MORBID STRUCTURES, ETC. 145 



The dense, firm, bluish-white, or yellowish and amorphous- 

 looking substance which fills the interstices of the stroma is 

 rendered transparent by acetic acid, and by ammonia and other 

 caustic alkalies. This, though deposited in a fluid state, ac- 

 quires its solidity by coagulation, after which it is thought 

 that the peculiar cancer cells, or fibres, which constitute the 

 malignant character of the disease, are developed. 



The principal forms of cells which enter into the composi- 

 tion of cancerous growths are 1. The irregularly caudate or 

 ramifying cells; 2. Larger cells filled with nuclei; and 3. 

 Granular cells filled and covered with granules. Besides these, 

 Vogel describes cells with a thick wall, exhibiting a double 

 contour; double cells formed by the division of one or the 

 fusion of two cells; and pigment cells, enclosing dark, granular 

 pigment. 



The above are transitory or effete cells. The persistent or 

 fibre cells are fusiform, such as occur in the development of 

 areolar tissue, and of simple muscular fibre. They occur in 

 the firm, rarely in the soft forms of cancer, and seem destined 

 for the formation of the areolar tissue, and the intersecting 

 ligamentous bands. In addition to all these, there appear 

 numerous particles or granules of broken-down lymph and fat ; 

 large fat granules and globules ; and a viscid, gelatinous fluid. 

 These latter, however, may be considered adventitious and not 

 essential formations. 



The microscopic appearance of scirrhus (220 diameters) is 

 exhibited in Fig. 47. Small masses that had been pared from 

 a recent section of the tumor, and moistened in water, con- 

 sisted entirely of an accumulation of cells. These were very 

 pale, varying in size and form, being sometimes roundish, a, 

 sometimes oval, 6, or caudate, f, or again of irregular form. 

 The greater number exhibited nuclei, a, 6, and in some a nu- 

 cleolus was visible in the nucleus, c, h; few were devoid of 



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