Editing Grover Cleveland (section)

===Cancer===
[[File:Eastman Johnson - Grover Cleveland - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Official portrait of President Cleveland by [[Eastman Johnson]], {{circa|1891}}]]
In the midst of the fight for repeal of free-silver coinage in 1893, Cleveland sought the advice of the White House doctor, Robert O'Reilly,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lib.arizona.edu/hsl/materials/collections/secret-illness/cleveland |title=Grover Cleveland – Secret surgery |publisher=University of Arizona – University Libraries |access-date=October 3, 2024}}</ref> about soreness on the roof of his mouth and a crater-like edge ulcer with a granulated surface on the left side of Cleveland's [[hard palate]]. Clinical samples were sent anonymously to the [[National Museum of Health and Medicine|Army Medical Museum]]; the diagnosis was an [[epithelioma]], rather than a [[malignant]] cancer.<ref name="Renehan">{{cite journal |title=The oral tumours of two American presidents: what if they were alive today? |first1=Andrew |last1=Renehan |first2=John C. |last2=Lowry |journal=J R Soc Med |date=July 1995 |volume=88 |issue=7 |pages=377–383 |pmc=1295266 |pmid=7562805}}</ref>

Cleveland decided to have surgery secretly, to avoid further panic that might worsen the financial depression.<ref>Nevins, 528–529; Graff, 115–116</ref> The surgery occurred on July 1, to give Cleveland time to make a full recovery in time for the upcoming Congressional session.<ref>Nevins, 531–533</ref> Under the guise of a vacation cruise, Cleveland and his surgeon, [[Joseph D. Bryant|Dr. Joseph Bryant]], left for New York. The surgeons operated aboard the ''[[USS Adelante (SP-765)|Oneida]]'', a yacht owned by Cleveland's friend [[Elias Cornelius Benedict]], as it sailed off [[Long Island]].<ref>Nevins, 529</ref> The surgery was conducted through the President's mouth, to avoid any scars or other signs of surgery.<ref name="nevins530">Nevins, 530–531</ref> The team, sedating Cleveland with [[nitrous oxide]] and [[Diethyl ether|ether]], successfully removed parts of his [[Maxilla|upper left jaw]] and hard palate.<ref name="nevins530" /> The size of the tumor and the extent of the operation left Cleveland's mouth disfigured.<ref name="nevins532">Nevins, 532–533</ref> During another surgery, Cleveland was fitted with a hard rubber dental prosthesis that corrected his speech and restored his appearance.<ref name="nevins532" /> A cover story about the removal of two bad teeth kept the suspicious press placated.<ref>Nevins, 533; Graff, 116</ref> Even when a newspaper story appeared giving details of the actual operation, the participating surgeons discounted the severity of what transpired during Cleveland's vacation.<ref name="nevins532" /> In 1917, one of the surgeons present on the ''Oneida'', Dr. [[William Williams Keen]], wrote an article detailing the operation.<ref name="Keen" />

Cleveland enjoyed many years of life after the tumor was removed, and there was some debate as to whether it was actually malignant. Several doctors, including Dr. Keen, stated after Cleveland's death that the tumor was a [[carcinoma]].<ref name="Keen">{{cite book |title=The Surgical Operations on President Cleveland in 1893 |last=Keen |first=William W. |year=1917 |publisher=G. W. Jacobs & Co. |url=https://archive.org/details/surgicaloperati00keengoog}} The lump was preserved and is on display at the [[Mütter Museum]] in [[Philadelphia]]</ref>
Other suggestions included [[ameloblastoma]]<ref>{{cite journal |author=Hardig WG. |title=Oral surgery and the presidents – a century of contrast |journal=J Oral Surg |year=1974 |volume=32 |pages=490–493 |pmid=4601118 |issue=7}}</ref> or a benign salivary mixed tumor (also known as a [[pleomorphic adenoma]]).<ref>{{cite journal |author=Miller JM. |title=Stephen Grover Cleveland |journal=Surg Gynecol Obstet |year=1961 |volume=113 |pages=524–9 |pmid=13770838 }}</ref>
In the 1980s, analysis of the specimen finally confirmed the tumor to be [[verrucous carcinoma]],<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Brooks JJ |author2=Enterline HT |author3=Aponte GE. |title=The final diagnosis of President Cleveland's lesion |journal=Trans Stud Coll Physic Philadelphia |year=1908 |volume=2 |issue=1}}</ref> a low-grade epithelial cancer with a low potential for [[metastasis]].<ref name="Renehan" />
{{Clear}}