Remarks and practical results of observation on scirrhus and cancer / by Antonio Scarpa ; tr. from the Italian, with an appendix containing an account of a sanguineous tumor of the breast, and some annotations on the text, by James Briggs.

  • Antonio Scarpa
Date:
1822
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks and practical results of observation on scirrhus and cancer / by Antonio Scarpa ; tr. from the Italian, with an appendix containing an account of a sanguineous tumor of the breast, and some annotations on the text, by James Briggs. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    the ichorous fluid of cancer, and if any thing similar to this is occasionally seen, it is most reasonable to believe the morbidly affected part to have been the seat of malignant medullary fungus. I have had twice an opportunity of examining a supposed open cancer of the breast, which had existed for some years. The patient had complained of an uneasy smarting sensation, but never of sudden darting pains. The ichor discharged from them had not the lixivial odour. The general habit of body was such as is usually met with in scrophulous subjects and had been so from infancy. There were not wanting in the neck, axillae, groins, and abdomen, tumid and indurated lymphatic glands without there being the least appearance of general can- cerous cachexia. The ulcer, which had the appear- ance of o'pen cancer, was therefore nothing more in reality than an ulcerated struma which had be- come phagedenic in a scrophulous and exhausted subject. In reference to these highly important points in practical surgery, Celsus* has judiciously laid down the following admonition. Distinguere oportet cacoethes, quod sanationem recipit a caret nomate quod non recipit. This observation has led me to believe, or at least to consider it as probable that the gelatinous [albu- minous'] fluid condensed in any of the external con- * De Medicina, lib. v, cap. 28.'
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