Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Cancer : its classification and remedies / by J.W. Bright. 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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![ference. The only reason that I can find for such a statement from such a gigantic mind is, that he is wedded to the knife, and he sees and knows the knife will not do. Let inferior minds suggest another course of treatment. The sons of J^]3culapius never yield to their enemy till by force of power they fall in the battle-field. Tf we fail with one, we up and try another weapon, until at last we find the blade that cuts the monster down. If the surgeon's knife fails, we resort to the chemist, the pharmaceutist, and the combination of remedies, until we find the remedy that conquers the lurking monster and routs him from his secret lair. Lupus.—Under the term lupus, Dr. Gross comprehends two varie- ties of the disease, the chief peculiarity of which is a tendency to destructive ulceration of the skin and alveolar tissues, or of those and the more deep seated structures. lie saj's, in point of fact, the two affections are identical. The only difference between them being that the one is milder than the other, more tardy in its pro- gress, and less disposed to spread ; its ravages being gentirally limited to the cutaneous textures, or to the parts in which it is originally located. The former of these he calls the non-exedent, stationary or serpigenous ulcer. The latter, the execlent, eating or corroding ulcer. It is also known as the cancroid or voracious ulcer. Could any man describe more clearly the fungoid and fibroid varieties of cancer than this master pen has done it ? They com- mence a little differently, but ultimately prove to be malignant. The difference is to be found in their location on different basement membranes. They are both cancer. Then why not place them in their proper classification, and treat them accordingly ? Dr. Gross says, in the treatment of this variety of lupus, none but the mildest and most soothing applications should be em- ployed. This is tantamount to saying, let it alone. The less you do for it the longer the patient will live. Nay, my dear friend, let us take the lion by the beard while he is yet a whelp, and destroy his life, and remove all his strongholds. In the meantime, as the Doctor truly says, special attention](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21043541_0172.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
