Daily Yellowstone journal., 1885-04-29
NOT AFRAID OF TOBACCO.
Doctors Who Say that Cancers Are No
Generally Caused by smoking.


centage OF cases OF epithelioma can the
origin 10 clearly traced TO the use OF
tobacco. Some physicians, in fact, say
that there is really no such thing as
smokers cancer" and one young doc
tor at Bellevue hospital stopped pulling
at his cigarette long enough TO assure
the reporter that "all this talk about
'pipe-cancer' is bluff and gun. "
Older surgeons, however, say
that, while very rare, few
cases of smokers cancer do occur 'Dr.
Stephen Smith, one of the oldest sur
geons at Bellevue hospital, said that
there were not probably more than a
dozen cases year of epithelioma OF the
lip treated at that institution. And
all of these can not by any means be
attributed to smoking" he continued:
Some of the patients are women, and
some of them men who do not smoke.
Continued pressure and consequent ir-
ritation upon any part OF the skin are
apt to bring on epithelioma in those
predisposed to il. The pressure of the
crown-plate of a set Of false teeth or the
irritation caused by broken tooth rub
bing against the lip may start the
trouble. Where smoking is responsible
for its occurrence il will be found that
long g-continued pressure OF the pipe-stem
upon the lower lips results in the FORM
alton of fssure or sore spot. 1t grad
ually develops into cancer, often before
the sufferer knows what the trouble is"
"Do the cases of cancer of the lip
often result fatally"
''No, not if taken in time. But
people generally wait until it is too
late before attending to 1t. The
diseased part is cut out, but the malady
recurs at intervals Of a few months, and
death frequently results after three to
four years. The most noted case which
/ can recall is that OF Rev. DIR. Buding.
ton, the Brooklyn clergyman. You re.
member, he fingered long while and
died after great deal Of suffering and
several operations had been performed.
do not think he was smoker. The
present alarm about cancer from
smoking is oyerdone. Pressure
of the cigar or pipe may be
the directing cause Of cancer, but it will
be found that in the majority of cases
there is a predisposition to the disease
in the person attacked. Those afflicted
with cancer of the lip do not always
suffer from much pain, and know OF
quite number of instances where there
was comparatively little or no suffering
from the disease. Very often, perhaps
in the majority of cases, epithelioma
results from the degeneration of the
tissues incidental TO old age. There
seems to be general decay OF the men,
brane You will find that most of those
in whom cancer appears are above so
years old.
A reporter called upon DIR. Bulkley
at the Skin and Cancer hospital in
Thirty fourth street. In response TO
questions be said: 81 think the alarm
about the disastrous consequences of to-
bacco smoking are much greater than
the facts warrant. Cancer of the lower
lip is comparatively rare, and cannot
always be traced to smoking, although
pipe cancer is name long ago given
TO the disease. The effects of moderate
smoking on the average man are not
seen at all. In persons of average
oAANhHNh NOlSihNA NlShto a uhN
the number they generally can smoke
with safety, and the strongest man |
ever saw could not consume more than
ten day with impunity. Pipes gen
orally collect nicotine in the bowl or
stem, which escapes TO the mouth, and,
coming in contact with the mucous
membrane, is apt to get into the sys.
TEN and cause local cancers on the lips
or tip of the tongue. Excessive smok.
ing often brings on what is called
smokers patch. II consists of irregular
white patches, which appear on the
sides of the tongue and the inside of
the cheeks. This is often, although
not always, preliminary to cancer. II a
person stops smoking when smokers
patch appears, the trouble soon yields
to treatment; II not, cancer will proba.
bly, set in. But, as | said, this disease
is comparatively rare. Epithelioma Of
the lips is almost exclusively seen in
males. 1t has been asserted by several
writers that where it occurs in females
il is found that they smoke. DIR.
Warren, of the Massachusetts, general
hospital, in Boston, reports that in
his experience Of forty years at
that institution the whole number of
cases Of cancer Of the lip was seventy
seven, of which only four were females
Forty-four Of the men were smokers,
and Of the four women three admitted
that they smoked pipes"
ITO what extent does the disease pre-
vail in this cityF'
Cancer from smoking is not very
common in New York city. / have met
with comparatively few cases. Quite
possibly dozen would cover all that
| have encountered IN eighteen or
twenty years practice here, 1t
commonly comes as fssure,
abrasion, or Lroken surface on
the lips. 1t hardens and re
fuses TO heal, and Is covered with a
darkish crust, beneath which the sur
face is moist and bleeding, accompanied
by stinging pain. As time progresses,
measured by months rather than by
years, the sore spot enlarges and exces.
siye granulations appear. Commonly a
swelling OF one OF the glands beneath
the jaw occurs. Almost all applica-
tions ON such sore are ineffective TO
heal ii, and often only irritate Il.
Caustic applications but increase the
growth. In early stages the patient
suffers but little pain, When once the
spot becomes irritated the spread Of the
disease is more rapid, and in lis later
stages often progresses very quickly. II