Chapter 12: Cancer of the Breast
In the mortality statistics of some states we find more deaths from cancer of the stomach than from any other form of cancer. In my own practice I have seen more cases of cancer of the breast than any other form of the disease, therefore I propose to commence the treatment of the different forms of cancer with this variety of the disease. In my professional life I have had the privilege of examining 4,300 cases of cancer of the breast in all its diferent forms.
We have the SCIRRHUS VARIETY which is the most common form. It is of slow growth; it may be several years coming and is mostly met with in elderly people of spare habit and rigid constitution. There may be pain in the growth but not always. The axillary glands may be affected through sympathy. There is a contraction and shrivelling of the integument. It has a corrugated feeling.
In the ENCEPHALOID form of cancer the growth is not so hard as in the scirrhus; the superficial veins are much enlarged as the tumor grows. It presents on the surface purplish and fluctuating spots which, as the tissue degenerates, give way and hemorrhage is the result. This form of cancer sometimes opens out like a rose, hence it is called “Rose Cancer.” I treated a case of this kind in Monmouth County, in this state, which Dr. Agnew, of Philadelphia, had declared was “beyond human skill to cure”. It measured twenty-two inches in circumference and weighed four and one-half pounds. It was tbe largest cancer ever removed without the knife. This form of cancer may run its course in six months or a year, while the scirrhus variety may exist several years before death ensues.
We have another form of cancer in the breast called the ADENOID. In this variety you will find a small hard bunch in the breast. It may be movable and often feels hard like a rubber ball imbedded in the breast. There is still another form with which we meet and it is called SARCOMA. In my experience I have found that sarcoma, wherever it may appear in the body is generally rooted in the bone. In the history of the case you will find some injury to the part that affected the bone. This variety grows quite rapidly and does not spread out into the surrounding parts; but seems to confine itself to one spot. It is the one form of cancer that is the most apt to return after a surgical operation. Every operation irritates them and makes them grow just so much faster. I saw one case of this variety of cancer of the breast which was the largest I ever saw. The patient sat in a chair with a pillow on her lap and the immense great tumor resting on the pillow. It was soft and spongy like, full of broken down cancer cells a jelly-like mass. The case was past cure. The family asked me what would be the result if the tumor was tapped? I replied, “if it is tapped it will either cause her death or it will fill up again in three weeks and require another tapping.” They had two physicians tap her and she died as a result of the operation.
I saw another case of sarcoma which began in the groin that was cut out; it returned and was cut out again until it had been operated on four times. When I saw the case the whole leg above the knee was one mass of cancer and it was past cure.
I have a case of sarcoma of the female breast now under my care. It measures twenty-one inches in circumference, seven inches across it and eight inches perpendicular. It has been removed and is now healing up. If it is cured (and I think it will be) it will be the first case of sarcoma of the breast of that size ever cured in this country. It was cut out over two years ago and returned worse than ever. It was of a spongy feeling and full of broken down cancer cells.
SYMPTOMS
In cancer of the breast the following may be described as the most prominent symptoms: It is most frequently met with at or near the change of life, from forty to fifty years of age. It first makes its appearance as a small lump in the glands of the breast, soft or hard At first there may be no pain, and for this reason (and because the family doctor tells the patient “it is nothing; let it alone “) it is often neglected. Then is the time to have it treated, for at that stage it can be easily cured without breaking the skin, making a sore or causing a moment’s pain. As it grows larger it feels more unequal, and as the swelling increases in size the pain will also increase. As it still grows larger it gets more unequal, and more immovable. The skin appears very white, the nipple drawn in, the part of the adjacent skin is puckered, while round about appear protuberances, hard and unequal. The swelling retains its hardness until the skin over it breaks and it opens out into a cancerous growth. From the open sore we have bloody, watery discharge, the edges of the ulcer thicken and irritate, and the smell from the sore is very offensive; when there is a swelling in the breast with bloody watery discharge from the nipple cancer is always present.
In the last stages of cancer of the breast, the glands under the arm of the affected side are enlarged and the arm swollen quite hard down to the end of the fingers on the affected side. If the bone is considerably affected there will be a bloody, watery, bad-smelling discharge and shortness of breath. In making our prognosis in a case of cancer of the breast we do not take into consideration the size of the growth but how it is attached. If we grip the cancer with both hands on each side of it and find that it is fixed and immovable and there is shortness of the breath and a bloody, watery discharge we know that the bones of the sternum or ribs are so much involved that the case is past cure.
In examining a tumor in the breast NEVER PINCH IT OR SQUEEZE IT. Such manipulation irritates the cancer and makes it take on new life and grow so much the faster. Be gentle in all your examinations of the breast. Take the growth between your thumb and finger or grasp it gently just as you would if you were going to pick up a ball from the floor. How does it feel to you? What is the impression that you get from the feeling of it? Does it have a doughy feeling like a batch of dough or does it have a nodulated feeling? Can you detect any hard lumps, knots or kernels in the breast? Do the lumps feel hard like cheese? The pain of cancer is like a needle thrust in the flesh. Remember that it is possible to have a cancer and have no pain at all. The more advanced the disease the more constant the pain. If the nipple is “drawn in” or there is a bloody, watery discharge from the nipple then you know it is cancer and nothing else. Fleshy tumors and enlargement of the gland have a doughy feeling that cannot be mistaken. There is no excuse for calling these cancer. A doctor must learn much of this by experience. To have a sensitive touch you should have your eyes at your fingers’ ends and know how a cancerous tumor feels in a breast. A doctor who tells you he cannot diagnose a cancer in the breast without “cutting out” a piece of it and putting it under a microscope is ignorant of the first principles of the diagnosis of cancer. Such men should step aside and let a doctor take the case who can diagnose cancer. Men sometimes have cancer of the breast. In my practice I have seen a hundred cases of this kind.
In making his prognosis of a case of cancer a physician must take into consideration the general health of the patient, her habits of life. Has she worried a good deal, has she had any protracted illness, has she overworked and weakened her vitality in that way, has she had children rapidly so as to overtask her strength, has she been operated upon, which would have a tendency to lessen her recuperative power. If she has passed the change of life that is in her favor, or if it is before she has begun to change, her chances are better. If she has any form of indigestion that must bc cured before you can cure the cancer. If there is any drain upon the system, as for instance, hemorrhages, leucorrhoea, diabetes, bleeding hemorrhoids, chronic diarrhoea, etc., they must be stopped. Whatever the complication may be that is lowering her vitality it must be treated and cured before you can expect to make any headway in curing the cancer. While you are trying to build up the patient they are pulling her down. Any uterine or ovarian trouble must be corrected or you cannot succeed in curing the cancer in the breast. Do not forget that four-fifths of the cases of cancer of the breast are rooted in the uterus or ovaries. All of this goes to prove how silly it is to CUT OUT A GROWTH in the BREAST when the CAUSE of the trouble is in the uterus or ovaries. After you feel assured that you have mastered the disease always caution the patient not to overheat her blood, over a hot cook stove or in the hot sun in the summer for at least a year atter treatment, for if she does the cancer may return. If the cancer does not return for a year after you have declared it cured it will not be likely to return at all. Such has been my experience with the disease.
All of the complications that arise in cancer will be found treated in detail in my book on “DEFINITE MEDICATION”, published by the Therapeutic Publishing Company, Boston, Mass. Every doctor who intends to make a business of treating cancer must master this book before he can undertake the treatment of cancer.
The best and most practical way for me to teach physicians how to treat such cases is to give a record of a number of cases of the diferent forms of cancer of the breast and the description of the treatment which has proven successful in my hands. They are thus initiated into an everyday practice of a cancer specialty. In February, 1884, I treated a lady in Monmouth County, New Jersey, for a rose cancer of the breast. It had been coming for eighteen years. She was 45 years old and at rather a delicate constitution. This cancer had kept on growing until it burst out like a full blown rose. It measured twenty-two inches in circumference and after its removal weighed four and one-half pounds. Several doctors had seen the case and there was no question about the diagnosis. None of the doctors offered any encouragement. It was considered a hopeless case. She had consulted the noted surgeon Dr. Agnew, of Philadelphia, and he said “that it was beyond human skill to cure it”. During the progress of the case several complications arose. She had neuralgia, heart trouble, congestion of the lungs, etc. I met each complication and treated it successfully. The lady lived for three years afterwards and never showed any symptoms of the return of the cancer, and died from heart disease. It was a desperate case, but it made my reputation in New Jersey. The case was reported by me in some of the medical journals. The newspapers of New York and Philadelphia mentioned the case and people came in carriages for many miles around to see this case. It was the largest cancer ever removed in this country from the female breast by medicine alone.
I applied Paste No. 1 — the formula as given under “Local Treatment of Cancer.” This paste was applied once in twenty-four hours for about six days. I then poulticed with the “Poultice Powder” once in two hours until it dropped out on the poultice. I healed the sore with the “Yellow Healing Salve” applied on soft white cloth three times a day. For the enlargement of the glands in the axilla I applied solution Boro Glycerine on lint three times a day and had it well rubbed in at the same time. To keep up her strength I gave her five grains of quinine three times a day before meals and the Comp. Syr. Phytolacca, one teaspoonful after each meal. Once or twice a week she was given two of the improved Comp. Cathartic Pills at bedtime to keep the bowels regular. I will not take up the space with the treatment of the various complications that arose during the case but simply refer the reader to my book on “DEFINITE MEDICATION “.
I want to impress it upon the mind of the reader that one such desperate case cured will establish a doctor’s reputation in his community. Never mind what others have said, if you think there is any chance of a cure, get after the cancer and stick to it until you cure it. The world LOVES a man who can “do things” in his profession. Such men will find their reward in the gratitude of their patients and in the satisfaction of knowing that they have actually accomplished something that other physicians around them could not do. Each victory over the disease will give you confidence in yourself and give you courage to attempt other difficult cases.
A lady was brought to me by a physician to have me examine a lump in her breast. I found the lump in about the middle of the breast which had a nodulated feeling. She complained of pain now and then in the growth. The nipple was not retracted nor was there any discharge from it. There was no swelling of the glands in the axillary region. Her general health was quite good. My diagnosis was scirrhus cancer. Treatment: There was a white coating on the tongue, the bunch in the breast was only of a few months’ growth and was not hard. I prescribed Kali mur 3d X three tablets once in three hours. I also gave her Tincture Phytolacca in five drop doses once in three hours in alternation. A constant compress was applied to the affected breast moistened with a solution of epsom salts (one ounce to the pint of warm water) and an epsom salt bath was given three times a week. In three months the growth was about all gone. The treatment was continued until cured. This was several years ago and there has been no return of the disease.
There is one rule that the reader must always remember in these carcinomatous growths of the breast. It is this. If you find, while under your treatment, that the growth seems to be contracting upon itself (it may become harder or softer) it is always a favorable sign but if you find the growth is spreading oat in the surrounding tissues it is an unfavorable symptom. I warn you not to pinch or squeeze the breast in your examination; if you do you will irritate the growth and be very apt to undo all the good your treatment has accomplished. Do not get so taken up with your local treatment as to overlook the most essential part of the treatment, viz.: the general condition of your patient. Watch the pulse (never count it; any child can do that) READ IT, find out how it feels to you. By watching the pulse you know whether the vitality is near the normal point or not; if not then the cancer will take on new life and grow. The tongue will tell you if your patient is digesting the food or not; if not this fault must be rectified at once. A dark red appearance of the tongue and especially a dirty yellow coating on it indicates imperfect oxidation of the blood as found in the advanced stages of cancer. When the tongue seems moist and the color is a lighter red with little or no coating we have favorable symptoms and know that the system is responding kindly to our remedies and that we have the disease under control, provided that the pulse at the same time is full, strong and regular. The eye will tell you if the organs of the body are secreting properly. If the white of the eye is free from yellow spots or the pearly white tint and there is a clear, bright, natural expression about the eyes you may rest assured that your patient is on the way to health.
A good physician must be like a sea captain; have his eyes everywhere. He makes it his business to know what is going on in every part of his ship when danger hovers round his vessel. A successful cancer specialist must be able to read the “danger signals” as quickly as an engineer on the railroad can read the signals on the road when traveling at full speed. When the pulse goes down the vitality of your patient is going down and the cancer will take on new life. Many a patient has been lost by doctors who neglected the very first principles of the successful treatment of cancer. They were so taken up watching the local part of the disease that they could not or would not see anything else. A good physician should expect the best and be prepared for the worst.
A middle-aged man came to me for examination. He had a lump in his left breast about as large as an English walnut. It had a hard nodulated feeling. It was just under the nipple. It hurt him to lie on that side. Now and then there was a stabbing pain like a needle thrust. It had been several months coming. There was no doubt but what this was a case of cancer. One remedy was given as indicated, viz.: calcarea flouride 6th X, three tablets once in three hours. No local treatment was used. The general health was fairly good. In six weeks the growth was entirely gone. Now after sixteen years I find no appearance of the growth and it has never shown any symptoms of returning, so we may consider it cured.
In 1887 a middle-aged lady came under my treatment. She had fallen against a fence and hurt one of her breasts. The bunch on her breast was quite tender to the touch, and felt hard like cheese with lancinating pains in it. Nipple not drawn in, growth not ulcerated, no swelling of the glands in the axilla. I gave her the Comp. Syr. Phytolacca, teaspoonful after each meal, 1-30 gr. sulph. strychnine before each meal and at bed time, six tablets night and morning of Kali mur 6th X. Locally I applied a poultice made of equal parts of pulverized phytolacca root, slippery elm and lobelia seed and moistened with warm water. The poultice was reapplied once in three hours. The above plan of treatment cured the case and now after twenty-four years the patient has never shown any symptoms of a return of the growth. The diagnosis of scirrhus cancer was clear, there could be no mistake about it, for other doctors had examined it and agreed in their diagnosis before it came to me.
In 1892 a case of cancer of the breast came under my treatment which had been examined by six difterent doctors, all agreeing that it was cancerous. She had the growth “drawn out” by a doctor who claimed to cure cancer. It returned worse than before. When I first examined her I found a cancerous growth as large as a small dinner plate. It was very painful so that she could not sleep nights and could not retain food on her stomach. I applied a solution of Iodo Bromide Calcium on lint to the breast three times a day. This solution was made as follows:
Iodo Bromide Calcium (Tilden & Co.), 3ii.
Aqua, 3vi.
Mix. Sig. Apply locally.
I also gave her Comp. Syr. Phytolacca, teaspoonful after each meal and a teaspoonful of the following prescription before each meal and at bedtime:
Quinine sulph, 3i.
Arom. Sulph. Acid., Fl.3i.
Comp. Tr. Cinchona. 3vii.
Mix. Sig. Teaspoonful as directed.
This case was under my care for four months and I made a permanent cure with the above treatment. The case was reported in a medical journal. Now, after nineteen years, there has been no return of the disease, therefore we may safely conclude that it is permanently cured.
In 1890 I met in consultation a prominent physician of the regular school who had grown old and gray in his profession and wanted my help to cure a case of cancer that had been sent to the Cancer Hospital from Washington, D. C. The doctor in the Cancer Hospital in New York City pronounced it a case of scirrhus cancer and past cure. The old doctor was very anxious for me to try and cure the patient. I found a large cancerous growth on the right breast partly ulcerated, and involving the whole of the mammary gland. There were lumps in the axilla, and the arm of the affected side was causing her some trouble. She was confined to her bed. This case had been diagnosed as cancer by three prominent surgeons of Washington, D. C. It was supposed to be too far advanced for any surgical operation. To cause the growth to contract upon itself and make it grow smaller I first applied the plaster made as follows:
Solid Ext. Hydrastis, 3viii.
Solid Ext. Conium, 3ii.
Mix. Sig. Spread on thin white leather and apply as directed.
This plaster was applied every forty-eight hours. It causes no pain. In ten days the growth had flattened down some and had contracted considerably upon itselt and the general health of the patient seemed much improved. I then began the active local treatment by applying Paste No. 1 once in twenty-four hours to the growth spread on white cloth. After six days I began to use the Poultice Powder every two hours until the mass came off on the poultice. I then healed the sore with the “Yellow Healing Salve” applied three times a day on soft white cloth. For the hard lumps under the arm I applied Solution Iodo Bromide Calcium (Tilden & Co.) full strength on lint three times a day. I also gave her Comp. Syr. Scrophularia, a tablespoonful after each meal and five grains of Sulph. Quinine before each meal. The above treatment cured the patient so that she never showed any symptoms of the disease in after life.
In 1901 I saw a case of encephaloid cancer of the breast in a young married woman. Her husband had bitten her bosom. As a result of this bite a lump began to grow in the breast. When I saw it the growth was about two inches high and an inch and a half in diameter at the base. It had not ulcerated but was full of broken down cancer cells. It felt soft and spongy. I applied Paste No. 1 once in forty-eight hours until I was sure that the growth was dead. Then it was poulticed once in two hours until it came out. I gave her the “Cancer Drops” ten drops once in three hours, and sulph. strychnine 1-30th gr. before meals and at bedtime. I kept this case under my treatment for three months, then discharged her cured and there has been no return of the disease.
In August, 1885, a middle-aged lady came to me from the eastern part of this state. She had a scirrhus cancer in her breast. The growth was of a purplish color and felt hard like cheese. The nipple was drawn in a little. There was no discharge from the nipple, no ulceration and no swelling of the glands in the axilla. It was very painful and there was a considerable tenderness. I gave her Tincture Phytolacca five drops once in three hours in alternation with Kali mur 3d X three tablets once in three hours. Locally I applied a poultice of equal parts of powdered phytolacca, lobelia seed and slippery elm moistened with warm water. This poultice was changed once in three hours. Once a day I wet the poultice with equal parts of Fld. Ext. Phytolacca and Fld. Ext. Lobelia seed. A fresh poultice was made every other day. This plan of treatment was followed until I had conquered the disease. The growth did not ulcerate but kept growing smaller from one month to another until at the end of the fourth month when I examined it I found the growth had disappeared. She has not bad any return of the disease.
In 1905 a doctor in New York City sent a lady patient over to me to be examined and to get my diagnosis of the case. She had been examined by three noted physicians, put under the X-Ray and also had had some of the discharge from the nipple examined under the microscope but no definite diagnosis of the case had been made. Upon making an examination of the patient I found a woman with very large mammary glands and both breasts were quite fu11 of a cancerous growth. It had not ulcerated but there was a bloody, watery discharge from one nipple. The nodulated feeling in the gland told the story. It was scirrhus cancer. The doctor who sent the case to me was very anxious I should take it and try and do something for this unfortunate woman. The doctors in New York, some of them, had urged her to submit to an operation but she fully realized the fact that any operation offered no hope of a cure. There were several complications in this case as she was suffering from indigestion, prolapsus uteri, some ovarian inflammation and leucorrhea. All these complications must be treated before I could expect to cure the cancer. My book on “DEFINITE MEDICATION” will give full instructions how such complications should be treated. For the cancer I gave her Tincture Chimaphila twenty drops four times a day, sulph. strychnine 1-30 gr. before meals and at bedtime. Locally I applied a soap and lead plaster (see U. S. Dispensatory) to the breasts spread on soft white cloth once in twelve hours. The epsom salts bath was given every night. Double sulphide tablets once an hour for eight hours, then once in three hours. In a month I could see a change for the better; her general health was improved, as were also the uterine and ovarian troubles. The cancerous tumors in both breasts were a little smaller and there was no discharge from the nipple. After three months I gave her the following prescription in place of the Chimaphila:
Tr. Hydrastis,
Tr. Thuja,
Tr. Phytolacca, a. a. 3i.
Mix. Sig. Ten drops once in three hours.
This prescription made a very marked change in the case for the better and I followed up this treatment for six months until I felt sure that I had conquered the disease. The patient moved to another part of the country and I lost sight of the case. The last examination showed no growth in either breast.
In September, 1885, a lady came to consult me for a growth in her breast. It was about as big as a large sized hen’s egg. There was lancinating pain but it had not broken out. She had a broad indented tongue, flatulence, distress in the stomach after eating. I gave her tincture hydrastis, 3d X dilution, ten drops once in three hours and the Camp. Syr. Phytolacca after each meal. Locally I applied the following prescription:
Ext. Eucalyptus,
Salicylic acid, a. a. 3ss.
Vaseline, 3ii.
Mix. Sig. Apply on a soft white cloth.
This ointment was applied in this case three times a day. The growth gradually grew smaller under this treatment until it finally disappeared and now, after twenty-six years, it has not returned, so we may safely conclude it was a permanent cure.
In November, 1887, I had a case of scirrhus cancer the breast come under my treatment. It had been drawn out by an arsenic plaster and returned worse than before. When I saw the case the growth in the breast had involved the whole of the.mammary gland. It discharged a foul-smelling pus. I applied Paste No. 1 over all the ulcerated growth once in twenty-four hours until I had applied four plasters. The mass was then poulticed with the poultice powder until it dropped out, leaving a clean, healthy sore. This was healed by the “Yellow Healing Salve.” Internally I gave her Comp. Syr. Phytolacca, teaspoonful after each meal and five grains quinine before each meal. This treatment was continued until she was discharged cured. I have never heard that the disease returned.
I had a case come to me from New York State in 1886. The patient was a young married woman twenty-two years of age. She had a scirrhus cancer in her right breast about the size of a large apple. It was movable in the breast, felt quite hard and the nipple was not retracted. Her general health was quite good and there were no complications. I applied locally the following ointment:
Cerate Phytolacca,
Cerate Arnica,
Cerate Belladonna, a. a, 3ii.
Mix. Sig. Rub it weil into the breast night and morning. Also spread some on soft white cloth and apply it at the same time. Internally she was given ten drops of the following prescription once in three hours;
Tr. Hyrdrastis,
Tr. Conium,
Tr. Phytolacca, a. a. 3i.
Mix. Sig. Teaspoonful once in three hours.
In three months under the above treatment the growth was entirely removed and it has never returned.
In January, 1890, a case of scirrhus cancer of both breasts came under my care. The lumps began to appear in the breasts about three years previously; they had not ulcerated but were imbedded in the breasts and felt like a hard rubber ball. Sharp stabbing pains were felt in the lumps. The nipples were not retracted. Diagnosis, adenoid cancer. I gave this patient iodide baryta 3d X three tablets once in three hours and ten drops at 3d X dilution tincture hydrastis in alternation. Locally I applied to the cancerous tumors the following ointment:
Solution Boro Glyceride, 3vi.
Tr. Phytolacca, 3vi.
Mix. Sig. Bathe the tumors three times a day.
This was the treatment given to this patient and after continuing it four months I found upon examining the breasts no sign of a growth and there has been no return of the trouble since.
In a lady from Rhode Island I found on examination a large cancerous growth in one breast. It seemed as if the whole of that breast was involved in this cancerous growth of the scirrhus variety. It had not ulcerated or been operated upon. General health fairly good. Her only trouble being asthma. (See treatment for that disease in “DEFINITE MEDICATION”.) I decided to try and absorb the growth. To do this I applied the “ABSORBENT OINTMENT” made as follows:
Cerate Phytolacca,
Cerate Arnica,
Cerate Belladonna, a. a. pi.
Mix. Sig. Rub some of this ointment into the breast night and morning; also spread some on a soft white cloth and apply to the breast after each rubbing. Internally I gave her seven drops of the following prescription before each meal:
Tr. Hydrastis,
Tr. Conium, a. a. 3i.
Mix. Sig. Seven drops before each meal.
I kept this patient under this treatment for three months when I felt confident that I had mastered the disease. The internal treatment was continued far two months longer so as to prevent any chance of the disease recurring. Now, after eleven years, there has not been any signs of any recurrence.
In December, 1891, I treated a patient from Paterson, New Jersey, who had a large scirrhus cancer of the breast. It had grown so large, and had begun to ulcerate, that it seemed very doubtful if I could be successful in its absorption, therefore I decided to apply Paste No. 1 and take out the growth. This cancer was caused by a broken breast and began six months before I saw it. Internally I gave her Comp. Syr. Phytolacca, teaspoonful after each meal, and five grains of quinine before each meal and at bedtime. After the growth came out I used the “Ye11ow Healing Salve” to heal the sore. The treatment of this case occupied about four months. It is now twenty years since I treated the above case. Since that time she has given birth to two children and there has been no return of the disease.
In 1892 I treated a man from New Jersey for an adenoid cancer in his breast. It commenced eight years before I saw him and he was suffering from severe lancinating pains in the growth. It felt hard and nodulated. I applied the following ointment, and had it well rubbed into the growth three times a day:
Granular Lime Chloride, 3ii.
Vaseline, 3iv.
Mix. Sig. Rub well into the tumor three times a day.
Internally he was given ten drops four times a day of this prescription:
Tr. Hydrastis,
Tr. Conium,
Tr. Phytolacca, a. a. 3i.
Mix. Sig. Ten drops four times a day.
The above treatment removed the lump from the breast and it has not returned since that date.
In 1893 I treated a case of encephaloid cancer of the breast in a lady just at the menopause. The skin was wrinkled and discolored, the growth nearly ready to ulcerate. She had bad flowing spells which weakened her vitality. This complication required attention and relief before anything could be done for the cancer. (See Menopause in “DEFINITE MEDICATION.”) Internally for the cancer she was given fifteen drops of the following mixture before each meal:
Tr. Hydrastis,
Tr. Baptisia,
Tr. Phytolacca, a. a. 3i.
Mix. Sig. Fifteen drops before each meal.
I also gave her 1-30 gr. sulph. strychnine once in three hours. Over the tumor in the breast I applied the following poultice:
Pulv. Phytolacca,
Pulv. Lobelia seed, a. a. 3iv.
Mix. Sig. Moisten a sufficient quantity with warm water to make a poultice and apply to the part once in three hours. Once a day the poultice should be wet with equal parts of Fl.. Ext. Phytolacca and Fl. Ext. Lobelia seed. A new poultice should be made every day. Eighteen years have elapsed since then and there has never been any symptoms of a return of the disease. She has given birth to one child during this period. From these facts it is safe to infer that she has been cured permanently.
In 1893 a lady came under my treatment from Brooklyn, N. Y. She had a cancer removed from one breast but in a few months it made its appearance in the other breast. There were lumps in the axilla and a large portion of the mammary gland was affected. The growth in the breast was quite hard, it had a knotty feeling but it was not ulcerated. This lady was just beginning the change of life, had ulceration of the os uteri and considerable leucorrhea. The uterine complications must be first corrected. (See treatment for these in “DEFINITE MEDICATION “.) Her pulse had a weak discouraged feeling to it, showing that her vitality was weak and her nerve power impaired as a result of the operation and the drain upon the system. She was given the following medication for the cancer: 1-30 gr. sulph, strychnine before meals and at bedtime, calcarea flouride 6th X, three tablets once in three hours and ten drops of the following prescription after each meal:
Tr. Hydrastis;
Tr. Conium,
Tr. Phytolacca, a. a. 3i.
Mix. Sig. Ten drops after each meal.
Locally I applied the poultice made of equal parts of pulverized phytolacca root and lobelia seed, as before described, and wet with warm water. This was spread on a soft white cloth and applied three times a day. A new poultice to be made each day. Every day the poultice is to be wet with equal parts of Fl. Ext. Lobelia seed and Fl. Ext. Phytolacca. To the tumors in the axilla I applied a solution of Tilden & Co.’s Iodo Bromide Calcium made by adding equal parts of the preparation and water. Lint was moistened with this solution and applied to the glands three times a day. In a week her general condition was improved. This lady was under my treatment five months. Then I made a thorough examination of the breast and axilla and found that the tumor in the breast and the enlarged glands in the axilla had all disappeared. Up to this date, 1911, there has been no return of the trouble.
In 1894 a lady came to me from Pennsylvania. She had been operated on for a scirrhus cancer in her right breast and now she was afraid it was coming back. I made an examination and found that the cicatrix from the operation looked angry and red with little red veinlets darting out from each side of it. There was more or less pain from the scar; When you see a case with the above conditions you may know that the cancer is still alive and doing business at the old stand. To the inflamed cicatrix I applied Boro Eucalyptol and rubbed it well into the scar three times a day. Internally I gave her sulph. strychnine 1-30 gr. before each meal and at bedtime, also the Comp. Syr. Scrophularia, one tablespoonful after each meal. The above treatment was followed for three months until I felt sure I had conquered the disease. There has been no symptoms of its return since that time, so it may be classed among the permanent cures.
A middle-aged lady came under my treatment in 1894 with an encephaloid cancer in her right breast. It had broken open and the growth was as large as the top of a tea cup. I applied Paste No. 3 (see Local Treatment of Cancer) spread on soft white cotton cloth just the size of the growth once in twenty-four hours. It took four applications to get to the bottom of the growth. Then I poulticed it a week with the “Poultice Powder” and it came out on the poultice. I then healed it with the “Yellow Healing Salve.” As she was past the middle age, some sixty years old, sulph. strychnine was indicated to strengthen her vitality. I gave her 1-30 gr. before each meal and at bedtime, also the Comp. Syr. Phytolacca, teaspoonful after each meal and at bedtime. The latter is especially valuable in the older patients.
In 1893 a lady came to me for treatment from Staten Island, New York. She had a cancer cut out of her breast about a year previous. She now has lumps in her axilla and the scirrhus cancer has returned in the same breast. There is a large bunch the size of a turkey’s egg. It feels nodulated but not very hard. Pain and tenderness are the main symptoms about which she complains. I prescribed for her Kali mur 3d X six tablets night and morning, also ten drops of the 3d X dilution Tincture Hydrastis once in three hours. I also gave her a teaspoonful of the following prescription before each meal:
Sulph. Quinine, 3i.
Arom. Sulph. Acid. H., 3i.
Comp. Tr. Cinchona, 3viii.
Mix. Sig. Teaspoonful before each meal.
(For the treatment of constipation and eczema in her legs, with which she was troubled, see “DEFINITE MEDICATION” under those headings.) This lady was under my treatment three months and discharged cured. There has been no return of the diseases.
In 1894 a lady from Philadelphia came under my treatment. She had been operated on twice for a scirrhus cancer of the breast — hard lumps (cancerous) were on the breast when the operation was per- formed. There were lancinating pains in the lumps and they had a purplish appearance. Each operation had simply irritated the cancer and made it grow just so much faster until her system was saturated with the disease. I applied Paste No. 1, poulticed and removed the whole of the cancerous mass and then healed it up with the ” Yellow Healing Salve” applied on soft white cloth three times a day. The two surgical operations were a shock to her system and had weakened her vitality. The pulse showed this condition, also the pearly tint in the white of the eyes. For this condition she was given the sulph. strychnine 1-30 gr. before meals and at bedtime. She also received Comp. Syr. Scrophularia, one tablespoonful after each meal. In a month’s time I felt that I had the disease under control, but she took my remedies for four months. Then I felt confident that she was cured and she has remained free from the disease since that time;
In 1894 I treated a lady from Illinois with a scirrhus cancer in her right breast about as large as a man’s fist. It was not ulcerated and there were no lumps in the axilla. The bunch in the breast had a nodulated feeling; it was hard and felt like cheese. Stabbing pains were frequently felt in the bunch. As a complication there was indigestion and a weak heart. (For the treatment of these conditions you are referred to “DEFINITE MEDICATION.”) Be on the watch for any complication in your cancer patients. If you cannot cure the complication you cannot cure the cancer. For the cancer I gave her the following prescription:
Tr. Hydrastis,
Tr. Phytolacca, a. a. 3iss.
Mix. Sig. Ten drops after each meal.
She was also given 1-30 gr. sulph. strychnine before each meal and at bedtime. Pulverized phytolacca (fresh root) wet with warm water was applied on a soft white cloth to the breast once in twelve hours. Once a day this poultice was wet with the fl. ext. phytolacca (green root). A new poultice should be made every day. With the above treatment and the remedies needed to cure the complications I removed all trace of the cancerous growth in three months and there has been no return of the disease up to the present time.
In 1894 I treated a lady from Washington, D. C., for a scirrhus cancer on the side of the breast. This lady had been treated by two cancer specialists. Three years previous to my seeing her a doctor in Virginia removed a growth from her breast by an arsenic plaster. The cancer returned and then she consulted a specialist in New York State. He applied a plaster to the growth but did not cure it. Now when she came to me I found a large lump in the side of her breast about as large as a large sized hen’s egg. It felt hard and nodulated. She had stabbing pain in the breast and complained of indigestion, flatulence and distress after her meals. Her tongue was broad and indented. Hydrastis was the remedy she needed. I gave her ten drops of the 3d X dilution of hydrastis after every meal. Every method of treatment which had been used for her thus far had been reducing her vitality. Her pulse had that weak discouraged feeling, her tongue had a dirty yellow coating on it with a dark red color underneath and the pearly white tint to the white of the eyes — all telling the story of advanced cancer. I prescribed for her 1-30 grain sulph. strychnine before meals and at bedtime. Locally I applied the pulverized Phytolacca (fresh root) and Lobelia seed a. a. 3ii. wet with warm water and spread on soft white cloth to the cancerous portion of the breast. Once a day the poultice was moistened with Fl. Ext. Phytolacca (green root). A new poultice was made every day. This plan of treatment was continued for three months, when the growth had all disappeared. In all the years since then there has been no return of the growth. The above case is a sample of hundreds of other cases where a purely local treatment has failed to cure cancer.
In 1894 I treated a case of cancer in the breast (scirrhus) in a lady of middle age. The lump appeared in her breast about five months previous to my seeing her. The growth was hard and knotty. I gave her calcarea flouride 6th X, three tablets once in three hours, also the “Cancer Drops” (see Remedies that Do have a Curative Effect upon Cancer) ten drops after each meal. Locally I applied the “Absorbent Ointment,” made as follows:
Cerate Phytolacca,
Cerate Belladonna,
Cerate Arnica, a. a. xiii.
Mix. Sig. Rub well into the growth night and morning.
The above cerate contains about twenty-five per cent. of the juice of the plants and can be obtained of Boericke & Tafel, Philadelphia, Pa. In three months I could not find any trace of the tumor in the breast and it has never returned.
In 1895 a lady was sent to me by a physician in New York state to be treated for a scirrhus cancer in the right breast. The growth occupied the whole of the breast but it had not ulcerated. The general health was quite good only she was very nervous. She was about thirty-five years old; the glands in the axilla were not involved. I gave her internally Comp. Syr. Phytolacca, teaspoonful after each meal and sulph. strychnine 1-30 gr. before each meal and at bedtime. Locally I applied Paste No. 1 once in twenty-four hours for five days, after which I began to poultice with the “Poultice Powder” once in two hours until it came out on the poultice. I then applied the “Yellow Healing Salve” three times a day until the sore was perfectly healed.
The reader must bear in mind that a sore of this kind (after the growth has been removed) will not heal if there is any proud flesh (unhealthy granulations) in it or if there is any of the cancer left in the sore. If it were possible to heal it, it would soon break out again. Our object in the treatment of these cases should always be to make permanent cures. To remove the local growth is the easiest part of the treatment of cancer. The real skill is in watching the wound from day to day and being able to so adapt your local treatment as the appearance changes that when healed the wound will stay healed. The above patient was under my treatment five months before I felt confident that it was permanently cured. There has been no return of the disease since the date of my treatment.
In 1896 a lady came from Ohio to be examined and treated for a growth in her left breast. She had been operated on about five months previously and had had a scirrhus cancer removed from her breast. I made an examination and found that the scar from the operation had nodules on each side of it that had an irritable and inflamed look. This appearance is frequently seen when the cancer has not all been removed, and indicates that the cancer is still present and active. The patient had passed the change of life, which was in her favor. I gave her sulph. strychnine 1-30 before each meal and at bedtime, also Comp. Syr. Scrophularia, tablespoonful after each meal. For the local treatment I applied Cerate Phytolacca folium spread on soft white cloth three times a day. This cerate softened down the lumps near the scar and they gradually disappeared; also the redness and inflamed appearance. The patient was under my treatment for three months when I discharged her cured. I am not aware that the disease ever returned.
In 1894 a lady in this state came under my treatment. About a year previous she noticed a bunch in her right breast just under the nipple. At the time I examined her there was a discharge of bloody, watery matter from the nipple, also a small bunch in the other breast. Both of these were scirrhus cancer. She was very nervous (seventy years old), had a weak heart, some kidney trouble and prolapsus uteri. For the treatment of these complications see “DEFINITE MEDICATION.” For the cancer I gave her the following prescription:
Tr. Hydrastis,
Tr. Baptisia,
Tr. Thuja, a. a. 3i.
Mix. Sig. Ten drops once in three hours, also Calcarea flouride 6th X three tablets once in three hours in alternation. 1-30 gr. sulph. strychnine was ordered before each meal and at bedtime. Locally I applied to the tumors in both breasts Pulverized Phytolacca (fresh root) wet with equal parts of Fl. Ex. Phytolacca and Fl. Ext. Lobelia seed. The poultice was changed every twelve hours and wet with the above mixture each time the change was made. From month to month I could see the general health improve and the tumors growing smaller. She was under my treatment from March to July, when I discharged her cured. There has been no appearance of the lumps in the breast since that time.
In 1905 a lady came to me from New York City to be treated for a growth in her right breast. The lump in the breast was about two inches in diameter and quite soft. It had a nodulated feeling, but was not ulcerated. She had not been operated upon and there were no lumps in the axilla. I prescribed for her five drops Tincture Phytolacca once in three hours in alternation with Kali mur 3d X three tablets once in three hours. I also gave her Burgess’s Double Sulphide tablets one after each meal and at bedtime. Locally I applied a poultice of Pulverized Phytolacca root wet with warm water and spread on soft white cloth the size of the growth once in twelve hours. Once a day the poultice was to be wet with Fl. Ext. Phytolacca (green root). This patient was under my treatment for three months and discharged cured and has remained so ever since.
In 1906 a lady came to me from one of the Southern states. She had a scirrhus cancer in her right breast. First noticed it six years ago. The nipple was partly drawn in and the skin over the tumor had a purple color. It was not ulcerated but there were small lumps in the axilla. She was suffering from indigestion, irregular menstruation, constipation and prolapsus uteri. For the proper treatment of these complications the reader should study my book “DEFINITE MEDICATION.” This patient had been treated by two or three osteopath physicians who thought they could “rub out” the cancer but it still kept growing. For the cancer I prescribed the Double Sulphide tablets (Burgess) one once an hour for eight hours then one once in three hours, the Comp. Syr. Scrophularia one tablespoonful after each meal and sulph. strychnine 1-30 gr. before each meal and at bedtime. Locally I applied a compress of epsom salts (one ounce to the pint of warm water) which was kept constantly against the affected breast. This lady was under my treatment four months when the growth in the breast had entirely disappeared. To my knowledge it has not returned since.
In 1906 a lady came under my treatment for a scirrhus cancer in the left breast. The cancer had been cut out two different times and returned. The cicatrix looked red and inflamed. It pained her a good deal She had some indigestion. I applied Boro Eucalyptol to the diseased surface to allay the irritation, three times a day. Internally she was given twelve drops of the following prescription after each meal:
Tr. Thuja,
Tr. Baptisia,
Tr. Hydrastis, a. a. 3i.
Mix. Sig. Twelve drops after each meal.
She also took sulph. strychnine 1-30 gr. before each meal and at bedtime and a Double Sulphide tablet (Burgess) once in three hours. This plan of treatment was continued until I felt sure that I had conquered the disease.
A case of SARCOMA of the left breast in a lady aged forty-nine has been one of my last patients. This growth appeared in the breast about three years ago; two years ago it was cut out. It has returned worse than ever. On December 15th, 1910, when she came to me for treatment the growth measured twenty-one inches in circumference, eight inches in the largest diameter and seven inches in the shortest diameter and was about two and one-half inches in its deepest part. After it was removed it weighed three pounds. It extended from the clavical nearly to the waist line. It was hollowed out in the center but not ulcerated — a great mass of broken down cancer cells. It had a spongy feeling and of a bluish color. It was necessary to apply the strongest paste to this growth for I had such a mass to go down through. I applied Paste No. 4. (See Local Treatment of Cancer.) This was spread on soft white cloth large enough to cover all the diseased mass. It took about half a pound for one plaster. I changed the plaster once in twenty-four hours and kept them on for a week. I then poulticed it with the “Poultice Powder” every two hours. In a week the largest part of the immense growth came off on the poultice. I found by careful examination that there still remained some of the growth and applied the Paste No. 4 for two days then poulticed it again for four days, when quite a large piece came off. To be very sure that I had removed every root and fiber of the sarcoma I once more applied the paste for twenty-four hours. In a week by poulticing with the “Poultice Powder” a small thin piece came out on the poultice and left a clean, healthy sore. I then applied Cerate Phytolacca folium spread on soft white cloth three times a day to heal the sore. This is a good ointment to apply to cleanse the sore and dissolve any of the diseased growth that may be left in the breast. It healed up without any pain at all. Internally I prescribed 1-30 gr. sulph. strychnine before each meal and at bedtime and the Comp. Syr. Phytolacca, teaspoonful after each meal. She also took one Double Sulphide tablet (Burgess) once in three hours. This lady did not miss a single meal during the treatment and she had no opiate to make her sleep. She had a good appetite and good digestion. She passed the menopause four years ago. It is the largest sarcoma of the breast that has ever been treated by medicine and if it is cured it will be the first case of sarcoma of the female breast ever cured by medicine in America. I expect to cure her. Many doctors and newspaper men have been to see the case, for it is one that many physicians would not have a chance to see in a lifetime. It will be the crowning triumph of my long professional life.