HEALTH NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4467, 21 September 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

HEALTH NOTES.

ABOUT TUMOURS

(By Dr. Andrew Wilson),

QUACKS AND TUMOUBS.

Let me giyp a word of warning concern, ing quick cures' in the case ot tumours. In the case of cancer a favourite quack remedy is arsenic. Now, arsenic, adminx stered internally by a medical man, may be of service in cancer cases (I do not say it is a cure), hut the quack has been in the habit of applying “cancer paste, which contains arsenic, with the result that the poor patient has been made ten times worse, while his or her end has been hastened by the barbarous treatment. It causes great, sores to form on the tumour, and is of jio service whatever. A month or two ago a quack concern was mulcted in damages to the tune of #SO in Manchester by a girl who suffered from an internal tumour. The quacks promised that she should he cured, and she con tinned using their remedies, losing time of the ntmost value in so far as a real cure was concerned. Finally she became much worse. The tumour began.to mom. fy, and only an operation saved her life. This cage is. a grave warning to people who will meddle in a foolish way with tumours, and of all foolish ways consul, ing a quack is the worst.' WHAT. IS A TUMOUR ?

The word "tumour" it will be under, stood, is a.general term. It has no signin oance or meaning beyond the it describes a swelling or growth of some kind or other. Now. tumourg differ very .widely in their nature. Some are harmless 5 •that is to say, they do not tend to. kill us. They may inconvenience us by their size, or may; impede our movements, or cause "discom fort, or even pain of a .kind, but they do not necessarily tend to produce ft fatal re. suit. Take the case of a fatty or simple tumour. It corresponds to this descrip tion. It may ho small in size, it may nave ceased growing, or it may be increasing, and may require to be removed, hut it has no geaeral or special hurtful influence on the"body. There are other tumours of this description, and they may be called “mild,' or "benign growths, by reason of the fact that they are not dangerous to life. Of course; it js better that they should he removed, and a simple operation is sufficient for the purpose as a rule, but they are sometimes left, and. remain , as part of the patient’s body doing .little or no harm to him throughout, his iue.

It is very different with another class of tumour. This latter ©lass is that of the “malignant growths.’’ These do tend to destroy life, because they either encroach on other parts of the bow or they destroy the tissues in which they are situated, A cancer is such a tumour, and we all know how rapidly distinctive and fatal this dig. ease may be. When it does not kill quick ly it may injure us additionally through setting up similar growths in other part* of the body, and thus acts in producing what we call secondary infection. CAUSES OF TUMOURS. It is a difficult matter to say anything definite about the causes of tumours, but I may say, in a general way, that.these growths appear td consist mostly of some extraordinary increase or over.growth of the natural cells and tissues amidst which they appear. Take the case nf a cancer on a man’s lip. On examination it is seen to consist largely of the elements and parts we ie©- in th© natural skin of th© lip* These elements, however, are very much altered and overgrown, and exhibit'a ten dency to go on increasing and destroying the surrounding parts. course, my readers will ask naturally. What makes the cell and parts thus take a fit of un. usual increase, as it were f" Thiers pre cisely what nohoby at the present time can answer about any tumour .at , all. If we could frame a reply on this question, we should know what really causes cancer—a subject of the highest importance to, suf. fering'humanity. This is a matter at which science has.heen and still is actively working, and for the sake of sufferers it is to be devoutly hoped that the labours of those engaged in the work of research will he attended with success., No doubt some definite cause may. start the'action of overgrowth, and this wo are able 10 trace in the history of many tumours. Thus a Wow may-cause a growth (a com. men occurrence in the case of cancer ofthe female breatt), while “chimney sweep s cancer," as it is called, is believed to b« due to the inhalation . produced by the presence , of soot in the olothee.

ABOUT TREATMENT. From what .1 have said about tumours, it is evident that their treatment is a matter lor the surgeon alone. No advice, save that given'by a. medical man, is worth having.' He alone knows how one growth differs from another, and what the special features of the tumour are. More important still, he alone' is qualified to direct what treatment is likely to do good. There is another caution I, should like to impress on my readers. Whenever any tumour appears, seek advice; at once. De. lay is terribly dangerous here if the growth be .of malignant character, and a timely operation may save life. Often surgeons have to tell people that had they sought advice earlier their cases would have been hopeful. No regrets can be greater than those which followon knowing that had a disease been taken in.time the prospects of a cure, would have been,bright, or even certain, while by delay, we nave lost all chance of regaining health, strength, and happiness.