Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-29
Wonderful Properties Possessed by
Liquid Air.
ALREADY USED With GREAT SUCCESS
In the Treatment Of Cancer and
Other Forms of Growth.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS
copyrighted, 1899, by the S. s. Mcclure Coz
special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

DIR. A. Campbell White of Vanderbilt
clinic, Columbia University, is preparing to
announce the results of a series of remark
able experiments which he has been max
ing with liquid air for the treatment of
cancer, erysipelas, lupus, carbuncles and
other diseases. He has actually cured a
number of severe cases of erysipelas car
buncles and bols in one or two treatments
Assesses and ulcers he has aborted abso-
lutely with single freezing Neuralgia
and sciatica he has treated most success
fully, in every giving almost instant
and permanent relief. An obstinate case
of lupus-lupus is a form of tuberculosis
affecting the skin-was perfectly cured
after two treatments, although the patient
had been under ordinary medical attend
ance for long time, the disease resisting
every remedy. But the most significant
and important feature of all Dr. Whites
work has been his experiments with can
Ger. He has had number of very severe
cases. In one of Them cancer of the nose
the sore has entirely disappeared and Dr.
White believes the patient to be perma-
nently cured. All the other cases show
marked Improvement although there has
not been time for the sores to heal entire
~. DR.. White refuses yet, with profession
al conservatism, to assert positively that
liquid air will invariably cure cancer but
he says: Il am hopeful to the ultimate
L.
ments have been made in using liquid air
as an anaesthetic with some curious re-
suits, of which will speak later.
Distinguished Physician.
1t is fortunate that these experiments,
which promise to give liquid air the promi-
hence in surgical and medical circles for
merly held by Roentgen's X-rays should
have been conducted under such auspices
as those OF the medical staff of the Wander
bilt and Roosevelt clinics. DR. White has
been assisted in every possible way by DIR.
Thurston G. Lusk and his associates of
Roosevelt Hospital and by DR.. George NJ.
Fox, the distinguished authority on skin
diseases. DR.. White himself is well known
in the medical world as one of the first of
American physicians to experiment with
anti-toxine for the treatment of diphtheria.
DR.. White has been conducting special
clinics twice a week for several months
past. The liquid air is supplied by Mr.
Charles f. Tripler, the inventor of the pro-
cess. which has made his name familiar.
Mr.. TTipier has urged the use of liquid
air for some years past in medicine and sur
gerry, but has been unable to have it thor
oughly brought before the medical profess
sion in a satisfactory manner until DIR.
White began his experiments.
1t reaches the clinic in a heat-insuated
can containing about one gallon, the cost
being hardly more than that of mineral
water. 1t is clear, blush fluid, which
eVaporates rapidly on exposure to the heat
OF the surrounding Atmosphere. Its tenn
perature is 512 degrees below zero
Freezing the Flesh.
Last week | visited Dr. White at his
clinic. Among the patients present one had
a very severe case of cancer, one of erysip-
elias and one of blood tumors. The erysip-
elias patient was young negro woman
who had come 70 the clinic three days be-
fore with her face terribly swollen and dis
figured. DR.. White had applied liquid air,
doubtful as to its efficacy. and she had re-
turned much improved, the swelling
being entirely gone. that the doctor ac-
tually did not know her. He gave her one
final treatment, using a glass flask partly
filed with the liquid air. This he rolled
over her face up and down. The surface of
the flesh was frozen stiff and white as the
glass passed over it, but it regained its for
mer condition almost instantly. The tenn
perature used was nearly 300 degrees col
der than ice, perfectly dry cold, SO cold in
deed, that the doctor had difficulty in hand
ling the flask And yet, when | asked the
patient if it hurt her. she said that she on
1y experienced a slight singing sensation.
1T completely anaesthetizes the part to
which ii is applied without freezing it
solid" explained DIR. White; Il have tried
the air as q local anaesthetic in a number
of cases and it has always worked admira-
bly,. No blood flows during the operation
very great advantage to the surgeon in
his work. l operated not long ago on a
boy who had a blank cartridge wound in
MS idlu Inc boy was very nervous. ap-
pied the liquid air rather too freely, and
when ] attempted to cut the hand with a
scaIpel 1t was frozen so hard that the knife
would not penetrate Thirty seconds later,
however. it thawed out and the operation
was performed without pain, without hem
orrhage and with further freezing
When the boy returned a few days later
the wound was in perfect condition and it
was soon healed up.
That is Only one of several similar
cases.
Superiority of the Treatment.
One of the other cases present at the
clinic was of a young child with a number
OF blood tumors. Previous to my visit u
large sore under the chin had been treated
by the Old methods and il was still much
swollen. whereas similar sore on the back
Whlch had been treated twice with liquid
ar was IN excel ant condition, the Scab
free and wound beginning 70 heal. No BET
ter proof of the superiority of the LIQUID
ar treatment over that formerly used couyd
be desired The doctor told me of Il similar
experiment on case of ivy poisoning eX-
tending the entire length Of the uatient's
forearm and hand. lie froze a band about
three inches wide around the arm with Il
spray OF liquid air, treating the rest of tie
arm IN the usual manner. At the next
dressing the part treated with liquid air
was well marked from the fact thai it had
improved so much more rapidly than the
remainder of the arm
The cancer case which saw was that of
woman about sixty-ave years old The
cancer was well advanced, having Crawn
down the corner of the patients eye. She
bad tried all manner of treatment to We
duce tie growth. and last resort hatr
come to DR.. White. His treatment was
simplicity itself. He placed :, little Hnuid
air In wtde-bottom flask, the cork of
which was pierced with Two holes Through
one OF these holes a glass tube reached 10
the bottom OF the flask the outer end be:re
curved like a spout and the tip drawn TO-
gether until the APERTURE was not larger
tran a pencil point. On placing his thumb
over the other hole in the cork the expand
ing air within the flask drove the LIQUID air
through the spout in a fine spray. This
froZe the surface of The cancer white ami
IL continued ioEg enough in one spot wor16
have cauterized 1t like hot iron
% our usual treatment" said DR. White
is by means of this spray, althouph NC
sometimes use a swab made of cotton and
dipped in the air. The swab Is esnecfauy
desirable when We Wish to remove tissI1e
such as a wart." II
Not at All Painful
In this particular, case of cancer the
patient had been treated only once but she
said that her face felt better, and DIR
White said he saw marked Improvement in
the condition of 10 co.