ON SPECIFIC THERAPEUTICS. 73 



in a very low percentage of cases. In the latter 

 a gradual adaptation to the strange culture 

 medium could only with great difficulty be 

 obtained. 



From my previous remarks it follows that the 

 increased avidity of the cells for the food sub- 

 stances is the most important characteristic of 

 the tumour cells. But this increase does not 

 suffice to explain all the phenomena observed. 

 Albrecht already insisted that for malignant 

 tumours one must admit not only an increase 

 but an alteration in the assimilation, in such 

 manner that the " structure materials" taken 

 up from the surrounding media must in some 

 way be bound or laid up " until they had 

 reached an amount sufficient for the division 

 of the cell." Besides this increased food- 

 absorption, the result of action of the receptors, 

 chemiotactic remote efforts must, to my mind, 

 play an important role. 



Such a phenomenon is very well shown by 

 the chondroma which has been cultivated for 

 many years in my Institute. This tumour shows 

 a well-marked chemiotactic effect on the blood- 

 vessels, in such manner that even small inocu- 

 lated tumours, a week or two old, shine blue 

 through the skin, whilst larger ones in their 



