INJECTIONS. — — The use of alcohol in carcinoma has been productive of encouraging results. Interstitial in jections of very strong alcohol have been used by Vulliet, of Geneva, as a palliative in inoperative cases of cancers of the uterus. The beneficial action obtained this author ascribed to the local ischwinia induced.
Carcinoma of the uterus was also treated in 1S7S by Hasse with alcohol, injections being made into the circum ference of the growths in three cases with good results. After twenty-three years the patients were alive and well. There had been formation of connective tissue around the neoplasm. obliteration of the blood-vessels, and shrinking of the tumor.
To prevent the recurrence of growths a mixture of 30 parts of absolute alcohol to 70 parts of water should be injected twice a week around the tumor, 0. Hasse (La Semaine MCid., Oct. 16, '95).
Alcohol as a curative measure, inject ing it into various tumors. Ten to 20 minims are injected in one side of tumor, then as much in another place; con tinued till every part is touched with alcohol. J. W. Young (Charlotte Med. Jour., July, '95).
More recently this treatment has been employed in cancer of the breast with encouraging results.
Case of cancer of the naso-pharynx in which the injection of unfiltered ery sipelas-prodigiosus toxins had failed. In view of the inevitable fatal outcome, in jection of alcohol after the method of Schwalbe and Hasse tried. The injec tions were begun on October 14, 1396, beginning with 3 minims of absolute alcohol and rapidly increasing to 30 minims. The reduction in size began after the seventh injection, and after the eleventh but few remnants of the growth remained. After a dozen or more injec tions the needle would not penetrate into tissues capable of retaining the alcohol, and after a few additional attempts, at intervals of a week or longer, they were discontinued. In February, 1397, the moo-pharynx was found both by inspec tion and palpation to be entirely free from growth or any suggestion thereof. Examination of secretions of tumor con firmed the diagnosis of cancer. Edwin J. Kull (Medical 'Record, Apr. 17, '97).
Case of cancer of the breast treated by injections of alcohol. On February 20th, with a mixture of 40 parts absolute alcohol and 60 parts distilled water, 23 syringefuls, each of 20 minims, were in jected deeply into the tissues all around the tumor, and into the axilla in the neighborhood of the enlarged glands. The injections, averaging from 22 to 25 syringefuls each time, were repeated about every fifth day until May 2. Each sitting occupied about three-fourths of an hour; the injected fluid had a great tendency to run back again, to obviate which a smear of collodion over the needle-pricks is the best preventive. The
patient experienced considerable immedi ate pain from the injections, lasting from one-half to one hour. After the second series of injections the patient declared that the sensations in the breast were altered, the shooting pains were no more felt, and the itching on the surface of the breast, which she had complained of, disappeared and never recurred. After the subsidence of the immediate painful effects of all the other injections, the patient felt more comfortable in every way. When the process had been con tinued for five weeks, the parts around the tumor began to be cedematous, but still the injections were continued into and beyond the oedematous parts. Dur ing the sixth week the patient and her nurse stated that they considered that the growth was less, and certainly at the beginning of the eighth week (April 11th) the whole breast, including the tumor, had diminished in size.
After this date, all the parts, breast and tumor, rapidly shrunk, until in May there was actually nothing left of the mamma to be felt by the hand, and prac tically nothing left of the tumor but the nipple and slight thickening under it. There was still oedema in the injected area. The glands in the axilla could not be detected. At this time Mr. Windsor examined the case (May 12th) and stated "that whilst the right was a fairly large hanging breast, the other—the left breast—had practically disappeared. the nipple only remaining; that he did not find any thickening under the pectoralis nor enlarged glands in the axilla." After these seventeen injections, a complete structural change to all appearance hav ing taken place, it was intended to con tinue the injections at longer intervals for a considerable time, but unfortu nately the patient became ill otherwise. She lost her appetite, became slightly jaundiced, and on examining her in bed on May 16th it was found she was suffer ing from cancer of the liver with aseites. This being the case nothing further was done; the patient rapidly got worse, and died on June 10th. The mamma was found to be replaced by a dense, fibrous looking mass with several processes ex tending into the surrounding fat and firmly connected with the subjacent pec toral muscles. The skin was rough, superficially ulcerated at one place, and adherent to the subjacent tissue around the nipple. The nipple was depressed, but not considerably retracted. William Yeats (Brit. Med. Jour., Sept. 25, '97).