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Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
4. By local wet packs containing thorium salts. 
5. By injection of radioactive water either into a tumour mass or into 
the veins. Czerny and Caan, in No. 14 of the MiLnchener medizinische 
Wochenschrift, narrate their experiences with mesothorium and thorium 
X. The latter was dissolved in physiological salt solution and injected 
either into the growth or into the veins of persons suffering from the 
growths. 
Experiments carried out on animals showed that such experiments 
might easily be dangerous to life if too large doses were administered. 
Thirty-six cases of tumours were treated, thirty-one carcinomas and five 
sarcomas ; the strength of their solution of thorium X was such that 1 
c.cm. equalled 1 to 3 Mache units. 
The injections into the tumours were well borne. Twenty-four hours 
later a local swelling of the tumour occurred with pain and redness. This 
disappeared at the end of three days, and was followed by a diminution in 
the size due to the replacement of the cancer cells by dense connective 
tissue ; a hsemorrhagic liquefaction sometimes took place. 
When the intravenous injections were employed unexpected secondary 
or concomitant effects were sometimes observed, such as nausea, loss of 
appetite, dizziness, and weakness ; no important organ suffered disturbance, 
nor was albumen found in the urine. The same swelling and subsequent 
shrinking of the tumour generally followed the intravenous injections. 
This seems to point to an elective action of the thorium X. 
The effects produced by thorium X are due partly to the alpha rays it 
emits, and more particularly to the emanation of which it is the parent. 
The emanation, spreading by diffusion, conveys the action in every direction, 
and by disintegration coats the surrounding tissues with the active deposit 
which radiates alpha, beta, and gamma rays. 
The author has only had the opportunity of trying, on 3rd May 1912, 
the thorium emanation in one case : a patient of Professor Caird suffering 
from an advanced excavating rodent ulcer. This case, which was inoperable, 
was recommended for radium treatment, but the area to be treated was too 
vast for the amount of solid radium in the author’s possession. Under 
these circumstances the idea occurred of bringing the thorium emanation to 
the aid of the radium ; the whole cavity was thoroughly sprayed with the 
thorium emanation some thirty times in the twenty-four hours, and 15 
mgs. of pure radium were applied for twelve hours. Unfortunately the 
patient did not attend for further treatment, and has been lost sight of. 
The immediate effect of the application of the emanation seemed to be that 
of reducing the foetor of the cavity. 
