THE TREATMENT OF CANCER BY PRESSURE.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 86, 24 May 1879, Page 2

THE TREATMENT OF CANCER BY PRESSURE.

\-l Bcuchutha»»e«MytntrothMedto 'Li notice 3 f th»AMdnU daiWMM* & ouiruM of nilMoiMd oeoutabouc which he hu mod with lueoeae (or th* treatment of oraotroae and other tunwre of th» breeei. la thii country then ha* been much clmeion of opinion upon the utility of preeeure in the treetmoat of •moor, tome eurgeon* regarding it m harmful, or bat rarely oeeful, othenattoibatiaf toil gnat retardation of the rapidity of growth of tumor, or eren

«ure. The surgeons of Middlesex Ho*. pitil studied it systematic lly soice years ago, tod gave en unfavourable report. The theory of thd plan u certainly good; t neoplasia, iike a healthy tissue, u dependeadiEt upon its blood supply (or vitality tad gro w th, aud wimlo'u w> mia. causes the death of a tumor, *.s it sots of a pat Ji of bi'ai.. substance It wib be remembered that Mr. Haward

last year related at the Clinical Society a sat* in point He ligatured th-. left lingual artery for a recurrent epithelioma -of the tongue; the tumor sloughed away, :. and*, fortnight before the patient'a death from blood poisoning the tongue was quite healed. In just the same way Mchjßmia will impair the vitality and so lessen the growth of a tumor. The difficulty is rather in the practical application of this theory. The knowledge that we how possess of the mode of growth of , gives nt at least one important I If we have te deal with a neoplasia that grows at the periphery by gradual infiltration of the surrounding tissues, it is plaiu that, for pressure to be . useful, it mutt be applied around the tumor lather than over it, where, by compressing and obstructing the capillaries, it would cause overfiilness of those at the circumference. It is the periphery of a cancer that it its active pert, and we must, therefore, produce ischemia around and r-ot in the tumor. In the application of the treatment this must be obtained by the careful adjustment of elastic pads of cotton wool; and as the whole' success of the plan depends upon the skill with which this Is doce, too muoh attention cannot be given to it. We csn- / not regard pressure as a substitute for removal of a cancer; but in the frequent cases where this is impracticable it appears to be the host substitute at present -pea to the surge jn. M. Bouchut's cuiraiws would seem to be an improvement upon the spring pads and other appliances in use in this country.—Lancet.