670 JOHN BEARD, 



cess, that the dermoid cysts, found occasionally in the ovary and 

 testis in man and mammals are rudimentary embryos, or, as he terms 

 them, "embryomas". 



Usually these pathological growths are made up of more or less 

 of the structures, or some of them, found in the head-end of a normal 

 embryo. Thus, hair, sebaceous and sweat-glands seem always to be 

 present. Membrane bones and nerve-matter, teeth and rudiments of 

 fore-limbs may also obtain. That is to say, they represent embryo- 

 logically a greater or less portion of the anterior end of an embryo i). 



In both of his works on the subject Wilms restricts the term 

 "embryoma" to the "dermoid cysts" of the ovary and testis. I confess, 

 that the reasons for the limitations in the use of the term do not appear 

 obvious. He states that the "dermoid cysts" of the ovary and testis are 

 to be sharply distinguished from the pathological growths so named 

 in other parts of the body, thus, for example, those of the head 

 and thorax. 



His memoir fortunately contains a full account of the literature, 

 and, as he cites various other observations of similar tumours in other 

 parts of the body, it is possible to form an opinion as to the justice 

 of his verdict from the embryological point of view. 



Without for a moment suggesting, that all the structures classed 

 by pathologists as "dermoid cysts" should be regarded as rudimentary 

 embryos or embryomas in Wilms' sense, there are undoubtedly in- 

 stances cited in his memoir, which embryologically cannot be separated 

 from the ovarian embryomas ^). 



As an example of such Sloman's case, cited by Wilms on p. 9, 

 may be taken. This was a malformation in the neck of a five-year-old 

 girl. "In the tumour, which was congenital, there were bones, teeth, 

 facial formations (gesichtsähnliche Bildungen), skin and mucous mem- 



Deutsch. Arch. klin. Med., V. 55, p. 1 — 108, 3 plates, 1895. More re- 

 cently Wilms has published an account of his researches and con- 

 clusions in : Martin, Die Krankheiten der Eierstöcke und Nebeneier- 

 stöcke (Leipzig 1899). His article bears the title "Ovarial-Embryome" 

 (p. 576—614). 



1) Through the kindness of a friend and former pupil, Principal 

 Mettam, B. Sc, of Dublin Royal Veterinary College, an exquisite and 

 typical example, found on castration in the testis of a young horse, has 

 recently come into my hands. 



2) Compare also Bonnet, in : Ergebn. Anat. Entw., V. 9, p. 869, 

 1900. Also F. Marchand, Die Missbildungen, in: Eulenburg's Real- 

 Encyclopädie, 1897, p. 76. 



