The Cancer Research Institute / by J.G. Adami.

  • John George Adami
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Cancer Research Institute / by J.G. Adami. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    lines is the better. Admit also that, despite the labors of a generation of multitudinous investi- gators, the cause of canGer is still undetermined How are we to proceed? This, I think, will be ac- cepted by all sensible men that the frontal attack offers little promise of success. It has been at- tempted too often with constant repulse. In other words, the energies of the institute and its staff must not be devoted to immediate endeavors to de- termine the cause. It is evident that the position has to be invested from all sides and thoroughly undermined; this course alone would seem to favor eventual success. And, to continue the metaphor, the question for us to determine is whether the ideal institute should regard itself as a single corps of the investing army, and as such devote itself to carrying forward the siege works against one par- ticular aspect of the position; or on the contrary, whether it should be of the nature of headquarters for the staff, from which qualified men can be sent out to direct operations against the besieged, some on J:his side, others on that. There is much to be said in favor of each mode of procedure. The ultimate decision must depend upon the size of the war chest, as also I should add, upon the officer chosen for command. A man may be a superb regimental officer, but as a general in command may be a notable failure. Nevertheless, however bril- liant the abilities of the commander, if the amount of money for the campaign placed at his disposal is so small that he can have but few men under him. it stands, I think, to reason that he is likely to ac- complish more by concentrating their work and their efforts upon one particular line of attack than by frittering their energies in several directions. And here the director of the institute is exposed to a dangerous temptation. Those who have provided the war chest desire to see results; it requires no little strength of mind to concentrate upon one par- ticular line of attack with the full knowledge that it may very possibly turn out to be futile; there is