Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-25
ncer of the stomach.

about 16 per cent. while later statistics col
lected from other sources show 40 per cent
of cures.
Cancer of the stomach.
"In cancer of the stomach. by the old
fashioned methods, none of the patients re-
covered. Six years ago we were able to
collect statistics showing 20 per cent of
the patients well after three years, while
more recent statistics have shown Is, 30
and even IS Ter cent cured after this lapse
Of time. AS stomach cancer can rarely be
determined by former methods until 1t is
past the operative stage. surgeons have
met this difficulty by the exploratory
operation. which consists Of examining the
stomach through a small ~incision. The
operation is far less grave than the opera
ton for chronic appendicitis.
Cancer is incurable only II you make II
so by delay. 1t is readily durable If under
taken by a properly qualified surgeon.
Patients come too late to the surgeon
partly because they are ignorant. The
early symptoms of cancer are trifling. A
slight persistent sore on the tongue or lip;
a painless lump in the breast; an occa-
sional slight hemmorhage from one of the
body's ~oriflces; a slight persistent dyspep-
sla which does not yield to treatment
such are the symptoms of early cancer.
These symptoms do not at once cause i'll
health. or ~exhaustion; they are seldom
painful. Why then should the patient think
them worth troubling about? 1t is because
they do not disappear after a little care,
but continue week after week and month
after month. Such symptoms must not be
neglected. Another important factor is the
patients age. Cancers rarely occur before
the age OF So. They are not common be-
fore 10. Cancers in the young are more
serious than In the old. Those of us who
are in the middle period of life must not
neglect apparently trifllng. but persistent
sores, swellings and ~bleedings.
Crusade Against the Disease.
"A common cause for the patients delay
In seeking advice is terror and false mod
esty. Then the patient breads an opera
ton. Although the operation on advanced
cancer is a grievous and often a terrible
ordeal, an operation on early cancer is fire.
quently trifling. Many Will say, oh. yes
that's your business; you do the operating,
and We are the ores who suffer Such a
retort is unworthy Of an educated person,
and is ungenerous toward a humane and
thoughtful surgeon. In these days Of ex-
pert asertic surgery. moreover, the old
pains OF operations have TO a large extent
been abolished. There is not more pain
than can be controlled easily by drugs, and
l feel justified in telling you earnestly and
sincerely that the dread Of an operation is
often a grossly exaggerated dread. II
should meanwhile be remembered hat the
number OF physicians is small who are
qualified definitely. finally and always to
pronounce singly on the nature Of a given
tumor.
To-day the prevalence Of cancer Is keenly
recognized, and the crusade for it's extirpa-
tion ranks second only to the crusade for
the extirpation Of tuberculosis. Numerous
commissions are investigating aud agitating
the matter; and we have a Harvard com
mission whose work has been widely recog-
nized. As a result some things. are reason
ably certain. For some forms of malignant
tumors certain individuals are Immune: and
such immunity is so widely distributed, so
that many after being infected with cancer
recover spontaneously. While the theory OF
the germ origin of cancer has not been
proved. much light has been thrown CT the
nature OF many forms OF tumors. Let me
here say that II experiments on animals
! were abolished by law. we should have to