Identifier: medicalsurgicalu00rock (find matches)
Title: The medical and surgical uses of electricity : including the X-ray, Finsen light, vibratory therapeutics, and high-frequency currents
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Rockwell, A. D. (Alphonso David), 1840-1925
Subjects: Electricity in medicine Radiotherapy Electric Stimulation Therapy Radiotherapy
Publisher: New York : E. B. Treat & company
Contributing Library: Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons and Harvard Medical School

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inter-esting and important one in which the personal equation must oftenbe the determining factor. Cancer.—Under the generic term cancer, a word without histologicalmeaning, is included a variety of new growths of a malignant character.They are internal and external, hard and soft, and may attack everypart of the body and every organ. We are in no position to say thatin the X-ray we have a remedy that will cure or permanently benefitall forms of malignant growths. The graver forms of cancer may be of local origin at their incep-tion, but in their full development their character becomes constitu-tional, and it is difficult to see how even the X-ray can eradicate thecancerous diathesis and prevent a recurrence. No sufficient data areavailable to show that deeply seated internal cancers, or such externa)growths as scirrhus of the breast can be thus cured. Dr. E. E. Skinner has reported a large number of cancers treatedby X-radiation, many of which involved the breast. Marked amelior-
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622 ELECTRO-SURGERY. ation of symptoms occurred in many of these cases. Decrease of size ofnodules, more or less healing of ulceration in some, discharges renderedless offensive and marked decrease of pain. The analgesic power ofX-radiation, indeed, not only in malignant growths but in some otherconditions is a most benignant characteristic. In the light of our pres-ent experience it would seem that in all operable cases of scirrhus can-cer, the knife should first be used and then the X-ray. ■ It searches out areas of infection beyond the reach of operative pro-cedure, and it is reasonable to believe that such treatment may dis-tinctly lessen the prospect of future recurrence. What can be done inthe treatment of internalcancer is for the presentsub judice. Tubes of highresistance must be used,and it is possible thatdeep seated cell growthcan be so affected as toresult in more than amel-ioration of malignantprocesses involving in-ternal organs. Amongothers, Hopkins andStuver report c

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