174 CANCER. 



Muriate of ammonia (crude sal ammoniac) .... 1 ounce 

 Acetic acid (vinegar) 4 ounces. 



Bathe with this three or four times a-day. Brandy and water, or 

 vinegar, or common salt and water, are also good discutients. In 

 some cases, the repeated application of leeches will be found bene- 

 ficial. In others, the means recommended for the cure of bron- 

 chocele may be tried, with the addition of sarsaparilla. During 

 the attempts at discussing these tumours, a repetition of the causes 

 producing them should be carefully avoided, such as a sympathetic 

 repletion of the teats from coagulated milk, and the obstruction 

 to its passing off, by depriving them too early of their young ; but 

 particularly by avoiding whatever tends to produce repletion, as 

 confinement, over-feeding, &c. &c. 



As, however, all means at dispersing these tumours are very 

 apt to fail, and ulceration almost invariably occurs, it follows that 

 extirpation, or the cutting of them out, is the remedy usually ne- 

 cessary to be resorted to for their complete removal. This ope- 

 ration may be safely performed, in every instance, with only 

 common precautions : out of innumerable cases on which I have 

 operated I never lost one. It is, however, in general, prudent to 

 let the tumour increase till, by its weight, it becomes pendulous, 

 and detached from the abdominal muscles, when it may be dis- 

 sected out without any danger of opening the peritoneum, or of 

 wounding large arterial branches. In dividing the integuments, 

 care should be taken to destroy but little of their surface, except 

 such as may be actually diseased ; for, by detaching the tumour 

 neatly from its coverings by a careful dissection, and by leaving 

 some sound integument, the wound much sooner closes, and the 

 cicatrix which follows is necessarily smaller, and less corrugated. 

 As the excision proceeds, the bloodvessels should be taken up ; 

 and, when the tumour is removed, two or three stitches should be 

 introduced into the opposite edges of the skin to bring them to- 

 gether ; by which the cure will be considerably expedited. These 

 stitches, however, ulcerate out in three or four days ; but they 

 usually have, by this time, performed their ofiSce, and the remain- 



