TUMOURS. 423 



between them being filled with a gelatinous reddish or 

 somewhat white and creamy substance. The true nature 

 of the disease is doubtful. Gamgee terms it " Fihro-plastic 

 degeneration of the hone." Williams thinks it is tubercular. 

 By others it is considered either truly cancerous or sarco- 

 matous. Lastly, it is thought to be simply a form of osteo- 

 myelitis. Until more careful examination of its nature has 

 been made, we shall be hardly in a position to decide this 

 matter. Generally some injury is the exciting cause. 



Treatment in the early stages must consist of cutting 

 down on the diseased parts and removing them, which 

 must be done with a saw or bone forceps. All the growth 

 must be removed to avoid recurrence. The edges of the 

 wound must be closed by sutures, and the ordinary treat- 

 ment of such lesions adopted. In advanced cases the 

 animal may be fattened with care for the butcher. 



Subsection 2. — Non-malignant or Innocent Tumours, 



Ordinary Simple Tumours are hypertrophies of the tissues 

 of the body, and hence are of several kinds solid or cystic. 



Solid : Epidermic or Epithelial Tumours, such as ordi- 

 nary warts (for which see p. 354) on the skin and in the oeso- 

 phagus. These are hypertrophies of the skin or of mucous 

 membrane, the whole thickness of tissue being involved. 



Fibromata consist of the ordinary elements of areolar 

 tissue j sometimes they are highly vascular. Of these, 

 the principal are the subcutaneous fibromata, polypi (as 

 of the pharynx, nasal chamber, or vagina), and fibrous 

 tumours on the knees, which often attain a very con- 

 siderable size as a result of pressure. 



Lipomata — fatty tumours — may result from hypertro- 

 phy of adipose tissue in almost any part of the body ; 

 the most important are those in the appendices epiploicae, 

 which may have such long peduncles as to enable them 

 to become twisted round the bowel, producing strangulation. 



Enchondromata — cartilaginous tumours — are not often 

 seen in the ox, they generally grow from pre-existing 

 cartilage. 



