Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-09-23

| TO cha0S.
1t is interesting to note in this con-
nection that plants and trees have can
Ger just as a human being does, and
| for the same reason.
The second popularity about cancer
is it's relation to chronic irritation. AS
the constant drop will wear the rock,
so irritation continued for a sufficient
ly long while will disturb cell growth.
The result Is that cell division is
speeded up, as it were, and instead of
simply producing new cells, sufficient
to maintain the normal equilibrium, we
have the exuberant sprouting cauli-
flower growth, characteristic Of malig-
nancy.
We are all familiar with cancer of
the lip, and its frequent occurrence in
men who smoke a short stem pipe.
holding the stem almost constantly be-
| tween their teeth. 1t Is the irritation
due to the pipe stem and the nicotine
that disturbs the cell growth Of the
buccal mucosa, thereby initiating the
morbid process which we call cancer.
Once started, cancer grows without
further attention upon the part of its
host. May I express the hope that If
the ladies Of South Carolina ever adopt
the ultra fashionable habit Of smoking
pipe, as understand they are now
doing in London, that they will not use
the short stem variety.
Chronic irritation is often produced
by curious customs, but its effects are
the same as those we see in every day
life.
In certain countries the chewing Of
betel nuts is universally practised by
the women. They hold large wad Of
the nut inside of the cheek, thereby
often causing cancer.
In India, oxen are used as draft ami
mails almost exclusively. Instead Of
placing the yoke upon the neck as In
this country, it is fastened to one horn.
1t has been observed that cancer Of the
horn upon which the yoke works, is
quite common, while it never occurs In
the other horn.
The irritation need not necessarily be
mechanical, sometimes it is due to
thermic influences, especially heat. DR..
VIM. ]. Mayo lays particular stress up
on the influence of both heat and cold
as a cause Of cancer.
In certain parts of China, where the
principal article Of food is rice, 1t Is
customary for the women to wait upon
the men first, serving them while the
rice is hot. Afterwards the women
take their rice after 1t has become cool.
Cancer Of the esphagus Is quite fire.
quent among the men OF China, while
the women never have it. So there is
some advantage Of being woman-in
China.
In the region Of the Himalaya noun
tains, there Is a country known as
Kashmir. Those of you who have read
Moores Lalla Rookh know something
of it's fame. 1t Is more than twice the
size of the state of South Carolina and
contains a population Of 100000. The
country is a cup shaped valley five or
six thousand feet high, surrounded
with mountain ranges upon which lays
perpetual SHOWS. One Of these noun
tains, Nangar Parbat, 1856 feet, Is the
fourth highest mountain in the world.
The people Of that country are subject
to many calamities, such as floods,
earthquakes, famine, pestilence and
fires destroy the wooden, thatched-
rooted houses One Of the peculiar
customs of these people is that they
wear a small brazier under their cloth
ing, which swings against the skin of
the abdomen. In this brazier they car
ry live Goals Of fire to keep them from
freezing. The almost constant pres
ence Of the fire burns the skin Of the
abdomen, resulting in cancer so ire
quently that it is known as the Kangri
cancer.
Again, the irritation Of certain chem
ical agents play an important part IN
cancer production. The reaction OF the
stomach secretions, is, as you know,
distinctly acid. while that of the duo
denum, being that portion Of the bow
els which joins the stomach, Is alkili.
Cancer of the stomach is quite COM
mon, comprising about 3S per cent OF
all the cases occurring in every portion
Of the body, while primary cancer OF
the duodenum has rarely been seen.
Cancer of the stomach presents
rather complicated problem. The late
symptoms, such as pain, hemorrhage,
vomiting, emaciation, tumor, etc.,
points clearly toward the cemetery by
the short road. Recently a dear little
woman, who was emaciated till she
was only hank Of hair and pack OF
bones," as she expressed it, was refer
red to me for operation. (She had
passed through the hands Of the stom-
ach specialists, who told her six months
previously, that she had growth In
her stomach which they thought they
could wash away.") 1 could do moth
ing more than a CASTRO -enterostomy,
which gave her temporary, but grateful
respite in the downward course. Per-
;otA M