An Answer to Some Criticisms of Cancer Education

Health Education and General Practice

“…In an enquiry initiated by the British Empire Cancer Campaign (Horder, 1953), only 24% of doctors responded, and of these about half were opposed to the idea of cancer education of the public (of unspecified form and content), whereas not one of the family doctors in a region where the Manchester scheme had been running for five years was opposed (Wakefield & Davison, 1958). For one thing, these doctors were expressing opinions based on experience of the effects of the educational programme; but there can be no doubt that their favourable attitudes also stemmed from the original explanatory discussions.…”

“…He may think of the event as "having a smile about it together"; but the patient may feel she has been ridiculed and may be reluctant to risk a similar experience in the future. On the other hand, in an interview survey carried out to find out the reaction of family doctors to a programme of health education about cancer in the Manchester region (Wakefield & Davison, 1958), a substantial proportion of the respondents -one from every practice in the area-volunteered the opinion that the patient who was unjustifiably anxious about cancer was in need of treatment for her anxiety and that they looked on the reassurance of this patient as a legitimate part of their work.…”