer, which repre
sentations are misleading to
the public, with the result that
large numbers of the public,
relying on such representa
tions, needlessly die of can
cer ..."
The National Health Fed
eration claims credit for de
feating the first bill in 1057,
and for amendments to the bill
as it was finaly passed. It be
lieves the new1 law will fall
Turkey Vows Faith
To Western AilieP
Washington - (UPD - The
military junta which seized
power in Turkey Friday of
ficially informed the United
States Saturday that Turkey
would remain faithful to its
Western alliances.
Diplomatic officials said the
pledge was contained in a note
which Turkish Ambassador
Melih Esenbel handed to Un
dersecretary of State Douglas
Dillon late Saturday.
Cwitents of the note were
not immediately released but
officials said it contained as
surances that Tfl'key would
remain faithful to her inter
national treaties and alliances.
United Nations, N.Y.-)UPD-Soviet
Foreign Minister An
drei Gromyko accused Amer
ica again Saturday of prepar
ing for war andudrew a re
tort from U.S. Ambassador
Henry Cabot Lodge that Rus
sia is using the charge "the
United States is an aggres
sor" like a Madison avenue
slogan.
Uaajr'r owinn Rny
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Complete Test
"The way we've got it
amended," Hart said, "they ve
got to give any treatment a
new and complete test - even
if it's been condemned be
fore. But I don't think they'll
every try to make the law
work. They'll never try to
use it. A Hoxsey doctor could
bring in a cured cancer case
and prove the treatment
works. If they don't accept
this evidence, the doctor could
bring in another case. By the
time he brought in a dozen
, . ." Hart lifted an eyebrow.
A "Hoxey doctor" is a prac
titioner who uses the "cancer
cure" that made Harry Hox
sey an estimated million dol
lars a year before the State
of Texas took action that
forced him to lease his Dallas
clinic to another operator.
(Next: An analysis of the
the cancer quack's claim that
"everybody is against ma.")
GRADUATION
Gifts & Cards
LARGE SELECTION
Sua Our Graduation Gift Table
for Ideas
Two Handkerchiefamfia Hope To
Occupy Spotlight on Summer Beaches
United Ness International
Outlook for the summer:
The bathing suit makers will
save cloth, and sun tan lotion
will be splashed on by the
gallon.
The Bikini jcatching on.
Instead of slieathing them
selves in yards of cloth, as
grandma used to do at the
beach, more and more Ameri
can girls are going to depend
on two handkerchiefs and a
hope, according to department
store experts across the coun
try. Depends on Figures O
What do the girls think
about Bikinis? It depends
mwtly on their figures.
What do men think? Hus-
Gas Price War
Hits Stalemate
Involving nearly all local
and regional service stations,
the latest gasoline price war
seems to be at a stalemate,
Retail Gasoline Dealer's asso
ciation officials have advised.
The war, starting from the
smoldering embers of the last
fuel battle, has been most de
structive during the last few
weeks due to "conflicts" be
tween independent and company-owned
stations.
An association spokesman
said the recent war was up to
a point of settlement twice,
but because of "unfair prac
tices" was still on. The local
price war is but one of at
least five presently going on
in Oregon.
The ultimate goal, and per
haps a key to the war armis
tice," is to have "all signs
down," he continued.
Portland - (UPD - Sen. Hall
Lusk (D-Ore.) arrived back in
his home state Saturday for
the first time since his ap
pointment by Gov. Mark Hat
field to fill out the term of
the late Sen. Richard Neu
berger. Joy to Embroider
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NAME, ADDRESS, PAT
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1
i&aasfflessst Ntptwt. onttoai f o
bands have mixed feeling:
fine, but not for MY wife.
Bachelors are watching and
waiting.
"I've been wearing them
Bikinis for two years now,"
shapely movie star Van Doren
told United Press Internation
al today. "I like to get tan all
over."
Not For Fat Women
But Miss Van Doren said a
good figure is a must. "It's
terrible to see someone fat
with a Bikini on," she said,
"it's the same principle as a
fat man in a bathing suit."
eh
CLOSED TODAY!
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1 qj for u sMU
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00K MATC
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ily KLEENEX
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Shop and save
tonight . . . we're
open until 9 P.M.
Prices effective
Tues. & Wed.
May 31 & June 1.
U.S.D.A.
CHOICE
Stewart &King
Julie London, mother of
two girls, said she always
wears a Bikini too, but "the
Bikini belongs in your own
backward aiati nowhere else."
"It has nothing to do with
modesty," Miss London said.
"It just lacks dignity and
gives too many people the
wrong idea."
There are other considera
tions a woman must think
about when she stands in
front of the bathing suit coun
ter and gingerly holds a Bi
kini between her thumb and
forefinger, wondering.
v y--rfjre
l(5)c
K. Pkas. 4
7DA
400 Count Reg. 29c
CrispSor,d Heads I
LETTUCE
Prices effective Tuesday and Wednesday,
May 31 and June 1. Limit Right Reserved.
"I don't think my husband
would let me out of the house
in one," said Mrs. Gloria
Palmer, 30, Dallas, Tex.
Mrs. Palmer is probably
right.
"I wt(u)dn't want 1 wife
to wear ' one," said Edward
Campbell, 35, assistant pro
fessor of journalism at North
western University, Evanston,
111. Most husbands interviewed
agreed with him.
In San Francisco, assistant
department store buyer Car
ole Tha,cher, 22, thought the
American woman is "basically
too modest" for Bikinis.
Would she wear one?
"Heavens, no! My stomach
sunburns too easily."
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