Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-04-29
NOTED RAD|UM CURE.
Big Tumor Killed and Patients
Life Saved.
ONLY SCAR TISSUE REMAINS.

Victim of Malignant Growth Treated In
New York Hospital Had Radium
Impresnated Gelatin Injected Into the
Mass-lmprovement Was Rapid.
What physicians pronounce one of
the most remarkable cures through the
agency of radium In the history of
medical science was recently confirmed
by the examination of a patient who
was expected to die six months ago,
when he went to Flower hospital In
New York city with q malignant tumor
the size of a child's head in his abdo-
men.
The large mass which threatened his
life has disappeared, and the small re-
naming knot in it's place has lost its
character as g tumor and is simply
scar tissue which has not been re-
moved by the process of absorption.
Drs. William II. Dieffenbach and
William Tod Helmuth, who have had
the case in charge, claim for Flower
hoSpltdi ihC uloSoNeiy VI thc lnGlnOu
employed which was the injection of
gelatin impregnated with radium into
the tumor Itself after the seat of the
trouble had been reached by opening
the abdominal cavity. The practice in
the only other similar case on record,
one performed in Europe some days
ago, was to inclose the radium in a
glass tube, which was sewed up in
the tumor.
When the patient, who is a promi-
nent resident of Westchester county,
N. Y, was taken to the hospital DR..
Dieffenbach called in DIR. Helmuth
with an idea of performing an opera
tion for the removal of the tumor.
After a thorough examination DR.. Hell
muth found the tumor to be so large
and It's roots to have invaded so much
of the abdominal tissue that he re-
fused to operate.
A council was held, and 1t was de-
cided to treat the patient with the
X ray for the purpose of preventing
the spread or growth of the tumor.
BY this method the physicians sue
ceeded in checking the advance of the
tumor. but after three months OF the
treatment the skin Of the patient be-
came so irritated that the application
of the y rays had to be discontinued.
Another examination proved that any
operation for the removal of the mass
would prove futile, and as heroic
attempt to save the life of the patient
DR.. Dieffenbach proposed that the tu-
NOR be exposed and that radioactive
gelatin be injected into the diseased
parts
The patient was placed under the in
fluence of o. anaesthetic, and the gela-
tin. which had been impregnated with
500 worth of radium, was injected in
three places In the tumor. The IN
cisions were drawn together with a
purse string suture, and the abdomen
was closed.
When the tumor was disclosed the
surgeons pronounced 1t a round cell
sarcoma. Il most malignant variety of
tumor. but cut off a small piece of the
mass for analysis. A later examina.
ton Of this portion by Drs. Hertzmann
and Kellogg. eminent pathologists.
confirmed the opinion of the operators.
The reaction from the operation was
unusually severe, and at times it was
feared the patient would not rally. but
after a few days an increase of
strength was noted, and at the end of
five weeks the patient was so much
improved In general health and the
tumor was so greatly reduced in size
that he was permitted to go to his
home.
While greatly elated over the results
of their efforts, the physicians did not
allow their enthusiasm to overcome
them, and 1t was only after a thor
ough examination of the patient by
DR.. Helmuth a few days ago that they
allowed report on the case to be
made public.
This last examination revealed an
apparently healthy condition in the af-
fected territory. Only a small lump
remains in the place Of the tumor, and
this, the physicians say, retains none
Of the character of tumor, but Is
simply a nodule of scar tissue such as
remains after the healing Of any mod
erateiy sized wound.
The efficiency of the treatment by
the radioactive gelatin lies in the
artificial irritation which II induces in
the tumor, says DR.. Dieffenbach. Con-
traction OF the tumor and a change in
its character result. The physicians
were moved to their decision to try
the radlum treatment by their observa-
tions of the beneficial results that
have attended the treatment of super
fetal skin ulcers at the hospital by
the application of radium.
The method employed in this case is
declared to be superior to that in Eu-
rope, In which the radium was inclosed
in a glass tube. In the latter case
$1,000 worth of radium is reported to
have been used, while the cost Of the
material used in the case at Flower
hospital was one-fiftieth as much. 1t
is thought also that In this case the