In 1924, a Johns Hopkins surgeon startled listeners in Atlantic City with the unlikely claim that one of the best tools for cauterizing cancerous growths could be bought from an ordinary plumber’s kit.
Dr. Joseph Colt Bloodgood told members of the Medical Society of New Jersey that a simple soldering iron and torch, costing just $21, was more practical than many expensive cautery outfits then in use.
Bloodgood warned against the constant announcement of miracle cancer cures and argued instead for early treatment and swift medical attention whenever a suspicious growth appeared.
Plumber’s Tools Best in Cancer Cauterizing
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey. — An ordinary plumber’s soldering iron and torch, costing $21, is the best instrument for burning out cancerous growths, Doctor Joseph Colt Bloodgood, assistant professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University, told members of the Medical Society of New Jersey at their annual dinner.
It is more practical than expensive outfits in cautery cases, he said.
Dr. Bloodgood deplored frequent announcements that cures for all cancerous growths had been found. He declared cures could be made if sufferers immediately sought medical treatment when they discovered foreign growths on their bodies.
The campaign of education is proving a great aid in this direction, and the percentage of hopeless cases in his locality had been reduced from 55 to 15 percent, Doctor Bloodgood said.
Source: The Washington Times. Washington, D.C. June 10, 1924.
