New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-02
RADIUM AS CANCER CURE.
DIR. ". r. HARPER BETTER.
Lecture and Demonstration on Ttco
Patients at FLozoer Hospital.

The arrival of DR.. William R. Harper, presi-
dent of Chicago University, for further radlum
treatment for cancer, which revealed that the
area of the cancerous growth had been reduced,
and a lecture and two operations at the Flower
Hospital yesterday, in which he used radium
treatment, by Dr. w. Harvey King caused re-
newed interest among physicians and surgeons
in the recent experiments which have seemed to
show that radium killed the germs of cancer.
DR. Harper arrived from Chicago Sunday
night, accompanied by DR.. Frank Billings, dean
Of the faculty of Rush Medical College. DR..
Harper said he had left Chicago for few days
rest and expected 10 see DR.. McBurney, who
operated on him recently. DR.. McBurney is
absent for a couple of days and DR.. Harper
will await his return.
Dr. Harper had just come from X-ray
treatment at the office of DR.. W. j. Morton in
East 2Sth-st. He said that the measurements
that had just been taken showed a reduction in
the area covered by the cancerous growth from
eighteen to seven inches.
L am feeling greatly improved" said Dr.
Harper. and have been working from six to
eight hours daily I am highly gratifed with
the results of the fluorescent treatment"
Or Harper" DR.. Billings explained, takes
the X-ray treatment daily for about ten or
fifteen minutes, and wears the vial of radium
bromide on his body at intervals for a period
of one to three hours at a time. The results
from the tratment are highly satisfactory"
The operations, the lecture by DR.. King and
the fact. known in surgical circles that radum
WAS used recently in the Harper case, at
tracted to the Flower Hospital amphitheatre
many prominent surgeons and an unusual num-
her of students of the New-York homeopathic
College. Dr. King began his lecture by saying;
The gamma rays have the power to cure
cancer 1 put a glass tube of radiUm in the
mouth of a peTsoa with cancer Of the tongue
Through glass only the gamma rays can pene-
trate The radiuC. remained in the patients
mouth one and One-half hours. This was done
once a day for two weeks. The cancer then fell
off and the wound healed. A doctor cured
tumor by injecting in it glass tubes Of radium
Three injections were made in three different
places The radium was allowed to remain
forty-eight hours each time: The gamma rays
have the power to burn The unhealthy cells
are attacked first because they have no inde-
pendent blood and nerve source of their own.
The alpha, beta an; gamma rays, together
with the enmanatOns, have the power TO Kill
all germs; the gamma rays only Ihe germs OF
the lowest sort.
The first operation with celluloid coated with
Tjaher's dissolved radum occurred here. A
woman had soft cancer on the foot stick
was inserted for forty-etght hours, and after the
lapse of two days for another period of the same
length. The cancer fell on.
4 woman with cancer Of the ear was then
brought in Or. King explained that her cancer
was so hard at first that the sticks could not be
forced through it, After two external applica-
tons of radium of one-half hour each by means
of A stick of 250OO radio-activity the cancer
was softened and a cellulod stick introduced
Yesterday she received her fourth half-hour in
lection. The doctors announced that the cancer
was fast healing.
factive than a glass tube Of 100000" continued
DIR King. ''The Ileber sticks lose their power
rapidly however, while the tubes OF radluih a.
xyavs retain their power"
Tba operation that attracted the greater
| srnount Of interest followed. The patient was
man about sixty-fve years old, whose lower
| Ttqbt law and feshy portion OF the throat on
! that side were affected by a malignant cancer
| ous growth as large as two oranges.
~ King explained that several weeks ago 1t
ras decided that an operation necessary.
| hT+ on account of heart trouble II thought
| hest TO wait until the heart could be treated
| rno xravs had been used without apprectable
| bene6ciaI result The patient had not responded
! 70 treatment for the heart, and it was decided
| 10 try radium. ,.3
| rnn tubes of radium OF LOCO 900 and 100000
activity respectively, and Two Lieber sucks
| Of 25OOO and 10000 respectively. These VII! De
! Ieft IN The cancer for forty-e ixgss hours at a
| time cure is eXnected III tn . %Uoss ~ lsSf-