The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-05-01
Popular Lecture on Cancers Jan
GERS, Soft Cancers, Jelly-Like Can
GERS and Skin Cancers.
People Unnecessarily Frightened About
Them--Genuine Cancer Rare
Disease.
How to Treat Glandular Enlargements
(SO-Called Cancers. )-Advice to the
Victims of Real Cancer.

All that is known about the cause
and nature of cancer can be told III a
few words. The name was selected
because OF its fancied resemblance to
crab-cancer being the latin for
crab. That there is any real differ
snce in the nature of the various
growths called cancers is not known,
but because they differ in some partic-
ulars they are divided into four prin-
cipal varieties-hard (scirrhus), soft
(sarcoma), col i and epithelial s(skin
cancer). The hard cancer attacks the
breast, skin, rectum, 5esticle, tonsil,
and eye. The soft cancer occurs ID
the bones, breast, eye, uterus and
bladder. The colloid cancer is found
inthe peritoneum, ovary, breast, limbs,
parotid, rectum, and in the alimen-
tary canal. The epithelium cancer
locates itself on places where the mu-
cous membrane meets the skin hence
the lips, eye-lids, anus, etc. Whether
these four varieties represent each a
different disease or the same disease
greatly modified no one knows. This
much is known, however: that, 80
far as any treatment is useful for can
Ger, it is equally applicable to these
four kinds. What cures one kind
will cure all four.
1t was thought at one time that the
discovery of the so-called cancer cell
would enable the microscopic to in
fallibly detect the true cancer. But
the cancer cell has had its day, and
little or no light is shed on the mat
ter by the microscope. By some any
growth that causes decorating pains,
enlargement of the surrounding lynn
phatic glands, and tendency to be,
comesfxed or immovable, is called can
Ger at once, but the numerous mis-
takes which this assumption leads to
shows it to be an unreliable indication
OF true cancer. The uncertainty
which hovers over every supposable
case of cancer is largely responsible
Tor the Widespread fear as to the pos.
sible nature OF every trivial enlarge
ment for fear it may be cancer. This
scare about cancers is doing a vast deal
of harm, not only in the incalculable
anxiety and needless expense that it
causes, but it actually sends to prema-
ture graves quite number of people
annually from heroic treatment for al
legged cancers. This evil is assuming
such vast proportions that it becomes
the duty of every regular surgeon to
do all he can to warn the masses
against it.
No one surgeon has treated greater
number of sO-called cancers than |
have in the last twenty-five or thirty
years, and my experience has taught
me that very small fraction OF the
cases treated for cancer are really can
GERS. A syphilitic or scrofulitic sore on
the lip is almost invariably called
smokers cancer, which, of course, is
only aggravated by removing it either
with aplaster or knife. The proper con-
stltutional treatment would invariably
cure such cases without any surgical
What ever Scrofula, syphi.
lis and Tuberculosis often produces a
peculiar chronic sore throat, which is
hundreds of times mistaken for cancer
OF the throat; and to treat such case
for cancer by surgical interference is
to inevitably sacrifice the life of the