Schlumberget and Lucki — Tumors in Fishes 



679 



Also in the collection is the skeleton of a file fish 

 Alutera sckoepfi in which a large osteoma arises 

 from the first interneural spine (Fig. 33). 



AlMtracta of other reported cases of Osteonw 



Bell, 1793: "The skeleton of the butterfly fish Ckae- 

 todon artkriticus is very singular, many of the bones 

 having tumours, which, in the first fish I saw, I sup- 

 posed to be exostoses arising from disease; but on dis- 

 secting a second, found the corresponding bones had 

 exactly the same tumours, and the fishermen informed 

 me they were always found in this fish; and therefore 

 conclude them to be natural to it. In Mr. Hunter's col- 

 lection are two or three of these bones, but I never 

 knew what fish they belonged to . . . These tumours are 

 spongy, and so soft as to be easily cut with a knife; they 

 were filled with oil." (See discussion at beginning of 

 this section.) 



Geevais, 1875: In a scabbard fish Lepidopus sp. 

 there were numerous osteomas on the dorsal fin rays. 



Gervais, 1875: The author points out that many 

 hyperostoses are found in fossil as well as in living 

 fish. In both they are most common in the vertebrae 

 and fin rays. Gervais found a large osteoma in the fin 

 ray of a butterfly fish Platax pinruUus. 



Bland-Sutton, 1885: The author describes a bony 

 tumor that occurred on the dental plate of a pike Esox 

 lucMS. Scattered through the tissue were deUcate si»c- 

 ules of bone. 



Bland-Sutton, 1885: From the maxilla of a codfish 

 Gadus morhua there arose a heavy, bony, disc-shaped 

 tumor, 2 inches in diameter and half an inch in thickness. 



Bland-Sutton, 1885: An exostosis (osteochondro- 

 ma?), 1 cm. in diameter, grew from the vertebrae of a 

 codfish Gadus morhua. It developed from the cartil- 

 aginous intervertebral discs. 



Plehn, 1906: A stony-hard tumor the sire of a wal- 

 nut arose from the last vertebra of a pike Esox lucius. 

 The author identified the growth as an osteoma. 



ScHROEOERS, 1908: Multiple osteomas were found on 

 the vertebral spines of a flounder Psetta maeotica. The 

 tumors, 15 in number, ranged from the size of a pin- 

 head (o that of a walnut and were attached to the bony 

 rays. All were covered by normal skin and were firm 

 in consistency. Histologically they resembled normal 

 bone. 



Williamson, 1913: The author reports the case of a 

 bone tumor in a codfish Gadus morhua. The site of ori- 

 gin was a vertebral body. 



Beattt, 1916: Multiple osteomas of two vertebrae in 

 a croaker Pogomas chromis were described. The author 

 states (hat he has seen several such lesions in this species 

 of fish. 



Kazama, 1924: Qutanm were foood b 6 of 500 icd 

 tai Pagrosomus wtajor fiaminrd. In ooe the tumor ^>- 

 peared as a nodular mast as laz|e as a thumb-oail at the 

 middle of the mandible. In the other 5 the tumors were 

 multiple, developing on the ventna spinous p io ceMes 

 at the site of union with tl^ anal fin. The author sug- 

 gests that trauma evoked the lesions. 



Sacawa, 1925 : In each of 2 red tai Pagrosomus major 

 a tumor the size of tlM tip of the little finger grew oa a 

 q)inous process of one of the caudal vertebra. Hi«- 

 tdogically, the lesion was an osteoma. 



WiLUAMs, 1929: A protuberance 5x2 an., grew 

 from the anterior portion of the left prnnaxilla of a 

 codfish Gadus morhua. The overiying skin was intact 

 The microsco{Mc structure was that of typical bone, 

 with Haversian canals and vascular spaces. 



Takahashi, 1929: The author reports 8 cases of 

 exostosis (osteochondroma ?) in Thanira ekticogrwm 

 ma. In 6 fish, tumors occurred in the spines of the dor- 

 sal fin; some were as large as a small hen's egg, and 

 one was certainly an ostemna. In the remaining 2 cases 

 symmetrical osteomas of thumb-nail size were {wesent 

 near the posterior margin of the operculimi. 



Takahashi, 1929: A spherical, firm, bony tumor 

 occurred on the spinous process of the third lumbar 

 vertebra of a flatfish Paralichthodes olivaceus. Pressure 

 by the tumor had produced local atrophy of the adja- 

 cent vertebral body. 



Thomas, 1932 b: A 5 year old speckkd trout Sdve- 

 linus fontinalis bore many firm, white nodules, between 

 3 and 7 mm. in diameter, at the base of the rays support- 

 ing the ventral portion of the caudal fin. The overiying 

 skin was normal, except for an absence of pigment in 

 some areas. Stages of transition between fibroUasts and 

 osteoblasts were noted. The appearance was that of 

 connective tissue in which a bony metaplasia was taking 

 place. 



Thomas, 1933 b: On the back of a cat shark Scyllior- 

 hinus cannicula, immediately anterior to the dorsal fin, 

 was a firm white tumor 4x6 mm. Much of the tumor 

 consisted of osteoid tissue, yet in some areas osteoblasts 

 were present and true bone was formed. 



OSTEOSARCOMA 



Four tumors of fishn have been reported in the 

 literature as osteosarcomas (Table 12). One was 

 (^Merved in a pike Esox lucius, the remaining 3 oc- 

 curred in codfish Gadus morhua and Poilachim 

 virens. The series is small and the diagnoaes ao 

 open to question that no conclusions can be drawn 

 as to the general characteristics of this tumor amoog 

 fidm. The tumors were all single; no metastases 



T*aui lit OnsotABOoiu 



Sptdca 

 Pike Esox lucius 

 Codfish species not Riven 

 Codfish PoUackius firtns 

 Codtah'Gadus morhua 



