Cancer : its classification and remedies / by J.W. Bright.

  • Bright, J. W.
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

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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    fusiform cells became more numerous, and were mingled witli a num- ber of oval nucleated cells of great delicacy, yarying in size and especially in length, some being caudate, others spindle-shaped. A thin section of the denser part of the white portion presented a fibrous structure, wholly composed of fusiform cells, which, on tlie addition of acetic acid became more transparent, whilst the nuclei were rendered very distinct. This tumor seemed to consist of a simple blastema in which fibrous tissue was forming. It contained no cancer cells, but apparently only the elements of exudation. Let us examine how far the observations of Dr. Bennett will enable us to determine more satisfactoril3' than heretofore. » First. How to recognize cancer before and after death. Second The physiological and pathological history of cancer. Third. His ideas as to the mode of treatment. The Doctor considers that the common subjective and objective symptoms, such as lancinating pains, unequal surface, hardness, elas- tic feel, ulceration, affection of surrounding parts, constitutional cachexia and return of the growth after excision, are symptoms which are not peculiar to cancer, being occasional]}^ absent in tumors which are undoubtedl}' cancerous, and being present sometimes in epidermic fibrous growths of the most innocent nature. Accord- ingly he considers that an accurate microscopical examination, taken jointly with such evidence as may be afforded by the symptoms and progress of the case, is absolutely necessary before a correct diag- nosis of the case can be given. What then are the microscopic characters of cancerous as dis- tinguished from cancroid growths?- Dr. Bennett's opinion m.ay be given in a few words : If a tumor presents among other ele- ments certain cells of definite aspect, and is at the same time situated in parts which render it possible that these cells can be epithelial, epidermic, or cartilage cells, that tumor must be cancer- ous. He gives the following account of their characters: The cancer cells are of variable shape, round, oval, caudate, heart or spindle-shaped, etc. Of variable size, from the 1-lOth to the 1-lOOth of a millimeter, nucleated, single, double, triple or more: but gene-