A system of practical surgery / by William Fergusson.

  • William Fergusson
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A system of practical surgery / by William Fergusson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    196/878 (page 172)
    as the corrosive sublimate, usually, I believe, forms the principal in- gredient in some nostrums which are said to cure cancer and other “ incurable” diseases: the material (generally in the form of a paste) converts the tumour, or diseased surface, into a slough, and sometimes the malady is thus rooted out by a hap-hazard proceeding, to which no rational medical man would consider himself justified in submitting his patient. I have known more than a single example of this kind, where a large portion of the integuments of one side of the chest has been destroyed in this way:—cancer, mamma, and all, have dropped off as a slough, and the large sore has ultimately healed. It is noto- rious, however, that death has often been the result of such empirical practice, and I doubt if any surgeon would dare to treat an extensive disease in this manner. One case I deem worthy of notice here: a man had a tumour of malignant aspect in his cheek; an eminent and highly qualified surgeon removed it with the knife; the disease re- turned,—was again operated on by the same hand, and once more appeared; the patient, unwilling to subject himself to another cutting operation, allowed an escharotic to be applied by a non-professional party, which effected a complete cure. Doubtless in this instance the operator had been too sparing in his incisions. I once operated in a similar example for the third time, and succeeded in completely re- moving the affection. Sloughing sometimes occurs spontaneously, and performs a cure where the surgeon’s calm judgment has been against interference: I know of two instances of supposed malignant disease in the upper jaw, where the whole parts have sloughed spontaneously, and perfect cures have followed. CHAPTER XXIII. ON DISEASES OF BONE. Any one familiar with the subjects already taken under notice in this volume, may, in some degree, be able to appreciate many of the diseased conditions of bone, and so much will be found in future pages on the same subject, that but little notice is required of it here. In accordance, however, with the plan of this work, I think it well to make some general remarks in this section of the arrangement, which may save repetition in future chapters. The bones are so well protected from external injury, that, unless great violence be applied, they rarely suffer. The periosteum and other contiguous tissues suffer more, however, from external violence when it is applied on a part where bone is superficial than under other circumstances. Thus, a blow over the tibia, or on the cra- nium, is more likely to prove injurious to such tissues than a like