A Treatise on Cancer, and Its Treatment
| Author | J. Weldon Fell |
|---|---|
| Published | 1857 |
| Format | Book |
| Original | Read the original |
TL;DR — An 1857 London treatise by American doctor J. Weldon Fell describing his method of treating tumours with a bloodroot-and-zinc-chloride paste.
A book by J. Weldon Fell, an American physician, published in London by John Churchill in 1857. Fell describes the caustic method he used on cancer patients, in which a paste made from bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and zinc chloride was applied to a tumour to destroy it and the surrounding tissue so that it could be removed, as an alternative to the knife. The book gives his view of the disease, his procedure and accounts of cases treated, including at the Middlesex Hospital.
The copy is a digitisation by the Wellcome Collection, which marks it free of known copyright restrictions (Public Domain Mark).
What it is: A historical medical text, public domain. The escharotic treatment it promotes is discredited; modern “black salve” products based on the same ingredients cause serious injury. Read as history of medicine, not as medical advice.
Where this came from
- A copy saved in October 2026.
- Public copy: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wfsbey5p
- Archived copy (Google Drive): Google Drive
149 pages. A copy is archived locally against link rot; the header links the original source.