Schlumberger and Lucki — Tumors in Pishes 



701 



edible frog Rana escylenta. Microscopically, it had an 

 alveolar structure and the general appearuice of a well 

 differentiated hepatoma. 



Several pseudotumors have been reported in the 

 literature. Gebhart (54) and Wagner (225) de- 

 scribed connective tissue hyperplasia of the pylorus 

 of frogs. The first writer implicated coccidia as the 

 etiologic agent, whereas Wagner believed that fibro- 

 sis followed encyst ment of nematode worms and 

 their eggs. Montpellier and Dieuzeide (137) wrote 

 of a localized epithelial proliferation in three sptd- 

 mens of Discoglossus pictus that had been kept in 

 the same tank. A characteristic histologic feature 

 was the presence of large eosinophilic cytq>lasniic 

 inclusion bodies in the epithelial cells. However, 

 the lesions gradually disappeared, and the authors 

 concluded that they were not true tumors. The dis- 

 ease is somewhat similar to carp-pox, a virus disease 

 of fishes. 



III. TUMORS OF REPTILES 



In 1908 Murray (141) wrote that no malignant 

 neoplasms had been reported in reptiles up to that 

 time. Scott (183) examined the records of over 

 6,000 autopsies performed on reptiles of various 

 kinds at the London Zoological Gardens from 1900 

 to 1925. In only two did he find a neoplasm; both 

 occurred in turtles. Bergman (11) found a macro- 

 scopic tumor in only one of 2,200 snakes which he 

 examined; Patay (145a) however, observed a tu- 

 mor-bearing individual in one of a group of 54 large 

 ring snakes. Our experience with fishes and amphi- 

 bians leads us to suspect that a careful study of 

 large numbers of reptiles will reveal a tumor inci- 

 dence not far different from that in other verte- 

 brates. 



The reptiles alive today are but a small remnant 

 of the vast numbers that dominated the earth in the 

 Mesozoic age. Among the most spectacular were 

 the giant dinosaurs, in three of which tumor-like 

 lesions were found in the caudal vertebrae. These 

 have been variously interpreted as osteomyelitis, 

 excess callus following fracture, and hemangioma. 

 Moodie (139), who discussed one of these in detail 



and cited two others reported by Hmtcfaer (71) and 

 Holland ( 76) , believed that they were hfimm g inmi . 

 However, the descriptions of Hatcher and Holland 

 strongly suggest that the lesions noted by them were 

 bony overgrowths fcdkming fracture, rather than 

 neoplasms. Although the dinosaurs were reputedly 

 capable of living for a t hot wand years, evidence of 

 disease b rarely found in their (oasfl bones (139). 

 Moodie also xtpatXitA an ostcioma of the third dorsal 

 vertebra in a mosasaur, a large aquatic reptile that 

 lived during the latter part of the Cretaceous. 



TURTLES (CHELONIA) 



The first tumor in a turtle of which we can find 

 any record b an adenoma of the thyroid reported by 

 Pick and Poll ( 154) in 1903. It was an egg-shaped, 

 encapsulated mass, 6 x 4 z 2.5 cm., on the ventral 

 aspect of a Brazilian fresh water turtle, PUUemys 

 geoffroyana (Hydraspis hUarii). The connective tis- 

 sue stroma was moderate in amount and divided the 

 parenchyma into elongated lobules. The latter was 

 composed of tubular acini lined by tall columnar 

 epithelial cells which rested upon 2 to 5 layers of 

 small polyhedral cells with relatively large nuclei. 



In a brief report on the causes of death in the 

 London Zoological Gardens during 1911, Plinuner 

 (163) records "a glandular cancer in the stoouch of 

 a tortoise." A more detailed description of this case 

 was found by Scott (183) among the post-mortem 

 records of the 2U)ol(^cal Society of London. This 

 record identified the aninud as an elephantine tor- 

 toise in which "there was a large mass, 8x5 inches 

 of new growth springing from the mucosa of the 

 stomach which was very red and swollen. The 

 growth was white and gelatinous." There b no 

 account of hbtologic studies. 



In 1913 Plimmer (164) reported the death of a 

 West African fresh water turtle, Ste m p t h unu 

 mger. "Death from rupture of the heart. The heart 

 measured 1^ x 1V4 inches. The pericardium was 

 full of blood. The hmrt muscle was converted into 

 a soft whitish growth, full of very large multinu- 

 cleated celb." Since no mention b made of tumon 

 elsewhere in the body, that found in the heart may 



Tasu 14: TVMOM ot Tmnn CCssloiiu) 



Sp«dM 

 Turtle PlaUmy$ fojfreycna 

 GUot tortoise Tesludo dtphatdina 

 BUck terrapin Sttrnotkatrus nigtr 

 Green turtle Chdonia mydas (3) 

 Green turtle Chdonia mydat (6) 

 Green turtle Chd*mia mydat (many) 

 Horsfieid't tortobc Ttsimdo hortftidi 

 Musk-turtle SUmotkaerus odoratus (2) 



in'i 



par* 



