Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-12-01
CANCER REMEDY
HASTENS DEATH?
DuPage County Authorities In
vestigating Case of Mrs.
Jacob Mey.
GIVEN TREATMENT HERE
Claimed That EmboIism on the Brain
Was Caused by Use of
Caustic SaIve.

! Outage county authorities are in
vestigating the death of Mrs. Jacob
Mey. wife of a farmer living near
Lisle in that county, who died Fri
| day after receiving treatment for
cancer at Freeman's Cancer institute.
1880 Seventh avenue. Moline, con-
Quoted by John F. and David B. Free
man. Death, according to the verdict
of the coroner's jury returned Sat
urday, was caused by embolism, or
CLOTHING of blood, on the brain. The
jury recommended that an investiga-
ton be undertaken 70 ascertain If
any criminal responsibility attached.
| The treatment is said to have con-
sisted of the application of a caustic
sslve. 1t is claimed the husband paid
| 500 for the treatment
The funeral of Mrs. Mey was de-
layed till a postmortem examination
of the brain could be made in com
pliance with the course advised by
the coroners jury.
Promises Inquiry.
States Attorney William Hadley
of Du Page county in a statement
printed in today's Chicago Tribune is
quoted as saying:
I'VE intend to go to the bottom of
this matter, and if any one is respon-
sible for the woman's death we will
try to hold them criminally respon-
sible am having an analysis made
of the salve which was applied on
Mrs. Mey.
81 find from ethical physicians that
embolism is frequently caused by the
administration of this so-called salve
cure for cancer. Usually the salve
contained some powerful caustic-I
arsenic-which completely burned
away the cancerous growth.
Medical authorities, l find, have
abandoned the arsenic salve treat
ment, which has been obsolete for 20
years. The reason for its abandon
mept was the great danger of death
by embolism. AS the salve burns in
the tissues becomes painfully infiam-
ed and the blood coagulates around
the region.
Physicians Agree.
when one of the blood clots is |
taken through vein to the heart and |
from there through an artery to the
brain, death results from embolism. |
The blood clot or embolus, resting on
the brain brings on paralysis and |
quick death. All the physicians who
examined the body and learned the
history of the woman's case traced
her death to this cause.
by a post-mortem examination of
the brain we hope to ascertain this
beyond any doubt. We will then take
up the possible criminal liability of
anyone who would administer such a
dangerous treatment, in view of the
present medical knowledge"
Feared Operation.
DR.. NJ. L. Puffer of Isle, who at
tended Mrs. Mey before she took the
salve treatment, is quoted by the
Tribune as follows:
About three months ago Mr. MeY
brought his wife to my Office. She
was in such a weak condition she haS
to be carried. found her to be suffer
ing from carcinoma of the left breast.
She was too weak to undergo an 4
operation at that time. | built her up
so that she could go about her house
The cancer was such that it could cas-
ly be removed by either an operation {
Dr. the y ray treatment.
About six weeks ago | met Mr. ,
Mey on the street and he told me MS {
wife feared an operation and that
hey were going to the Freeman Can
,er institute for treatment | told
Mr. Mey at that time that his wife
would never be able to stand the
'alve treatment; that it was not
cure for cancer and that it probably ;
would kill her
That was the last I heard from
hem until last Friday, when Mr. Mey ,
elephoned me that his wife was very
II. / jumped into an automobile and ,
cached their house in 20 minutes ,
She was dead. / Immediately called ,
he coroner. as l believed the woman's
ieath a proper subject for official
Denies Treatment Was Cause.
DR. ID. B. Freeman. one of the pro-
'rietors of the institute. today sub T
nitted the following statement to the q
'ress:
I'm regard to the case of Mrs Mey J
IS cited In the Tribune this morning. / i
would make the following statement:
The cause of death was evidently I
ue TO what Is known as embolism of {
he brain, caused probably by a clot I
= blood or mass OF cells which lodged
n some Of the blood vessels in the
rain, thus cutting off the circulation
o that part of the brain and thereby :
ausing death.
This condition was not caused in
ny way whatsoever by the method !,
4 treatment but was only incident &.
hereto, the same as sometimes hap
ems following an operation, a severe .
diseased arteries and certain :
onditions Of the blood, conditions in 7
which embolism often occur. This
is very sudden in onset and
ard to combat.
las yet, no direct information has d