Cancer hinted often by skin

              Dermatologist    Tells    of Some Signs By PODINE SCHOENBERGER Amazingly   enough   it's   the skin which often gives the first hint of an internal cancer. In town to address the 27th annual meeting of the New Or­leans Graduate Medical Assem­bly, Dr. Adolph Rostenberg Jr., of Chicago, told about it follow­ing his arrival here Sunday. Dr. Rostenberg said some peo­ple tend to think of dermatolo­gists only in terms of the itch. What these people don't rea­lize, he pointed out, is that the dermatologist can often prove of great help to the internist or the general practitioner in diagnozing certain ailments. EARLY STAGES Dr.  Rostenberg,   who   heads the dermatology department at the University of Illinois College of  Medicine,  said a   person's skin often reflects early stages of a disease.   • "Take cancer for instance," he added, "The first manifesta­tion of cancer of the ovaries, of the breast or of some other in­ternal organ may appear on the skin,"	
Dr. Rostenberg said in a con­dition known as acanthosis nigri-cans,  the  skin under  the pa­tient's breast or in her armpits appears  blackish and velvety. Such a blackish velvety look, he explained, usually indicates an internal cancer. ELSEWHERE ON BODY Dr. Rostenberg said if the pa­tient is a man, the blackish, vel­vety look may appear on other portions of the body. "Do   we   tell   these   people there's a possibility of cancer?" he was asked. The   dermatologist   repeated the question, "Well, since there is such a high correlation be­tween  these  blackish,   velvety skin manifestations and internal carcinomas   (cancer),   I   think the physician would be justified in scaring the patient a bit. In that way the patient will prob­ably get a medical examination in a hurry." The dermatologist said some­times a generalized skin rash is associated with cancer.	
HAVE EXAMINATION
"But since there are many generalized skin rashes which have nothing to do with cancer, it's probably a good idea notj to mention cancer to this pa-' tient. Instead try and persuade him to have a thorough exami­nation."
Dr. Rostenberg said you'd bet-! ter head for your nearest M.D. if you begin to develop little reddish, doughnut-shaped erup­tions, with chalk white centers.
"We call these 'cheerios,' be­cause they look something like the cereal you see advertised," the Chicago physician added, "Actually this eruption is a sign of malignant atrophic papulosis, a very rare and usually fatal disease."
WRINKLE  FIGHTING
Asked if he believed women can keep themselves looking young by using hormone cream, the dermatologist said "well, maybe a little bit."
"A good hormone cream will mask very trivial wrinkles," he explained. "But a hormone cream certainly isn't Ponce de Leon's answer to the Fountain of Youth. It won't do anything for the deep wrinkles. And the minute you stop using it even the little wrinkles will return.
How does it mask the little wrinkles? Well actually it pro­duces an edema or swelling of the skin. No I don't think it's harmful. Unless a woman uses a whole bath-tub full of it."
Another early arrival among the speakers recalled how, as far back as 1918, he began rant­ing against the evils of tobacco.
Dr. George R. Herrmann, noted   Galveston   cardiologist,
Isaid even then he was convinced that cigarette smoking was in­jurious to a person's blood ves­sels.
He admitted that at the time his voice raised in warning was like a voice crying in the wilder­ness.
"Al Ochsner (Dr. Alton Ochsner Sr.) was one of m\ pupils at Washington Medical School in St. Louis," he recalled, "Of course Al didn't start his ranting against tobacco until nuch much later."
CONSTRICTS VESSELS
The cardiologist said smoking definitely constricts the small blood vessels.
"And Buerger's disease is ag­gravated by smoking," he added, "First comes the dam­age to the little arteries and veins. Next comes the gan-i grene. And after gangrene comes the amputation."
Dr. Herrmann said he warned one of his patients against smoking, but that the patient paid no heed.
"So  he  lost  all his  fingers and all his toes," the cardiolo­gist recalled. Next he lost both feet and both hands. But do you know what?  With both hands I gone that man was still smoking .cigarettes   with  the  aid  of a .mechanical hand. Erentually he !!died.  I  think he  would have been alive today if he'd kept laway from the cigarettes." TEMPERATURE NOTED
Dr. Herrmann told how he had compared the temperature of a certain patient's fingers both before and after smoking. 'After this patient had smoked a bit his skin tempera­ture dropped three degrees," the cardiologist explained.
Dr. Herrmann also said he is
I convinced that consumption of foods high in fat content cause atherosclerosis, a hardening of
q the arteries caused by formation of fatty deposits on the inside of the arteries.
"There are those who dispute this," he added, "but as far as
II  I'm concerned we are digging our graves with our teeth. Our people are the biggest eaters of fat in the world. And look at our  high  record  of  coronary PHOTO: ON HAND Sunday to help welcome some of of the early arrivals for the 23rd annual meeting of the New Orleans Graduate Medi­cal Assembly is Dr. Robert R. Burch of New Orleans (center), chairman of the internal medicine committee, for the convention. Re­ceiving the welcome are Dr. Adolph Rosten-berg Jr., Chicago dermatologist (left), and Dr. George R. Herrmann, veteran Galveston cardiologist.