On the painless extirpation of cancerous growths by congelation and caustic : including a report of the recent use of prolonged congelation in the cancer wards of the Middelesex Hospital / by James Arnott.

  • Arnott, James (James Moncrieff), 1794-1885.
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the painless extirpation of cancerous growths by congelation and caustic : including a report of the recent use of prolonged congelation in the cancer wards of the Middelesex Hospital / by James Arnott. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    less process will remove this motive for mischievous haste. The union of pressure with frigorific agents fa¬ cilitates the extension of the cold by arresting the circulation through the part. They may be com¬ bined in a variety of ways, such as by pressing on the part a metallic vessel of appropriate shape filled with frigorific materials; dipping a vessel containing these into mercury confined to the part by a cylin¬ drical cup; pressing the surface which is under the action of intense cold, with a cylinder of wfire- work; compressing the air in a close cup containing a refrigerating mixture, etc. These plans compli¬ cate a process already sufficiently difficult, but under certain circumstances their adoption may be indispensable. The destruction of the skin by this method may, by some, be deemed a disadvantage, when it is com¬ pared with excision in cases in which the skin is apparently sound. Yet, when we reflect that the recurring disease generally first appears in the ci¬ catrix or skin, it may be presumed that, had it been removed, the relapse might, if not prevented, have, at least, been much delayed. Amongst the minor advantages of this method, it may be mentioned, that the perfect relief from the severe pain produced by the disease, which will be an almost certain consequence of the first prolonged congelation, is a compensation for the constraint and other annoyances inseparable from any surgical pro¬ ceeding. Instead of relieving this pain, the treat-
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