QMy MFA thesis novel is set in 1965. For a woman with cancer, probably ovarian that has spread to bones, would there have been a treatment other than pain medication used in 1965? I assume morphine drips were used then, but I’m not sure.
Carol Frischmann
Portland, Oregon
AThere is little treatment for metastatic ovarian cancer today, and there was essentially none in 1965. None that worked anyway. Morphine sulfate (MS) was indeed used in this extremely painful circumstance, but it was not given by continuous IV drip. The simple reason was that in 1965 there were no reliable devices to ensure a slow and controlled infusion as we have now. Most IVs back then were simply set at a particular flow rate by a clip and wheel device on the IV tubing. This device pinched the tube to control the flow. Neither very accurate nor reliable. To administer a potentially lethal drug like MS this way would be dangerous and foolhardy. So instead it was given by intermittent injections. Early in the course of this disease, 5 to 15 mgs given IV or IM every two to four hours would work, but as the treatment continued over many weeks or months, the victim would become accustomed to the morphine, much as addicts do, and an ever-increasing dose would be needed to control the pain. It is conceivable that 30 to 50 mgs every three to four hours would be needed after a couple of months. Since addiction in this circumstance is of little concern, the doctor would use whatever dose was needed for the patient’s comfort.