CANCEROUS TUMORS. 15 



The larger epithelial cells bore a striking resemblance to the 

 deeper cells of the epithelium of the back part of the tongue. 

 They had large oval nuclei, many of which were biscuit-formed, 

 many contained tw^o nuclei, but nowhere could clear evidence 

 of actual cell multiplication having taken place be obtained. 



In the deeper parts of the growth, the epithelial masses in- 

 vaded the submucous tissue as thick, closely-arranged cell- 

 cjdinders. In these the peripheral cells, next to the connective 

 tissue which separated them, were alwaj^s columnar in charac- 

 ter, the central ones pol^'gonal, and in places concentrically 

 grouped as pearly globules. (Six photographs, Nos. 1 to 6, 

 shown and commented upon.) 



The second group of illustrations are selected from a case of 

 epithelial cancer of the leg. The patient, who was about 

 forty-seven years of age, had suffered for a long time from a 

 leg ulcer, which at length penetrated so deeply, and produced 

 such destruction of tissue, that the limb was amputated just 

 below the knee in March, 1871. The disease recurred in the 

 cicatrix, and a second amputation, just above the middle of 

 the thigh, was performed in January, 1872, since which the 

 patient has remained apparently well. 



Thin sections showed that long, branching and anastomosing 

 cancer cylinders, connected with the cancerous mass, or with 

 the sebaceous glands and rete-malpighii of the adjoining skin, 

 invaded the sub-cutaneous connective tissue. These, in many 

 places, were grotesquely swollen, and contained in their inte- 

 riors the well-known "pearly globules." On examining the 

 cylinders with high powers, the peripheral layer of cells imme- 

 diately adjoining the connective tissue was found to resemble 

 very much the cylindrical epithelium which forms the deepest 

 layer of the normal rete-malpighii, except that they were as a 

 rule a little shorter ; the cells in the interior of the cylinders 

 resembled those of the more superficial layers of the rete- 

 malpighii, or even the flattened cells of the epidermis. In the 



