HOPE FOR THE CANCER PATIENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1249, 6 February 1896, Page 29

HOPE FOR THE CANCER PATIENT.

By Telegraph. — Press Association. Dunedin, February 4. In the course of his address at the Medical Congress to-day, Dr O'Hara presented a statement of his new method of treating cancer. Ho said : —ln treating a case of inoperable recurrent carcinoma lour years ago, I was astonished to find that a strong solution of icthyol seemed to arrest tho growth. The patient's health improved, and the pain", which was constant and severe, gradually* diminished. I determined to push the icthyol treatment further, and injected one drachm of a ten per cent, solution into the margin of the growth daily. The improvement was most marked, and when she left my care to return to England she had put on weight, felt well, and tho ulcerated surface had healed considerably at its edges, and was only one - third tho sizo it had been two months previously, and all disagreeable odour had completely disappeared. I was not

able to trace the patient subsequently, and cannot therefore say what the ultimate result was. I have now under my care a lady whoso breast I removed three years and a half ago' for a scirrhus that had arrived at the staga* of surface ulceration. The axilla appeared to be free at the time, and her strength failing I did not remove the glands, as is my custom. A year afterwards, the glands became affected,' - and there was marked acdema of the arm. I then cleared out the axilla, and prescribed her icthyol internally. She put on flesh and improved rapidly in her general health. A. small recurrence took place in the scar subsequently, which was removed, and in spite of all the oporative interference, sho is now in. better health than she was four years ago. There is now no sign of disease:, and she id . still taking an icthyol pill three times daily. I could quote many other cases of inoperabl© carcinoma where decided improvement todfe;--plaee after the administration of icthyol, but; I cannot claim to have absolutely cured on« case, and I only bring it before you as a useful adjunct in the treatment of inoperable cancer. In sarcoma, the results have been negative.