Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-03-26
eFN. GENES rpIrHELIomA.
Are Cancerous Diseases TrRceablo
10 ExhileKants7

Editor Gazsie. | have seen sew.
srAl ,,uss in ths public prints statements
said to have been mAda BY the ply ysioIADs
In Attendal ce upon General Grant atlri.
butipR the terrible disease from which he
ia suffering to his excessive use OF
tobA 90, thus implying that by the In
dulgenoe Of habit though uDwittinsly) }
he has net only shortened his days, but
is doomed to die Of ore Of the moet dis
Iressing ailments TO which the human
race is liable. Now, with all due res peot
for the leaned and able gentlemen Uho
are snid to have given this opinion, l
most decidedly differ from IL. Though l
have not had SO good opportunity to
profit by hospital practice ss they have
yet think have had bstttr facilities for
studying the disease in question as to its
csuastion, go than any hospital or city
phvsioian can have.
For 2b years pTaoticed surgery ovsr a
considerable portion OF one OF the N "
England states among an indigenous pof-
ulation, wheIe you would 6nd the
descendants OF the original settlers Of the
sixth, seventh and eighth generations and
could trace the history Of hereditary aud
Aoq quired tendencies to disease and learn
pretty correctly the habits and ussgss not
only Of the present Inhabitants but Of
their ancestors for long time previous.
During those yeRrs / had under trest-
ment . very large number Of cases In
every stage Of development, Of the go
called cSncerous diseases Of the lips,
palate, throat, tongue, nose, eyes, cheeks
and facial bones, in short every form OF
malignant disease shat is liable to attack
the human face, mouth, throat, 60.
saw more or less Of them in the early
period Of their development when some.
times operative interference was sue.
cessful, and watched and palliated many
. case through Its tedious and distressfnl
courhe TO the fatal termination. inves.
tigated my Gases thoroughly, mot only
with regard to the personal habits of the
subjects themselves, but also their family
history, and tried TO gather facts on
which to ground q reasonable theory OF
oausatlon, but without success. Except
that there seen cd to be in certain fam.
lilies q more or less strongly marked
hereditary predisposition all my oonolu-
sioDs were simply negative.
could not find that modes Of living
had any influence in producing the dis
ease. / found no proof that the use Of
exhilersnts suoh as tea, coffee, tobacco,
opium, alcohol, or any other had any
effsct either as . predisposing or exaoting
cause. Many Of the subjects were
women Of the most temperate habits and |
modes Of living, and, though many Of the
1ale patients had used tobacco and |
ileohoi to some extent, think very few
Ould wish proprieiy have been called in. |
mps-Ate in their use. do not use TO. |
aooo in any form, and try to
saep every one from using It so |
ar as I can, nor do think |
hat any Of the stronger exhilar
ants tould be used except incidentally
but I am very far from falling in with |
he present fashion Of attrlbuting the |
,AusAtion OF various diseases to the Gus.
.omsry use Of them without, a. II seems
10 me, any reliable data on which to bAse
he opinion. think also that an over.
isalous and injudioious Abstraction Of
'ome Of them has rendered the last days
u many q patients life miserable without
my oompensating advantages. |
In conclusion Will say that ] do not
believe 1t is at all probable that the use
II tobacco was the cause Of Gen. GRANTS
,pithelioms, and that 1t ia probable that
he sudden Abstraction OF II has had
to do with the nervous pros
ration and restlessnsss from which he is
HORACE BURR, N. D.