16 



CANCER ROOT CANDELABRA. 



nomenclature from resemblance, which was very much 

 in use in the early periods of the sciences. Two forms 

 of cancer are recognized by physicians. They may 

 rather be called two states or stages of the same dis- 

 ease. One of these, and the first, is carcinoma, scir- 

 rhus, or concealed cancer, of some writers. The 

 second is the open, or ulcerated cancer ulcerated 

 carcinoma, as it is designated by writers. Under 

 proper internal treatment, the second stage may be 

 kept off for some time ; and, in favourable cases, the 

 extirpation of the tumour by the knife may effect a 

 cure. The disease is kept in check, in the first case, 

 but is not removed, and is very prone to pass into the 

 ulcerative stage. The feet that this can be deferred, 

 by proper treatment, is an important one. The suf- 

 ferings of the patient are thus made less, especially 

 during the first stage ; and even in the last, their se- 

 verity is much mitigated. One very early symptom 

 of carcinoma is pain. This pain differs from tliat 

 which ordinarily accompanies local diseases of a dif- 

 ferent kind. It is described as lancinating, occurring 

 somewhat in paroxysms, and resembling the suffer- 

 ing which the sudden passage of a sharp and pointed 

 instrument would produce in the part. Besides this, 

 there is always more or less dull pain present. The 

 progress of the disease, and the occurrence of the 

 second stage, are marked by increased pain of both 

 kinds ; by increase in the size of the tumour, aug- 

 mented heat, greater inequality in the surface, a dark- 

 er colour, and increased tenderness on pressure. 

 When ulceration is just established, and even a little 

 before, the patient complains of general irritation of 

 the skin ; the stomach is disturbed ; and symptoms 

 of constitutional irritation, more strongly marked, 

 make their appearance. Ulceration begins on the 

 surface of the tumour, and parts are destroyed, in 

 succession, from without, until the whole texture pre- 

 sents a mass of disease. Instead of this destructive 

 ulceration, we have, in many cases, fungous masses 

 projecting from the diseased surface ; and these, at 

 times, attain considerable size. But it is not a char- 

 acter of carcinoma to grow, and become as large as 

 other diseases of some of the organs in which it ap- 

 pears. This is especially true of it when seated in 

 the womb. An offensive, sanious discharge proceeds 

 from the ulcer. Bleeding often takes place from it, 

 especially when fungous, either from mechanical irri- 

 tation, though slight, or from accidental excitement 

 of the arterial system only. Carcinoma is a malig- 

 nant disease. Its tendency is to death. The con- 

 stitution has not power to overcome it ; and hence, 

 when left to itself, it is certainly mortal. Internal 

 remedies do little more than palliate symptoms, or 



Erevent the rapid progress to ulceration, which be- 

 )ngs to the disease. The only remedy is the knife ; 

 and, in cases in which the constitution and neigh- 

 bouring parts are not contaminated, extirpation oy 

 the knife has removed the disease entirely. There 

 are parts of the body which are liable to carcinoma, 

 in which extirpation cannot be practised, and some 

 in which, though an operation has been performed, 

 death has, nevertheless, followed. In cases of tliis 

 sort, especially those of the first class, palliatives on- 

 ly can be resorted to ; such remedies, namely, as mi- 

 tigate suffering, and retard the progress of the dis- 

 ease. 



CANCER ROOT, or BEECH DROP (orolanche 

 Virginiana.) L.) ; a parasitic plant, indigenous in Ame- 

 rica, growing almost exclusively on the exposed root 

 of the beech tree. The whole plant is powerfully 

 astringent, and the root of a brownish colour, spon- 

 gy, and of a very nauseous bitter taste. It has been 

 applied more externally than internally to the cure of 

 cancer. The one-flowered cancer-root (orobanche uni- 

 flord) is -used in the same manner. All parts of the 

 plants are used in medicine. 



CANDELABRA. Torches and lamps were the 

 means used by the ancients for obtaining artificial 

 light. The latter were either suspended from the 

 ceilings of their rooms, with cliains, or placed upon 

 small, movable tables (lampadaria, candelabra, and 

 candelabn). The candelabra were originally made 

 of cane, with one plate fixed above and another un- 

 derneath, or with feet, for supporters. The Greeks 

 called these Xt/^wi/^w. The Grecian artists produ- 

 ced, in ornamenting these lamp-stands, the richest 

 forms, which always, however, had reference to the 

 original cane, and were encircled with an infinite va- 

 riety of beautiful ornaments. Sometimes they were 

 shafts in the sliapes of columns, which could be short- 

 ened or drawn out ; sometimes the luxuriant acan- 

 thus, with its leaves turned over; sometimes they re- 

 presented trunks of trees entwined with ivy and flow- 

 ers, and terminated by vases or bell flowers at the. 

 top, for the reception of the lamps. Examples of 

 these forms may be found in the British museum and 

 the Louvre, but particularly at the Vatican, where a 

 gallery is filled with marble candelabra. Candela- 

 bra of yet more delicate forms, of bronze, inlaid with 

 silver and other metals, have been found in Hercu- 

 laneum. The following represent three of these, 

 of different shapes. 

 In ancient times, Ta- 

 rentum and jEgina 

 were famous for their 

 elegant candelabra. 

 The graceful and ex- 

 pressive form of this 

 utensil was made use 

 of for colossal works 

 of art, particularly oa 

 account of its resem- 

 blance to the holy 

 torches employed in 

 the worship of .53 s- 

 culapius. The lar- 

 gest and grandest of 

 those monuments was 

 the Pharos, at the 

 harbour of Alexan- 

 dria. In modern 

 times, this ancient 



form has been used for an ingenious Christian mo- 

 nument. At the place where (721) the first 

 church in Thuringia was founded by Boniface, the 

 apostle of the Germans, only a few relics remaining 



