An inaugural essay, on carcinoma or cancer : submitted to the examination of Charles Alexander Warfield, M.D. president, and the medical faculty of the College of Medicine of Maryland ; on the 1st of May, 1812 ; for the degree of Doctor of Physic / by John O'Connor--of Baltimore, member of the medical and chirurgical faculty of the state of Maryland, and honorary member of the Baltimore Medical Society.

  • O'Connor, John, 1791?-1819.
Date:
1812
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inaugural essay, on carcinoma or cancer : submitted to the examination of Charles Alexander Warfield, M.D. president, and the medical faculty of the College of Medicine of Maryland ; on the 1st of May, 1812 ; for the degree of Doctor of Physic / by John O'Connor--of Baltimore, member of the medical and chirurgical faculty of the state of Maryland, and honorary member of the Baltimore Medical Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    16/33
    As the loss of substance proceeds, the functions of the body become disturbed, the appetite fails, and the strength gradually decreases. ' Hectic fever is formed, with strong evening exacerbations, but before it can prove fatal, the patient is generally cut off by hemorrhage, the corrosion of the larger blood-vessels being one distin- guishing characteristic of the virus of cancer; or by a fit of convulsion, and thus a miserable and painful existence is terminated. Such is the general appearance of this disease, one of the most painful and loathsome that can attack the hu- man system. The patient's existence is often protracted under the most excruciating torture, until the body has fallen into a state of extreme emaciation, receiving little alleviation from any treatment hitherto adopted. Although we are fully warranted, by the testimony of the most respectable writers on this subject, in consider- ing the above as the usual phenomena presented by this disease, it must be admitted that there are frequent va- riations in particular cases, and these variations are the sources of much perplexity to practitioners, when called on to decide as to the nature of tumours and ulcers. There is another circumstance in the history of cancer which deserves attention and investigation; that is, whe- ther a disease not originally cancerous can become so, in its progress? We can only form our opinions on this sub- ject from analogy and observation. Analogy leads us to believe, that such an alteration in the diseased actions may readily take place. Venerial buboes often change their nature, after the administration of mercury, and become troublesome sores, to which that medicine is ra- ther detrimental than beneficial. Injuries induce inflam- mation and enlargement of parts, which afterwards degen- erate into scrofulous diseases. But though analogy