The treatment of inoperable sarcoma by bacterial toxins (the mixed toxins of the Streptococcus erysipelas and the Bacillus prodigiosus) / by William B. Coley.

  • Coley, William Bradley, 1862-1926.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The treatment of inoperable sarcoma by bacterial toxins (the mixed toxins of the Streptococcus erysipelas and the Bacillus prodigiosus) / by William B. Coley. 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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    thought he could detect the same note of disappointment in Mr. Butlin’s suggestion that steps should be taken to persuade America to lend Dr. Coley to England for a twelvemonth to take over the direction of his treatment in this country. Mr. Butlin was perhaps reflecting that in the absence of Dr. Coley we have no means of conducting his treatment aright. There here stood revealed, he took it, a great lacuna in Dr. Coley’s work. Until that lacuna had been filled up by laboratory work done in conjunction with Dr. Coley’s treatment, he was afraid it was impossible to feel any assurance that the results which had been achieved by Dr. Coley would be again realized here. Dr. COLEY, in replying to the vote of thanks, said that he desired to express his deep appreciation of the interest shown and the gracious reception given his address by the members of the Society. He hoped the Society would permit him to say a word in reply to the proposer and seconder of the vote of thanks. In response to the remarks of Mr. Butlin, regarding the adverse report upon the value of the mixed toxins made by the Committee of the New York Surgical Society twelve years ago, he would say that that Committee was composed of three men. One of these, Dr. A. J. McCosh, had since been convinced of the value of the toxins, and had sent Dr. Coley a number of cases for treatment with the toxins during the last few years. The second member of that Com- mittee was Dr. A. G. Gerster, and he had been convinced of the value of the toxins so thoroughly that he employs them at the Mount Sinai Hospital, not only in inoperable cases, but uses them after primary operations as a pro- phylactic against recurrence. Dr. Coley stated that, some four years ago, Dr. Gerster had sent him a patient with primary round-celled sarcoma of the tonsil, with extensive metastases in the neck. A partial operation had been performed, but the growth was too extensive for complete removal. The diagnosis had been confirmed by microscopical examination made at two laboratories. One large hospital had given him but a few weeks to live. The patient was admitted to the General Memorial Hospital in October, 1905, and under seven weeks’ treatment with the mixed toxins the tumour entirely disappeared. Dr. Coley then read two letters from Dr. Gerster, one written directly after the tumours had disappeared, and the other after he had examined the patient and found him well, three years later. The letters were as follows :— Copy, Letter No. 1.] New York, December 1, 1905. My dear Dr. Coley,—It is my agreeable duty to congratulate you most sincerely on the brilliant achievement of the treatment you have given to our patient, Miller. Most certainly I have never seen anything like it. The tonsil looks now like a normal organ, and the large glandular and jieriglandular swelling of the neck has entirely disappeared. I hope it may turn out to be a permanent result. Thanking you for the interest taken in this seemingly hopeless case, I remain gratefully yours, Arpad G. Gerster.