PUBLIC EDUCATION IN CANCER CONTROL

Effective cancer control depends on a continuous program of public education, the object of which is to substitute optimism and intelligence for ignorance and fear.¹ Even if it were possible to give every member of society a complete periodic physical examination, this would not insure the recognition of warning signs early in the course of the disease. To accomplish this every potential patient must be taught to cooperate. The public must be told what the early symptoms and signs are, what should be done when these are discovered, and what can be done to treat cancer. This can be done through leaflets, lectures, movies, articles in newspapers or popular magazines, and radio or television presentations. In using all such methods success depends on presenting only as much information as can be useful to a layman and presenting it in a calm manner and in the simplest terms.² Indirectly,