118 The Minute Anatomy of Two Cases of Cancer. 
view which should regard them as transformed white corpuscles, 
accumulated in the lymphatic passages, appears to me, if anything, 
a more probable interpretation. This would harmonize with the 
general absence of any demonstrable lumen, as well of demonstrable 
cell walls for the separate elements, at least in the earlier period of 
the history of individual cylinders ; it would also harmonize with 
the close agreement generally observed between the elements of the 
youngest cylinders, i. e. those in the most peripheral parts of the 
growth, and ordinary granulation tissue. 
I am not willing, however, to commit myself very warmly at 
present to the advocacy of any detailed views as to the mode of 
origin of the cancer cylinders. I desire simply to call attention to 
the probability, now almost a certainty, that they are conditioned in 
their form and direction by the pre-existing lymphatic passages, 
and am disposed to postpone any opinion as to their genesis till 
further facts have been accumulated. 
In the case which has been described the primary growth was 
not received by me for investigation. I have therefore added a 
short account of a primary tumour of the breast, in which the 
structure was very similar to that observed in the secondary cancer 
of the breast in the case above described. 
No. 5905, Surgical Section, is a scirrhous tumour of the female 
breast removed by a surgical operation in the spring of 1870. No 
particulars are recorded, and the subsequent history of the patient 
has not been reported. 
A section through the piece shows that the mammary gland is 
represented by a small somewhat pyramidal mass, the apex of which 
terminates in the retracted nipple. The borders of the mass extend 
irregularly into the surrounding adipose tissue which constitutes 
the bulk of the specimen. 
The case represents that very common variety of scirrhous in 
which the mammary gland is transformed into a small irregular 
cancerous mass, while the surrounding adipose tissue remains 
normal in bulk or even may actually increase in quantity. Nos. 
3489, 3490, and Nos. 4616 to 4623, Microscopical Series, are 
sections of this tumour. 
In these sections, as in the secondary mammary tumour in the 
former case, more or less modified gland lobules were but rarely 
encountered, and the greater part of the carcinomatous tissue 
appeared to consist simply of a network of nucleated cylinders 
imbedded in a connective-tissue stroma. In this case, however, 
the cancerous mass was imbedded in a more bulky mass of adipose 
tissue, the peripheral parts of which were quite normal. The 
separate fat-cells were much larger than in the first case, being 
from '002 to '004 inch in diameter, while in the first case the 
