[ Read before I.H.A., Bureau of Materia Medica, June 6, 1935].
Cancer, “Chief banqueter at (deaths) feast”, the Grim Reapers most faithful ally: this is the tragic subject chosen for this paper. The star tragedian in the playhouse of disease stalks on as yet unconquered. His no therapeutic Saint George arisen to slay this morbid pathological dragon, who strike with relentless malevolence regardless of person? The mighty voice of Tamagno, the greatest of all tenors, was forever silenced by the the vulturous claws of this hideous monster, sinking its poisonous talons into the very organ that held countless audiences spellbound with its clarion notes.
Grover Cleveland, a truly great PResident, was Sound in order that his highly efficient services as the chief executor could be continued. Alas, this rugged individualist, who believed in upholding the traditions of a government “by the people, for the people”, survived only a few short years. General Ulysses s. Grant, who saved the Union, fell by the attack of this more deadly foe than he had ever encountered in battle. Dr. William Tinninghast Bull fought with his scalpel this demon of scourges for many years. He himself fell by the hand of the powerful antagonist he had failed to conquer.
Can nothing be done for those suffering from this dread disease? Although, as I said before, this malady is as yet unconquered, much can be done to relieve, and sometimes even to cure, this dreadful enemy of mankind.
Surgery, x-ray and radium are practically the only therapeutic measures used by the majority of the medical profession today. The hundreds of so-called “cures” investigated by the various cancer hospitals have proved impotent.
Surgery says operate early, at the incipiency of the disease. Then and only then is there hope of recovery. If operated later a return of the growth is almost certain. Operation on gastrointestinal cancers, under the most favorable conditions, can promise only about two short years of life.
X-ray and radium have the power to destroy the cancer cell in the superficial epithelial variety. It is significant that they are capable of destroying lesions similar to those that they produce. They are therefore homoeopathic. If we apply a weak emanation, as would happen with a deeply situated growth, conditions would be made worse. Small doses stimulate, large doses destroy (Arndt-Schultz). After the disease has extended to the surrounding tissues and the lymph nodes have become involved, neither x-ray nor radium therapy holds out hope of curability.
It is the object of this paper, however, to tell what homoeopathy can accomplish to combat this horrible spectre which hangs over thousands of otherwise happy homes. We must be careful to make no false claims or exaggerated statements. To do so would defeat the very object that we have in view, to show that in homoeopathy lies the greatest hope of eventually conquering this disease. We lack remedies which are capable of producing growths similar to cure carcinoma.
Recently three chemicals growths similar to true carcinoma. Recently three chemical shave been discovered which have produced in mice tumors similar to malignant growths. No homoeopathic provings or verifications have been made, however. I may be in a position to discuss these in a later paper. We, as homoeopaths, can do much to palliate, to prolong life, and possibly to cure some case with the remedies already at our disposal. Many patients are seen during thirty- four years practice. The following are selected in the way of illustration.
The first set of cases comprise those in which a definite diagnosis of cancer could not be given,. It has been my personal opinion that many patients successfully operated have been of this class. We could have cured them without an operation.
CASE I. Female, age 37. Lamp the size of a marble under left arm. Discovered eight months previously. Cured in six months by Phytolacca 3x.
CASE II. Female, age 45. Hard lump in left breast of two years duration. subjective symptoms: Melancholy, depressed, trembling of the limbs, fluttering in the epigastrium, awaking suddenly at night with feeling of suffocation, etc. Lump disappeared in less than two months under Natrum mur. 30x four times daily. Lump returned in a little over a year. Conium 3x followed by Phytolacca 3x cured completely in three weeks.
CASE III. Female, age 52, Lump in breast characterized by stony hardness. Cured by Conium 3.
CASE IV. Female, age 41. History of a blow on the left breast, followed by indurated lumps. Cured in three weeks by Conium 3.
CASE V. A young lady appeared at my office in a most apprehensive state of mind. Her father had died of duodenal carcinoma. Her own doctor, an excellent prescriber, was out of town. I consented to treat her until he returned. she presented a lump the size of a small plum in the right breast. Considerable pain of a spreading character. I prescribed Conium 30 four times daily. I saw her again in two weeks. The pain had ceased after the first day under the remedy and the lump was much smaller. She continued treatment under her own physician.
CASE VI. Female. Lump in left breast about two inches long and one and a half inches wide. Cured in a few months by Conium 3, followed by Calcarea fluorica 6x.
I could give more similar cases, but these will suffice. Were they cancer? “Ah! theres the rub.” They were saved from operation, however.
The following are case in which positive diagnosis of malignancy were established.
CASE I. Female, age 60. Hard swelling in left breast with retraction of the nipple. Thin exudation. Prescribed Conium 3 four times daily. Prompt and continued improvement, lump diminished in size and the lymphatics did not become involved. Remedy discontinued and resumed as indicated. In six months the tumor was greatly reduced in size. Phytolacca was then indicated.
The growth was very much smaller in six weeks, but I detected another in close proximity. Perhaps I had overlooked this before because of the swelling. I prescribed Iodine tincture, gtt. v in quarter glass of water, two teaspoonfuls q.i.d. a profuse discharge resulted with complete disappearance of the growths. This condition of apparent cure was interrupted by slight relapses. These were controlled by Conium 2x, Baryta carb. 2x and Kali iod. 2x as indicated. LAter I prescribed Conium 30 with marked success.
I did not see her for some time. During the interval she yielded to the advice of “friends” and was operated. What remained of the original tumor was removed. The pathological examinations proved it malignant.
The indicated remedy caused marked improvement for seven years which only ceased when she discontinued treatment. Her general health was always benefited by the medication. If the treatment had not been interrupted, might not a complete cure have resulted without an operation? There has been no return of the trouble, now twenty-two years later.
CASE II. Female, age 65. Indurated tumor size of a small egg, involving nipple. I decided to remove this growth to learn its true character. I made a rapid enucleation. The axillary nodes were not involved. The tumor proved to be a scirrhus. Almost as rapidly as the heads of the seven-headed Lernaean hydra reappeared after being severed by Hercules, another growth manifested itself in close proximity to the situation of the first. I prescribed Conium 3 in repeated doses on the indication of stony hardness. The tumor disappeared rapidly. If this was simply senile degeneration, degeneration, why did not the original tumor degenerate? There never was a return. She died many years later of senile cardiac insufficiency.
CASE III. Female, age 72. Inoperable mammary carcinoma of five years duration. She had been under the care of a fine homoeopathic prescriber. The growth was indurated and showed signs of breaking down. It was the size of an orange. She suffered from sharp, lancinating pains. Conium, 3 stopped the pain completely. Later, the growth broke down, profuse haemorrhages appeared. Millefolium tincture, gtt. x in half glass of water, teaspoonful every five minutes. The blood would drop after the first does, and cease after the second. Sloughing then developed. The characteristic odor was intolerable. External deodorants (used by the family) proved valuable. Kreosote 6, later 3x, prescribed on the indications, ulceration with thin discharge and bluish color of the parts, completely removed the odor and checked the ulceration.
The patients general health would improve after each prescription. The last few weeks of her life were spent in a well-known cancer hospital. They were surprised at the result of the treatment, especially the power of Millefolium to control the haemorrhages. I treated her until the last. She died in her eighty-third year, over fifteen years after the growth was first discovered.
CASE IV. Female. Carcinoma of liver. Symptoms: Great weakness, emaciation, hunger, thirst, constipation, etc. I prescribed Natrum mur. 30x several times daily. She gained weight and improved so much that the family thought she would recover. This continued several months. I told them that no cure was possible, but that I could relieve her suffering. Finally, no remedy would improve her condition and she passed on to the inevitable end.
