122 MALIGNANT TUMOUES. 



TREATMENT.— Remove the tumour with the knife or other 

 suitable means ; and, as described for scirrhous cord and actino- 

 mj'cosis, treat locally with an antiseptic, and generally with iodide 

 of potassium. 



Scirrhous Cord 



(from Greek, Scirrhus — a hard tumour) is a hardened and swollen 

 condition of the spermatic oord from which the testicle has been 

 removed. 



The microbes of botryomycosis are often met with in scirrhous, 

 cord, and are probably the cause of the sinuses and suppuration of 

 bad cases of this disease, but they are not its producers. These 

 parasites are never found in a recently formed scirrhous cord 

 which has not a sinus. 



SYMPTOMS OF SCIRRHOUS CORD.— In this disease, a mush- 

 room-like (hence its French name, champignon) swelling forms at 

 the end of the divided cord, and gives the tumour the appearance 

 of growing from a stalk or pedicle. Or the swelling, beginning 

 at the end of a cut oord, may extend upwards in the substance of 

 the cord, assuming more or less the shape of an elongated cone. 

 In the former case, it may remain outside the scrotum, and hang 

 down to a considerable extent, even as low as the hocks. In the 

 latter, it may go as high as the ingiiinal canal, or even into the 

 abdomen. The affected part of the cord becomes hard ajid greatly 

 swollen to the size of a man's fist, or the thickness of his arm. In 

 well-developed oases, one or more sinuses form at the end of the 

 tumour, and discharge thick curdy pus. The scrotum always be- 

 comes closely adherent to the tumour, which in some instances may 

 be seen in a cup-like depression made by the skin round the edges 

 of the wound. The invaded portion of the oord becomes filled with 

 blood-vessels from that part of the scrotum to which it is adherent, 

 and consequently becomes more or less red. Owing to the presence 

 of the tumour, which may be single or double (affecting one or 

 both cords) the movements of the hind limbs, especially those of 

 the affected side, become more or less impeded. The pain, incon- 

 venience, and discharge may give rise to fever and loss of condition. 

 Bj' passing the hand into the rectum, it may be found out by the 

 state of the cord, whether or not the tumour has extended into 

 the abdomen. 



PROGRESS OF SCIRRHOUS CORD.— In the progress of this 

 disease there are two well-marked stages, namely (1) adherence of 

 the scrotum to the end of the divided cord, and (2) suppuration in 

 the tumour. The former stage may continue for years without 



