A dictionary of practical surgery: comprehending all the most interesting improvements, from the earliest times down to the present period : an account of the instruments, remedies and applications employed in surgery : the etymology and signification of the principal terms : ... forming together a "catalogue raisonné" of surgical literature (Volume 2).

  • Cooper, Samuel, 1780-1848.
Date:
1823
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of practical surgery: comprehending all the most interesting improvements, from the earliest times down to the present period : an account of the instruments, remedies and applications employed in surgery : the etymology and signification of the principal terms : ... forming together a "catalogue raisonné" of surgical literature (Volume 2). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    514/720
    the tear ol heir: which frequently strength. Mr. Abernethy re urgeons from operating, is quite un. when the en Is become Founded. It is an undoubted fact, that there one generally swells at first, and u extreme- is no tumour, that ean He removed with so much celerity, with »uch apparent dexterity, or with such complete security aainst future eoosequences, as those of an adipose nature. However, now am! then, when the tumour lias been at all in an in- Bammatory state,the capsule becomes thick- ened, and intimately adherent to the surface of the swelling, so that the separation of the c it more difficult, and requires the to be more freely employed. The our also sometimes becomes, after in- flammation closely adherent to the conti g i »us parts. Adipose tumours often ac- an enormous magnitude. Indeed, there can be no doubt of the fact stated by Vstley Cooper, that they acquire a greater magnitude than any other swelling ever reaches. Mr. Aberucthy relates an example of one, removed by Mr. (line, which weighed between 14 and 15lbs., and which I saw myself previously to the opera- tion. Sir Astley Cooper also mentions the successful extirpation of several adipose tu- mours of immense size : one weighing 141b. W?. removed by himself; another weigh- ing 151 bs.' removed by Mr. Cl'me: and a third, weighing 22ibs. removed from a lady's thigh by Mr. ( opelaml. But the most re- markable case is one, in which Sir Astley Cooper lately removed a fatty swelling which weighed, independently of the blood in it, 371bs. lOozs., and was situated on the ab- domen of a man, aged 67. (See Med. Cliir. Trans. Vol. 11, p. 440.) Although it is true, that when adipose swellings attain an enor- mous bulk, the immense size of a wound requisite for their removal, must be danger- ous, and is a strong argument in favour of having recourse to the operation at an ear- lier period, yet it is equally true, that large fatty swellings may be taken out, with a greater prospect of success, than any other kind of tumour of equal size. The next species of sarcoma, noticed in Mr. Abernethy's classification, is what this gentleman names pancreatit, from the re- semblance of its structure to that of the pan- creas. This kind of disease, according to Mr. Abernethy, is occasionally formed in the cellular substance ; but, more frequent- ly, in the female hreast, on that side of the nipple which is next to the arm. When a pancreatic sarcoma is indolent, and in- creases slowly, the surrounding parts, and the glands in the axilla, are not affected. But some of these swellings deviate from their common character, and become of a very irritable nature, occasioning severe and lancinating pain, and producing an in- flammatory state of the skin covering them, |y tender end painful ; but al'li pain abates, and the part remain Another is then affected, anil runs ||lr me course. To anolhi i species ol 6arcoma, Mr. Aber- licthy applies the epithet mastoid, or mam- ifolance which this tleuiau cc itructure bears to Out of the mammary gland. This kind ol . Mr. Abernethj not often seen. In the example which he met with, the ti aboul as large as an or, situated on a woman's thigh. 'I hi- lling was removed by an operation the wound afterward degenerated into a malignant ulcer, attended with considei induration of the surrounding parts, and the woman died of the disease in two moi Mr. Abernethy conceives, that the whole of the morbid part had been cul away that the contiguous parts had a disposition to disease, winch was irritated by the ope- ration, and that if the nature of the i could have been known beforehand, it would have been right to have made a fi removal of the substance surrounding the tumour. Mr. Abernethy places the mastoid sarco- ma, between such sarcomatous swelling are attended with no malignity, and tin lowing ones, which have this quality in a very destructive degree. The tuberculated sarcoma is composed of a great many small, firm, roundish turn of different s'izes and colour gether by cellular substance. Some ot the tubercles are as large as a pea ; others equal a borsebean in size ; most of them are a brownish red colour ; but some are lowish. Mr. Abernethy mentions his h ing seen this species of sarcoma chiefly in the lymphatic glands o( the neck ease proceeds to ulceration; ! painful and incurable sore, and ultima occasions death. Another kind of sarcoma, mentioned in Mr. Aberneihy's classification of is distinguished by the epithet from its having the appearauce of the me- dullary matter of the brain. It appear be an exceedingly malignant disease ; com- municates to the lymphatic glands a similar distemper; ulcerates and sloughs, and at last proves fatal. It is particularly apt to make its attack on the testis, and it is treat- ed of in another part of this book. (Sec Testicle, Diseases of.) Mr. Abernethy includes also in his ri- fication, carcinomatous sarcoma. (See Can rer.) 1 must refer to another article, (Mamma, so that it becomes adherent to their surface. Revioval of,) for an account of the plan ot The absorbents leading to the axilla are also removing sarcomatous tumours, irritated, and the glands enlarged. Pancre- Besides many operations, which have of atic sarcoma does not grow to a very large late years been performed, and are remark- size ; but, when its progress is unrestrained, able, on account of the great the pain attendant on the disease becomes lancinating, and so severe as to make the patients feverish, and Io?etheir health and swellings removed, others, still more inte- resting, claim attention, on account of the nature and situation of the parti extirpated.