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Domestic News
August 4, 1825
Martinsburgh Gazette
Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia
What is this article about?
A 40-year-old woman with advanced breast cancer rejected surgical advice from a skilled physician and turned to a quack doctor, who applied lunar caustic repeatedly, causing excruciating pain and her death.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
The following is another instance of the fatal effects of quackery. Will not these repeated catastrophes teach the credulous part of the community to avoid the fangs of those impudent and reckless empyrics who, it appears by the papers, are so abundant in the country?
[From the Geneva Palladium.]
A female, 40 years of age, came to a skilful physician, with a large cancer extending over a great portion of the left breast. She was frankly told, that her case was critical, and that an immediate surgical operation, would afford the only hope of preserving life.
The idea of the knife, was not very pleasing; and upon the advice of some wiseacres, a quack doctor was called in, and he at once, offered to cure this difficult disease. He commenced his operations, by the application of lunar caustic, over the whole extent of the breast, a considerable depth, the application was taken off, and with it came a layer of flesh, perhaps a quarter of an inch thick.—Another plaster of the caustic, was immediately laid on the raw wound, and another layer of flesh taken out—and thus was the caustic application continued, and the flesh taken out, from time to time, and without the least intermission, until the poor woman was driven to distraction, with the pain and torture, and died in the most dreadful agonies.
[From the Geneva Palladium.]
A female, 40 years of age, came to a skilful physician, with a large cancer extending over a great portion of the left breast. She was frankly told, that her case was critical, and that an immediate surgical operation, would afford the only hope of preserving life.
The idea of the knife, was not very pleasing; and upon the advice of some wiseacres, a quack doctor was called in, and he at once, offered to cure this difficult disease. He commenced his operations, by the application of lunar caustic, over the whole extent of the breast, a considerable depth, the application was taken off, and with it came a layer of flesh, perhaps a quarter of an inch thick.—Another plaster of the caustic, was immediately laid on the raw wound, and another layer of flesh taken out—and thus was the caustic application continued, and the flesh taken out, from time to time, and without the least intermission, until the poor woman was driven to distraction, with the pain and torture, and died in the most dreadful agonies.
What sub-type of article is it?
Death Or Funeral
Disease Or Epidemic
What keywords are associated?
Quackery
Breast Cancer
Lunar Caustic
Medical Malpractice
Fatal Treatment
Domestic News Details
Outcome
the woman died in the most dreadful agonies after repeated applications of lunar caustic caused extreme pain and tissue removal.
Event Details
A 40-year-old female with a large cancer on her left breast consulted a skilled physician who recommended immediate surgery. Influenced by others, she instead consulted a quack doctor who applied lunar caustic repeatedly to remove layers of flesh, leading to her distraction from pain and death.