Fulguration and thermo-radiotherapy / by William Seaman Bainbridge ; and, Diathermy (Nagelschmidt) and electro-coagulation (Doyen) / by Worthington Seaton Russell.

  • William Seaman Bainbridge
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Fulguration and thermo-radiotherapy / by William Seaman Bainbridge ; and, Diathermy (Nagelschmidt) and electro-coagulation (Doyen) / by Worthington Seaton Russell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    T hermo-Radiotherapy. Thermo-radiotherapy is a method of thermo-penetration—a heating of the diseased tissue, with the addition of a cooling of the skiri—the purpose being to render the tissues to be treated more sensitive to the x-rays. The method is based upon the hypothesis that, other things being equal, the radio-sensitiveness of tissues depends upon their temperature. In other words, the higher the temperature (between normal vital limits), the greater the destructive power of radiation upon them. Elaborating this idea, de Keating-Hart has formulated the method to which he applied the term thermo-radiotherapy. The heating of the tissues is accomplished in the following ways: (1) In the case of tumors with abundant blood supply, such as sarcomata, physiological hot serum is injected at 50 degrees C., and in such a quantity as to raise the internal temperature of the neoplasm to about 41 or 42 degrees C. (2) In case of cancer developed in the natural cavities (rectum, vagina, stomach), irrigations as warm as possible are used during a time varying with the needs of the individual case. (3) In tumors of woody consistency, that can be heated neither by injection nor irrigation, high-frequency currents are employed either by passing the current through needles thrust into the skin, or through an electrode placed on the skin surface. This method is not new. In order to obviate the danger of x-ray dermatitis in the tissues ren- dered more radio-sensitive, de Keating-Hart conceived the idea of cooling the organs to be protected. This is accomplished chiefly by two means: First, the surface is covered with cracked ice wrapped in cotton. Second, a special apparatus may be employed which cools by blowing the dampened surface with bellows. Whenever possible, x-rays should be applied during the heating of the cancer, especially when the neoplasm is small and superficial. If the mass is deeply situated, as in uterine cancer, it may retain its warmth long enough for the irradiation to follow immediately after the warming process. The irradiation must be subjected to the usual rules of radiotherapy. Care rnust be exercised to prevent auto-intoxication from too rapid cytolysis. The method is being tested at the New York Skin and Cancer Hos- pital in a number of cases,^ in some of which there has been marked relief of pain. It is entirely too early, however, to predict ultimate findings; this communication is, therefore, to be considered as a purely preliminary statement. Tantern-slide pictures of patients treated bv this method were presented show- ing apparently beneficial results.
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