OSTEOMATA AND MYOMATA. 177 



of the external genitals in the female ; the intermuscular con- 

 nective tissue of the neck and face, are the favourite seats of 

 myxoma ; next to these, it is most frequently met with in the 

 bones and nervous system. In the nervous system (according 

 to Vircliow) it is often multiple, myxomatous nodules being 

 formed at several points at once in the connective tissue of the 

 perineurium. As regards prognosis, myxomata, if we succeed 

 in duly eliminating the myxomatous variety of sarcoma, may be 

 classed among benign tumours. They do not recur after radical 

 extirpation. 



e, Osteomata or Bony Tumours. 



§ 144. Bony tumours in some respects resemble myxomata. 

 Bone, though a living constituent of the body, and even suscep- 

 tible of undergoing metamorphosis, resembles mucous tissue in 

 being a "terminal" tissue, i.e. it usually winds up a series of 

 other metamorphoses. The stromata of cancers may undergo 

 ossification. Lilcke has actually recorded a case of epithelial 

 cancer with a bony stroma ; we are acquainted with an ossifying 

 sarcoma ; enchondromata and osteoid-chondromata may be con- 

 verted into bone ; even the septa of connective tissue between 

 the lobules of a lipoma may become ossified ; we are therefore 

 obliged to repeat what was said in defining a myxoma, limiting 

 the term osteoma to such tumours only as consist throughout and 

 in all their parts of bone-tissue. If we distinguish with Vir- 

 ch&Lo between a hyperplastic and a heteroplastic form of osteoma, 

 we shall have to include under this head whatever tumour-like 

 overgrowths of the bones we may come across. Heteroplastic 

 osteomata are undoubtedly very rare. 



f. Myomata. 



Under this name we include all tumours which are 

 mainly composed of true muscular fibre. According as the 

 muscular fibres belong to the smooth or the striped variety, 

 we follow Zenker in distinguishing between leiomyomata and 

 rJiabdo?nyo}nata. I have found however, that it is just in the 

 case of tumours that transitional forms between smooth and 

 striped muscular fibre are to be met with. A large myoma 

 of the retroperitoneal adipose tissue which I had an oppor- 



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