On the structure of cancerous tumors and the mode in which adjacent parts are invaded / by J.J. Woodward.

  • Woodward, Joseph Janvier, 1833-1884.
Date:
1873
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the structure of cancerous tumors and the mode in which adjacent parts are invaded / by J.J. Woodward. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    I propose then, first, to sketch as briefly as possible the modern progress of our knowledge of the minute anatomy of cancerous growths, and to indicate some of the most impor- tant points as to which conflicting views still exist; I shall next select a few typical specimens from the microscopical col- lection of the Army Medical Museum, and endeavor to show, with all modesty, how far the structural details they exhibit correspond with the results obtained b}- European histologists ; where differences are to be noticed I shall not hesitate to point them out, and I hope to be able to present several significant matters of detail which have either been entirety overlooked or not described with the accuracy they deserve. In illustration of my remarks I shall project upon the screen with an ordinary oxy-calcium lantern some seventy photo-mi- crographs of the preparations selected for study, by which I hope to render my descriptions more intelligible. The original negatives, most of which I made expressly for this lecture, were taken with various powers from twenty-six to one thou- sand diameters. The lantern slides, for the sake of sharpness, - are reduced to half the number of diameters in each case, and will be projected upon the screen with a magnifying power of fifty diameters. At the veiy outset I must bespeak your patience, for thbugh I shall only attempt to touch upon the salient points of my theme, and shall always endeavor to be as brief as is consis- tent with clearness, I fear I shall detain you beyond the usual period of time allotted to a scientific lecture. My friend, Dr. Toner, the founder of- these lectures, on learning the subject I had selected, expressed the hope that I might be able to contribute something which would aid the gen- eral practitioner in the diagnosis of cancerous from other morbid growths, and he justly remarked that the present uncertain condition of the question of diagnosis greatly facilitated the operations of charlatans by enabling them to report cures of