Fibroma. 345 



medicine as keloids (x^^V, the claws of a crab), because of the resemblance 

 of the rounded or finger-like nodes to the legs of a crab ; in man spon- 

 taneous keloids arc encountered as tumor formations, apparently hereditary 

 in families. 



The fibromatous tisstte may combine with fat tissue, bone or 

 muscle giving rise to fibroUpomata, fibro-ostcomata or fibromy- 

 omata, or, when the second type of tissue predominates, to lipo- 

 Hbromata, ostcofibroinata or niyofibromata. [It is not a matter 

 of special importance, but generally the name of the tissue 

 predominating is given as the basic name of the combined tumor, 

 contrary to the above statement. Thus wdiere in a tumor com- 

 posed of fibres and adipose tissue the former predominates the 

 growth is known usually as a lipofibroma : where the latter is 

 the more important constituent, the term fibrolipoma is used.] 

 In case of an associated proliferation of the epithelium 

 covering a fibroma, or of glandular tissue the resultant com- 

 binations are known as Hbropapillomata and Hbroadcnomata. 

 Soft fibromata, more particularly because of active proliferation 

 of their cells and from the fact that these young cells are not apt 

 to maintain uniformity of shape but assume in varying measure 

 embryonal characteristics in size and shape, occasionally acquire 

 features which may justify the name fibrosarcoma. 



Fibromata are of slow growth, usually single tumors, but 

 sometimes primarily multiple, ranging in size from that of a 

 nut to that of a human head or even larger, being known to 

 weigh as much as one hundred, and even one hundred and sev- 

 enty-eight kilograms (Wehenkel, Siedamgrotzky). Because of 

 the wide distribution of fibrous connective tissue structures 

 their development may take place in practically any part of the 

 body, although there are certain parts in which they appear with 

 especial frequence. The places of election are the skin and 

 subcutaneous tissue, especially of the front of the breast (horse), 

 the dewlap (cow), the elbows (dog), and the end of the tail 

 (cow). In these situations they form hard nodular swellings 

 or nodes covered with epidermis, or in other instances lobulated 

 pedunculated growths {fibroma pcndulans). As multiple pri- 

 mary formations Siedamgrotzky once counted in a thirteen-year- 

 old stallion more than a hundred fibromata in the skin, which had 

 grown in the course of three months in the breast, abdomen, 

 neck and face, to sizes varying" from that of a hazel nut to that of 

 the palm of the hand. Similar multiplicity, warranting the term 

 fibromatosis, has been observed in dogs by Frohner and Cadiot 



