Extracts from the report of the surgical staff of the Middlesex Hospital upon the treatment of cancerous diseases in the hospital on the plan introduced by Dr. Fell.

  • Fell, J. Weldon (Jesse Weldon)
Date:
[1858]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Extracts from the report of the surgical staff of the Middlesex Hospital upon the treatment of cancerous diseases in the hospital on the plan introduced by Dr. Fell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    10 applications, which in many instances cause no pain, are to destroy the vitality of the diseased mass, to cause a gradual separation from the surrounding healthy tissue, and finally its spontaneous disengagement. The conduct of the governors and surgeons of Middlesex Hospital is deserving of the highest praise, for these gentlemen, having satisfied themselves by observation of cases in Dr. Fell’s private practice, that his mode of treatment realised all that was claimed for it, at once applied to him to take charge of the cancer wards of their institu¬ tion. Under these circumstances, we feel assured that the appeal made to the benevolent for assistance by the governors of the hospital will not be made in vain.”—Morning Chronicle, March 26th, 1857. u During the sixty-six years that have elapsed since the foundation of the ward, numerous applications have been rejected, and many experiments have been tried. The most important of these appears to have been the plan of Dr. Fell, an American physician, which was commenced in January last; for although not applicable to many cases of the disease, and not producing any constitutional effects, which is the great desideratum, it has various advantages. It causes little con¬ stitutional disturbance j though not painless, it is much less painful than any other treatment; it removes the offensive odour and other, unpleasant concomitants of the disease, which at all events depress and harass the patient; there is not neces¬ sarily confinement to the bed or even the house, so that the general health is little affected for the worse; it can be em¬ ployed in all cases where the knife is used, and in many others in which no prudent person would recommend a cutting operation.”—Spectator, Nov. 7, 1857. Important Surgical Investigation. — “ For some months back considerable interest has been excited, not only among members of the medical profession, but the public generally, from the fact that an American physician, Dr. Fell, has been successfully engaged in the metropolis in the treatment of cancer. We are now given to understand that Dr. Fell has made an arrangement with the authorities of Middlesex Hos¬ pital, by which he has taken charge of a certain number of