Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-02-28
go =
- - D -
Home Health
!. !. Club
n nAVIp q. lEEDfR. Ph. D.. n. n
La Porte, Ind. = = - -
!.
BREAST CANCER.

I have had number of letters re-
Gently, asking me to again, give in
structions for the, home treatment of
cancer0us swellings of the breast.
One poor woman writes most heart
rending letter, telling of having passed
through a severe surgical operation
after a most careful diagnosis made
by three eminent physicians in New
York and Boston. After the operation
was over, however, the surgeon in
formed her that it had all been mis-
take-there was no cancer, simply
cyst, which is very common.
Breast cancer is one of the most Sc
we're afllictions to which suffering hui
manity Is subject. ANY real remedy for
it may be highly valued; but, probably,
that which is most important in the
way of making good use of a remedy
is intelligence in reference to the trou-
BILE itself. 1t is quite common that in
the breasts of women there frequently
appear small swellings that can be felt
to be about the. size of pigeons eggs,
or less, and that cause no inconven-
1ence. These come and go often with
out attracting any attention; but they
sometimes come and do not 60 till they
have attracted notice. If the patient
has had sharp blow, and sometimes
after, one Of these egg-shaped swell
fngs is felt in the breast, it will not
then be likely to go away without
some effort to cause it to do so. Such
Jumps as they may be called, are
most easily dispelled in their early
stages; all that is needed is a long
effective heating and massage of the
breast, and all is made perfectly right
and we'll in an hour Or so. Such SWELL
tngs frequently disappear with only
One-half hours treatment The breast
.; placed over basin of warm water,
as warm as is very comfortable. This
water is laved on the breast, the heat
being kept up with fresh supplies Of
water, for perhaps ten minutes or a
quarter of an hour Then warm olive
oil may be rubbed on, and the breast
gently pressed and manipulated SO as
to stimulate vital action in it's whole
substance. When this is done for, say,
five minutes, the bathing should be re-
surped for ten minutes or so, and then
the rubbing on of oil again. But it
must be understood this is only when
the Jumps in the breast are in their
early stages. The hot treatment will
not do when they have got beyond such
stages. My object in this paper is
chiefly to treat of them when they
have gotten beyond the time when hot
treatment will do. When such tumors,
or swellings, have begun to grow, as if
separate growths in the breast, heat
will only hasten that growth It is
usually long after this has taken place
that remedial help is sought. Months
after it is too late to use warm treat
with breast that has got all wrong,
and is under the dominion Of a dis
eased substance that is growing within
it? Now is the time when an inferior
medical man advises that the breast
be taken off. The physician who
knows and feels for his fellow crea-
lures advises that no cutting should be
allowed, nor any one thing that can
irritate at all. Here is the point at
which l usually find myself called to
say what should be done. But there
Is another point Of similar character
at which l am also frequently called
to advise. That is when the breast
has been cut off, and the evil growth
has begun to show itself again. This
occurs usually in a year or so after the
operation. Whether it is at one or the
other of these times, there is one cb-
vious remedy. It is that of simply
starving the diseased growth 50 as to
arrest it. Now this may be effectually
done, and the sorely tried patient may
be saved a world of pain and even
cured effectually. More than one ap-
parently desperate case has been pre-
scented. in which effective cooling ac-
complishes this, and secures the pa
tient unspeakable precious rest with
out narcotics. But this is not all. it
puts an effectnal stop to the swelling.
II the case has not gone very far, but
Is still one Of q very formidable char
acter, the swelling falls, and even dis
appears; but even when it has gone too
far for this, the disease is stayed and
every symptom of it is lessened. All
swelling but the actual separate growth
is removed. For instance, when the
swelling has passed from the breast
into the arm-pit, it is dispelled and
entirely confined to the actual sub
stance of the tumor. Now, how is this
managed? Simply by the persistent
and vigorous use of cold towels They
must be large enough to allow of four
fold covering Of the whole breast.
They are wrung out of cold water at
first, and, if possible, cooled with ice
instead of being wrung out after. One
at time is kindly pressed all round
and over the swollen breast. 1t is
heated b. the breast in one or two
minutes and must be changed. The
second is pressed round and all over
the breast in the same way. It also is
heated; but you may have three of
them in circle, and if you have bit
of ice to wrap around those that are
cooling you have cold enough. Some
"Ou1u put oA oil lCe DdS, ana let 1t
lie, but do not advise this. 1t is very
apt to destroy the outer skin by too
severe cold, and it does not abstract
heat SO rapidly as is done by SUBJ
stance that is nearer the temperature
of the heated breast. This treatment
requires wOrk-no doubt of that-but
it's effects are we'll worth the work it
requires. A nurse who is prepared to
do her best for a suffering sister will