The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-11-15
A MESSAGE OF HOPE

During an active surgical life of
almost half century, l have seen
many hundreds of cases of cancer,
and / am happy to assure my readers
that it is durable, provided the advice
of those who have been in constant
contact with this terrible disease is
sought and followed.
I'm a very large number Of cases,
especially cancer of the breast, the
following represents the conversation
which followed careful examination:
GLOW long ago did you first notice
this lump in your breast?"
'fAbout a year ago." (Or it may be
even longer.) This is an astonishingly
frequent reply.
.'sWhy in the world didn't you come
to me at once?"
"Why, Doctor, it didn't hurt me at
ALL" Gas if "pain" meant that it was
dangerous lamp, and mo pain that
it was a harmless lump! Cancer at
the beginning is almost never pain
full
81 am sorry to tell you that l fear
you have come too late to expect a
cure. Had you come the moment you
discovered this lump, could have re-
moved it by very easy and safe
operation, from which you would have
been we'll within week. But now
I can promise nothing, except to do
my very best for you"
A Little Fire Should Be Put Out.
How often my heart has been
wrung by such a conversation (word-
ed, of course more tactfully and not
in this brusque, almost brutal, form)
with wife and mother, who, by her
neglect to seek aid at once, has con-
demaed her husband and her children
te-lose so dear wife, so cherished
mother, just when she is most needed.
How often have I said to myself, III
only women knew; if only women
knew
Sometimes they Would declare, q
was afraid to come for fear you would
tell N-me it was a cancer" To which
have so often replied, eff you smeit
smoke in your house would you SIT
and wait for fear you would find
Four house was afre? Why not do for
Your own self what you would do for
your own house? Find out the truth
att once"
Sometimes she would say am al
most ashamed to admit it, but 1t IS
true: 81 did see my doctor, and ne
told me to wait and see whether 1t
we lid grow any bigger" I am glad
tessay this is not true Of the younger
men, but only of some of the doctors
whosgraduated years ago and have not
kept I'D with our modern discoveries
.fIf you saw a little fire in your
house," / would reply, would you
wait to see if it would grow Digger
:befere you tried to put it out?'
If every woman who found lump
in her breast would consult a compe-
tent surgeon at onee-that is to say
within forty-eight hours, if possible
but in any ease within week. am
sare that eighty-fve out Of every one
hundred, and it might we'll be- ninety
oat4ef every one hundred, would be
cured end stay cured. So cancer Is
,errable-provided you consult good
nbss;eian at once. Remember that
when you find lump already formed
the disease has been at WORK TOT
weeks, and it may be for three or TOUR
months, before a rdiscoverable lump
has been formed.
j have patients on whom operated
fifteen, twenty, and more years ago.
and they are still well; but they came
early. except one happy acse OF about
twenty years ago. One breast hao
been removed before / saw her. the
dieease had returned on that
side. and had begun in the opposite
breast. / operated for the recurrent
disease, and she is well today-twen-
ty{ years later.
The complete operation is not
very long one. 1t has today, relnem-
ber. practically no mortality, and the
recovery is complete in week or ten
da,s without much suffering. Before
The DAYS of antiseptic and aseptie
surgery, the suffering was severe
and prolonged, practically every case
became infected, and the mortahty
was large. Usually the patient was
in the hospital for from four to SIX
weeks, or longer, and if eryslpeias or
severe infection incurred, 1t might oe
three or four months before she was