Medicine

Carcinoma of the Rectum : Early Diagnosis and Medical Treatment.?Papers on this malady from the pen of a physician are not numerous, hence Boas' article {Arch. f. Verdauungskranlcli., Berlin, 1905, Dcember 18), which is based on a study of 83 consecutive cases, merits attention. Forerunners of rectal cancer.?Among many antecedent conditions, two only?habitual constipation and haemorrhoids?occurred so frequently as to appear to predispose to the disease; piles were present in more than a quarter of Boas' cases. Initial symptoms.?In many cases the classical triad?tenesmus, alternating constipation and diarrhoea, and blood in the motions?was the earliest sign of disease, but in not a few instances the onset was quite different. Severe colic with attacks of distension, and pain in the sacral region, often mistaken for rheumatism, seem not infrequently to precede other local symptoms. The classical symptoms are not always combined. Haemorrhage may