A DEJECTED GROUP OF PARENTS YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY) PREPARED TO LEAVE CORSICA AS THEIR HOPES FADED OF FINDING A CURE FOR THEIR LEUKAEMIA-STRICKEN CHILDREN. THEY HAD COME TO CORSICA TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN TREATED WITH THE NAESSENS SERUM -- NOW DECLARED USELESS BY THE FRENCH HEALTH MINISTRY.

ITS INVENTOR, M. GASTON NAESSENS, A SELF-TAUGHT BIOLOGIST, TOLD THE PARENTS HE HAD STOPPED PRODUCTION AND WAS LEGALLY BARRED GIVING FURTHER TREATMENT. HE SAID THERE WAS NO MEANS OF REVERSING THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION. HE WAS, HOWEVER, PREPARED TO GO TO BRITAIN TO CARRY ON HIS WORK BUT THIS IN TURN DEPENDED ON THE AUTHORITIES THERE.

AMONG THE GROUP OF PARENTS WERE MANY WHO HAD COME FROM BRITAIN ON MONEY RAISED BY THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. THE FATHER OF FOUR-YEAR-OLD EDWARD BURKE, ONE OF THE FIRST LEUKAEMIA VICTIMS RECEIVING NAESSENS'S SERUM, HAS APPEALED TO PRESIDENT DE GAULLE TO INTERVENE TO ALLOW THE TREATMENT TO CONTINUE.

(LAST WEEKEND, M. NAESSENS EXPRESSED AMAZEMENT AT THE FINDINGS OF PROFESSOR PIERRE DENOIX, CANCER RESEARCH EXPERT WHO TESTED THE SERUM FOR THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT. THE BIOLOGIST SAID: "IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT COMPLETE TESTS COULD HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT SO QUICKLY."