256 ALLEGED MICROBIC ORIG-IX OF TUMORS. 



About the same time Thoma (Fortsehritte der Medicin, June 1, 

 1889) published a short paper on "A Characteristic Parasitic 

 Organism in the Cells of Carcinoma." He describes the parasite 

 which he found in malignant growths as a unicellular organism, 

 consisting of protoplasm and a nucleus, with sometimes a uucleolus. 

 In shape it is round or oval, and he found it most frequently in the 

 vacuolated nucleus, in other cases near the nucleus. 



In January, 1890, Wickham (Archives de Medecine Experi- 

 mentale et d'Anatomie Pathologique, 1890, p. 46) published an 

 exhaustive paper on " The Pathological Anatomy and the Nature 

 of Paget's Disease of the Nipple/ 7 in which he describes and figures 

 a parasite which he regards as coccidia or psorospermise. 



This parasite consists of a double-contoured capsule either filled 

 with protoplasm, or the protoplasm is gathered into a mass in the 

 centre. As the sporozoa reproduce themselves by the formation of 

 spores, the author does not appear to have observed this process in 

 connection with the organism which he described. 



During the last year Klebs (Deutsche med. Wochenschrift, Nos. 

 24, 25, 28, 1890) published a series of papers on "The Nature and 

 Diagnosis of Cancer-formation," in which he discusses, with his 

 usual ability and thoroughness, the microbic origin of carcinoma. 

 He describes hyaline bodies in carcinoma tissue, which, however, he 

 regards as products of degenerative changes. He met with these 

 bodies, presenting either an angular or rounded form in the prolifer- 

 ating epithelial tubes, and also, but less numerously, in the stroma, 



Sjobring (Fortsehritte der Medicin, No. 14, 1890) describes a 

 " Parasitic Protozoa-like Organism in Carcinoma/' which he found 

 in six cases of mammary carcinoma. 



The most recent publication on this subject is from the pen of 

 William Russel, of Edinburgh ("An Address on a Characteristic 

 Organism of Cancer," British Medical Journal, December 13, 1890). 

 He has found in carcinoma tissue and a few other pathological pro- 

 ducts certain bodies, which for want of reliable knowledge concern- 

 ing their nature and on account of their specific reaction to certain 

 staining materials, he calls " fuchsine bodies." The following are 

 his directions for staining : " 1. Saturated solution of fuchsine in 2 

 per cent, carbolic acid in water. 2. 1 per cent, solution of iodine- 

 green (Griiber's), in 2 per cent, carbolic acid in water. Place sec- 

 tion in water ; then stain in fuchsine ten minutes or longer ; wash 

 for a few minutes in water; then wash for half a minute in absolute 

 alcohol. From this put the section into the solution of iodine- 

 green, and allow it to remain well spread out for five minutes. From 

 this rapidly dehydrate in absolute alcohol, pass through oil of cloves 

 and mount in balsam. Tissues stained by this process containing 

 the " fuchsine bodies" presented a characteristic and striking ap- 



