Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-04-08
Lawyer Conquered Tongue Can
Ger; SucCumbs to Another.
REAL TROUBLE IN THROAT.
Deeper Growth Not Discovered Until
Long After Treatment-City Solicitor
of Asbury Park, N. j., Asked Report
ers to Watch Observation-Disclosures
Permanent Cure Was Effected.

Eight months after he called the re-
porters into his Office to tell them that
radium had cured his canoe of the
tongue City Solicitor Samuel A. Pat
terson Of Asbury Park, N. j.. died Of
cancer. He had been pronounced free
from the disease and had been so much
benefited that he was able to resume
the work he had dropped, but when
his throat began to trouble him it was
found that the radium had not touch
ed the growth in that part and that
what it had burned away was a mere
offshoot Of the real trouble.
Mr.. Patterson was first aware that
something was wrong with him about
fifteen months ago. AS he was arguing
4 case in the court of common pleas
at Freehold, n. j., a jagged tooth, from
which the gold crown had come off.
cut his tongue. He consulted Il doctor
and he advised him that he was suffer
ing from cancer.
Determined to make Il fight for it,
MI. Patterson went to New York and
had a treatment with radium. Just
about then the case of Congressman
Bremner was arousing great interest.
He had been treated by DR.. Howard
A Kelly of Baltimore and had had
eleven tubes of radium applied to the
cancer in his shoulder for twelve hours
~ ~ ct,.Nfnl, Nv D. ,,.,k -
Baltimore to consult DR.. Kelly. BY
this time his tongue had become so
much affected that he had had to aban-
don cases which be was trying in the
courts. His enunciation had become
thick and painful. and it was difficult
for even his intimate friends to under.
stand him.
inflicted Painful Burns.
DR.. Kelly told him that he thought
he had L chance. Mr.. Patterson was
willing to try anything. and for two
hours he submitted to the application
of radium tubes to the right side Of
his tongue and neck. They inflicted
such painful burns that it was impos-
sible for him to wear a collar for two
weeks, but they produced at once a
notable improvement in his powers Of
| speech.
Then he made a second trip to BaltI-
more. and this time submitted to the
treatment for about an hour. 1t SEEM
ed then that he was practically cured,
and he was able to talk so clearly that
he resumed his duties. DR.. Kelly had
told him to come back a third time.
but when he paid that visit his tongue
had improved so greatly that it was
decided that no more radium was nee
sssary. and he was discharged as
cured.
1t vas then that Mr.. Patterson call
ed in the reporters to hear about his
case. They found that his tongue was
still ~discOlored and looked brownish
n that its flesh was hard and his
speech was still thick. These symp-
toms. he assured the newspaper men,
be had been told by the doctor were
purely the result Of the radium treat
ment and that as soon as the effect of
the burns wore off he would speak as
| we'll as ever he did.
For some weeks after this Mr.. Pat
terson kept to his court work and did
not again complain Of any trouble
with his tongue. 1t was, however, the
deeper cancer, which was not discover
ed for some time afterward and had
not been affected by the radium treat
ment, which in the end proved fatal.
Mr.. Patterson was ffty-three years
old. He graduated from Columbia Law
school and served as city solicitor for
Asbury Park for two terms.